Fifty-six countries, including the United States of America, are at present participating in the work of the Bureau. INTERNATIONAL BUREAU OF THE PERMANENT COURT OF ARBITRATION 1 1 (Established in 1900) Offices: The Hague, Netherlands. The International Bureau of the Permanent Court of Arbitration, which was established in 1900 under article 22 of the Hague convention of July 29, 1899 for the pacific settlement of international disputes and maintained under article 43 of the new convention signed at The Hague on October 18, 1907, serves as a registry for the Court. It is the channel for communications relative to the meetings of the Court, has charge of the archives of the Court, and conducts all the administrative business. The Bureau is under the supervision and control of the Administrative Council, which consists of the diplomatic representatives of the contracting powers accredited to The Hague and of the Netherland Minister for Foreign Affairs, who acts as president. The Bureau is a permanent office consisting of a first and second secretary, an archivist, an assistant archivist, a caretaker, and a messenger. BUREAU OF THE INTERNATIONAL TELECOMMUNICATION UNION 2 (Established in 1934) Offices: Bern, Switzerland. The Bureau of the International Telecommunication Union was established pursuant to the provision of article 17 of the Telecommunication Convention signed at Madrid on December 9, 1932 and effective in 1934. (Treaty Series, no. 867). It took the place of 1 For an account of the Permanent Court of Arbitration, see p. 104 of this publication. 2 The Bureau is divided into two sections, one dealing with telephone and telegraph service, and the other with radio service. Each section has a separate budget and the adhering states contribute to the expenses of one or both, depending upon their adherence to the separate regulations. The United States has adhered only to the radio regulations and therefore contributes only to the expenses of the radio section of the Bureau. the International Bureau of the Telegraph Union which was established in 1869 under the provision of article LXI of the International Telegraph Convention signed at Vienna on July 21, 1868 (British and Foreign State Papers, vol. LIX, p. 322). Under article 17 of the Madrid convention, the Bureau of the Union is charged with: (1) Work preparatory to and following conferences, in which it is represented in an advisory capacity; (2) Providing, in cooperation with the organizing administration involved, the secretariat of meetings of committees: appointed by the Union or placed under the auspices of the latter; (3) Issuing such publications as will be found generally useful between conferences; (4) Publishing periodically a journal of information and documentation concerning telecommunications; (5) Holding itself at all times at the disposal of the contracting governments to furnish them with such opinions and information as they may need on questions concerning international telecommunications; (6) Preparing an annual report on its activities to be communicated to all of the members of the Union. The foregoing functions of the Bureau are in addition to the work and operations provided for by the various articles of the convention and the regulations annexed thereto. The Bureau is placed under the supervision of the Swiss Government, which regulates its organization, supervises its finances, makes the necessary advances, and audits the annual accounts. INTERNATIONAL BUREAU OF THE UNIVERSAL POSTAL UNION (Established in 1875) Offices: Bern, Switzerland. The Bureau was established in accordance with the provisions contained in article 15 of the convention signed at Bern on October 9, 1874 (19 Stat. 577). The original convention has since been modified by the conventions signed at Paris in 1878 (20 Stat. 734); at Lisbon in 1885 (25 Stat. 1339); at Vienna in 1891 (28 Stat. 1078); at Washington in 1897 (30 Stat. 1629); at Rome in 1906 (35 Stat. 1639); at Madrid in 1920 (42 Stat. 1971); at Stockholm in 1924 (44 Stat. 2221); at London in 1929 (46 Stat. 2523); and at Cairo in 1934.1 The Bureau (1) Collects, coordinates, publishes, and distributes information concerning the international postal service; (2) Gives opinions, upon application by the parties concerned, on questions in dispute; (3) Prepares studies of international postal problems; (4) Prepares the work for the periodical congresses of the Union; (5) Provides for the manufacture and supply of reply-coupons and keeps the accounts in connection with this service; (6) Publishes, in addition to various documents relating to the proposals, discussions, and decisions of the Union congresses, a monthly journal called L'Union Postale; · (7) In general, serves as a liaison agency between the postal administrations of the countries members of the Union. The United