LONDON INTERNATIONAL RADIOTELEGRAPHIC CONVENTION, PROCLAIMED BY THE PRESIDENT JULY 8, 1913. The International Radiotelegraphic Convention was signed at London July 5, 1912. The convention was ratified by the Senate of the United States on January 22, 1913, with the proviso set forth in the following resolution of concurrence: Resolved (two-thirds of the Senators present concurring therein), That the Senate advise and consent to the ratification of the radiotelegraphic convention signed at London on July 5, 1912, with the final protocol and service regulations connected therewith: Provided, That the Senate advise and consent to the ratification of said convention with the understanding to be expressed as a part of the instrument of ratification that nothing in the Ninth Article of the Regulations affixed to the convention shall be deemed to exclude the United States from the execution of her inspection laws upon vessels entering in or clearing from her ports. London vention. con The London Convention was proclaimed by the President, and took effect July 8, 1913, "to the end that the same and every article and clause thereof may be observed and fulfilled with good faith by the United States and the citizens thereof," and supersedes the Berlin Radiotelegraphic Convention. The London Convention and Regulations do not modify or repeal the act of August 13, 1912, to regulate radio communication or the acts of June 24, 1910, and July 23, 1912, to require apparatus and operators for radio communication on certain ocean steamers. INTERNATIONAL RADIOTELEGRAPH CONVENTION, [Translation.] International Radiotelegraph Convention concluded between Germany and the German Protectorates, the United States of America and the Possessions of the United States of America, the Argentine Republic, Austria, Hungary, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Belgium, the Belgian Congo, Brazil, Bulgaria, Chile, Denmark, Egypt, Spain and the Spanish Colonies, France and Algeria, French West Africa, French Equatorial Africa, Indo-China, Madagascar, Tunis, Great Britain and the various British Colonies and Protectorates, the Union of South Africa, the Australian Federation, Canada, British India, New Zealand, Greece, Italy and the Italian Colonies, Japan and Chosen, Formosa, Japanese Sakhalin and the leased territory of Kwantung, Morocco, Monaco, Norway, the Netherlands, the Dutch Indies and the Colony of Curacao, Persia, Portugal and the Portuguese Colonies, Roumania, Russia and the Russian Possessions and Protectorates, The Republic of San Marino, Siam, Sweden, Turkey, and Uruguay. The undersigned, plenipotentiaries of the Governments of the countries enumerated above, having met in con Scope. Coast stations. Intercommuni cation. Limited service. ference at London, have agreed on the following Convention, subject to ratification: ARTICLE 1. The High Contracting Parties bind themselves to apply the provisions of the present Convention to all radio stations (both coastal stations and stations on shipboard) which are established or worked by the Contracting Parties and open to public service between the coast and vessels at sea. They further bind themselves to make the observance of these provisions obligatory upon private enterprises authorized either to establish or work coastal stations for radiotelegraphy open to public service between the coast and vessels at sea, or to establish or work radio stations, whether open to general public service or not, on board of vessels flying their flag. ARTICLE 2. By "coastal stations" is to be understood every radio station established on shore or on board a permanently moored vessel used for the exchange of correspondence with ships at sea. Every radio station established on board any vessel not permanently moored is called a "station on shipboard." ARTICLE 3. The coastal stations and the stations on shipboard shall be bound to exchange radiograms without distinction of the radio system adopted by such stations. Every station on shipboard shall be bound to exchange radiograms with every other station on shipboard without distinction of the radio system adopted by such stations. However, in order not to impede scientific progress, the provisions of the present Article shall not prevent the eventual employment of a radio system incapable of communicating with other systems, provided that such incapacity shall be due to the specific nature of such system and that it shall not be the result of devices adopted for the sole purpose of preventing intercommunication. ARTICLE 4. Notwithstanding the provisions of Article 3, a station may be reserved for a limited public service determined by the object of the correspondence or by other circumstances independent of the system emlpoyed. st lio tly ace ssel hip ARTICLE 5. nection. Each of the High Contracting Parties undertakes to Land-line conconnect the coastal stations to the telegraph system by special wires, or, at least, to take other measures which will insure a rapid exchange between the coastal stations and the telegraph system. ARTICLE 6. The High Contracting Parties shall notify one another of the names of coastal stations and stations on shipboard referred to in Article 1, and also of all data, necessary to facilitate and accelerate the exchange of radiograms, as specified in the Regulations. ARTICLE 7. Each of the High Contracting Parties reserves the right to prescribe or permit at the stations referred to in Article 1, apart from the installation the data of which are to be published in conformity with Article 6, the installation and working of other devices for the purpose of establishing special radio communication without publishing the details of such devices. ARTICLE 8. The working of the radio stations shall be organized Interference. as far as possible in such manner as not to disturb the service of other radio stations. ARTICLE 9. Radio stations are bound to give absolute priority to calls of distress from whatever source, to similarly answer such calls and to take such action with regard thereto as may be required. ARTICLE 10. The charge for a radiogram shall comprise, according to the circumstances: 1. (a) The coastal rate, which shall fall to the coastal station; (b) The shipboard rate, which shall fall to the shipboard station. 2. The charge for transmission over the telegraph lines, to be computed according to the ordinary rules. 3. The charges for transit through the intermediate coastal or shipboard stations and the charges for special services requested by the sender. The coastal rate shall be subject to the approval of the Government of which the coastal station is dependent, and the shipboard rate to the approval of the Government of which the ship is dependent. 55830°-14- -2 Rates. ARTICLE 11. The provisions of the present Convention are supplemented by Regulations, which shall have the same force and go into effect at the same time as the Convention. The provisions of the present Convention and of the Regulations relating thereto may at any time be modified by the High Contracting Parties by common consent. Conferences of plenipotentiaries having power to modify the Convention and the Regulations, shall take place from time to time; each conference shall fix the time and place of the next meeting. ARTICLE 12. Such conferences shall be composed of delegates of the Governments of the contracting countries. In the deliberations each country shall have but one vote. If a Government adheres to the Convention for its colonies, possessions or protectorates, subsequent conferences may decide that such colonies, possessions or protectorates, or a part thereof, shall be considered as forming a country as regards the application of the preceding paragraph. But the number of votes at the disposal of one Government, including its colonies, possessions or protectorates, shall in no case exceed six. The following shall be considered as forming a single country for the application of the present Article: German East Africa German Southwest Africa e Eritrea Italian Somaliland Chosen, Formosa, Japanese Sakhalin and the leased territory of Kwantung. The Dutch Indies The Colony of Curacao Portuguese West Africa Portuguese East Africa and the Portuguese posses- Russian Central Asia (littoral of the Caspian Sea) Khiva Western Siberia (littoral of the Arctic Ocean). ARTICLE 13. The International Bureau of the Telegraph Union shall Berne bureau. be charged with collecting, coordinating and publishing information of every kind relating to radiotelegraphy, examining the applications for changes in the Convention or Regulations, promulgating the amendments adopted, and generally performing all administrative work referred to it in the interest of international radiotelegraphy. The expense of such institution shall be borne by all the contracting countries. ARTICLE 14. Each of the High Contracting Parties reserves to itself Rates. the right of fixing the terms on which it will receive radiograms proceeding from or intended for any station, whether on shipboard or coastal, which is not subject to the provisions of the present Convention. If a radiogram is received the ordinary rates shall be applicable to it. Any radiogram proceeding from a station on shipboard and received by a coastal station of a contracting country, or accepted in transit by the administration of a contracting country, shall be forwarded. Any radiogram intended for a vessel shall also be forwarded if the administration of the contracting country has accepted it originally or in transit from a non-contracting country, the coastal station reserving the right to refuse transmission to a station on shipboard subject to a non-contracting country. ARTICLE 15. The provisions of Articles 8 and 9 of this Convention are also applicable to radio installation other than those referred to in Article 1. |