States contributes an annual sum toward the expenses. of the Bureau, the appropriations therefor being contained in the general appropriations for the Post Office Department. INTERNATIONAL BUREAU OF WEIGHTS AND MEASURES Offices: Paris, France. The International Bureau of Weights and Measures was established pursuant to the provisions of the convention of May 20, 1875 (20 Stat. 709), subsequently amended by the convention of October 6, 1921 (43 Stat. 1686). Thirty-one countries, including the United States of America, are parties to the convention. The International Bureau is charged with the following duties: (1) The comparisons and verifications of the new prototypes of the meter and kilogram; (2) The custody of the international prototypes; 'The text of the convention signed at Cairo in 1934 will appear in volume 49 of the Statutes. For an account of the Cairo Congress, see Conference Series, no. 20, p. 23. (4) The comparison of the prototypes with the fundamental standards of non-metrical weights and measures used in different countries for scientific purposes; (5) The sealing and comparison of geodetic measuring-bars; (6) The comparison of standards and scales of precision, the verification of which may be requested by governments or by scientific societies or even by constructors or men of science. In addition to the foregoing, the convention of 1921 authorized the Bureau to keep the standards of electrical units and make the determinations relative to physical constants. The International Bureau is under the direction and supervision of the International Committee of Weights and Measures, which is under the control of the general conference of delegates from the contracting countries. INTERNATIONAL COUNCIL OF SCIENTIFIC UNIONS 1 (Established in 1919) Offices: Brussels, Belgium. Comprising: International Astronomical Union; International Union of Chemistry (formerly International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry); International Union of Geodesy and Geophysics; International Scientific Radio Union (formerly International International Geographical Union. The organization of the International Council of Scientific Unions was first proposed by the delegates of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States at an international conference held in London under the auspices of the Royal Society in October 1918, was initiated at Paris at a second international conference held under the auspices of the Paris Academy of Sciences in November of the same year, and was formally completed at Brussels in July 1919. The purposes of the International Council of Scientific Unions are as follows: 1 Formerly called the International Research Council. (1) To coordinate efforts in the different branches of science and its applications; (2) To initiate the promotion of international associations or unions deemed to be useful in the progress of science; (3) To direct international scientific activity in subjects which do not fall within the purview of any existing international associations; (4) To enter through the proper channels into relations with the governments of the countries adhering to the International Council of Scientific Unions in order to promote investigations falling within the competence of the Council. Some 42 countries, including the United States of America, contribute to the support of the Council. While there was no treaty or act of Congress authorizing an annual contribution by the United States to this Council, Congress appropriated funds for this Government to defray its share of the expenses in this council each fiscal year from 1922 to 1932 (calendar years 1921 to 1931). The Council was formed in July 1919, and the quota for the calendar year 1920 was paid by the National Academy of Sciences. For reasons of economy no appropriations were made by Congress for the fiscal years 1933, 1934, and 1935 (calendar years 1932, 1933, and 1934), although an appropriation for 1935 was authorized. The National Academy of Sciences and the National Research Council paid the quotas for 1933 and 1934 (calendar years 1932 and 1933), and the quota for 1935 (calendar year 1934) remains unpaid. An act of Congress approved August 7, 1935 (49 Stat. 540) authorized an annual contribution toward the expenses of the Council. INTERNATIONAL HYDROGRAPHIC BUREAU Offices: Monaco. (Established in 1921) Membership of the United States of America in the International Hydrographic Bureau was authorized by an act of Congress approved March 2, 1921 (41 Stat. 1215). Twenty-two countries participate in the work of the Bureau. The duties of the Bureau, as outlined at the First International Hydrographic Conference which met in London in 1919, are as follows: (1) To establish and maintain a close and permanent association between the hydrographic services and its members; |