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ing postal shipments, and develops cost figures on postal transactions on a comparative basis;

(4) Audits accounts and makes awards in connection with disputes arising over international postal transactions;

(5) Suggests necessary modifications in the international agreements and acts of the Congress of the Postal Union;

(6) Cooperates closely with international railway, air, and telegraph organizations whose activities are of importance to the postal service.

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 OFFICE OF THE POSTAL UNION OF THE AMERICAS AND SPAIN

(Established in 1911)

Offices: Montevideo, Uruguay.

The Office was established in 1911 in accordance with the provisions of the convention of the First South American Postal Congress. The United States was not a party to this convention. This Government, however, joined the Postal Union of the Americas and Spain in 1922 by becoming a party to the convention of the First Pan American Postal Union Congress, signed at Buenos Aires in 1921 (42 Stat. 2154). This convention was modified at Mexico City in 1926 (45 Stat. 2434) and at Madrid 18 in 1931 (47 Stat. 1924). Further changes were introduced at a congress held at Panamá 1 in 1936 (50 Stat. 1657, 1696, 1708), and the instruments resulting from that congress were put into force by the United States on October 1, 1937. The Office is charged with

(1) Assembling, coordinating, publishing, and distributing information of all kinds which especially concerns the Americo-Spanish postal service;

(2) Giving, at the express request of the parties concerned, its opinion on disputed questions;

(3) Giving, on its own initiative or at the request of any of the signatory countries, its opinion on all matters of a postal character which affect or relate to the general interests of the Postal Union of the Americas and Spain;

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(4) Making known any formulated request for modification of the acts of the Congress and giving notice of the changes which may be adopted;

(5) Making known the results obtained from the regulatory provisions and measures of importance which the administrations may adopt in their domestic service and which may be communicated to it by the same administrations as information;

(6) Distributing the postal maps and guides supplied by the respective administrations, as well as collecting the necessary data for the preparation and distribution of a map indicating the airmail lines of the Americas and Spain;

(7) Making up a summary of the Americo-Spanish postal statistics in accordance with the data which each administration communicates to it annually;

(8) Publishing a report relative to the most rapid routes for the transmission of correspondence from one of the contracting countries to another;

(9) Preparing a table giving in detail all the maritime services dependent upon the countries of the Postal Union of the Americas and Spain which may be utilized gratuitously for the transportation of their correspondence;

(10) Publishing the tariff of postage rates of the domestic service of each of the countries concerned, and the table of equivalents;

(11) Publishing and distributing annually among the countries of the Postal Union of the Americas and Spain a report of the work which it performs;

(12) Carrying out the studies and works requested of it in the interest of the contracting countries, relating to the work of social, economic, and artistic cooperation, for which purpose the Office shall always be at the disposal of said countries in order to furnish them any special information which they may require on matters relating to the Americo-Spanish postal service;

(13) Taking part and collaborating in the organization and convening of the congresses and conferences of the Postal Union of the Americas and Spain;

(14) Distributing among the administrations of the Postal Union of the Americas and Spain the postal laws and regulations of each, the said administrations accordingly being obligated to furnish the Office mentioned 25 copies of the laws and regulations in question.

The United States contributes an annual sum toward the expenses of the Office, the appropriations therefor being contained in the general appropriations for the Post Office Department.

INTERNATIONAL COUNCIL OF SCIENTIFIC UNIONS 15

(Established in 1919)

Offices: Brussels, Belgium.

Comprising:

International Astronomical Union;

International Union of Geodesy and Geophysics;

International Union of Chemistry (formerly International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry);

International Scientific Radio Union (formerly International
Union of Scientific Radiotelegraphy);

International Union of Physics;
International Geographical Union;

International Union of Biological Sciences.

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) To coordinate efforts in the different branches of science and its application;

(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 association;

(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.

"Formerly called the International Research Council.

Some 41 governments, including the United States of America, contribute to the support of the Council. The first contribution of the United States to the Council was authorized by Congress on March 2, 1921 (41 Stat. 1213). An act of Congress approved August 7, 1935 (49 Stat. 540) authorized an annual contribution toward the expenses of the Council. For the fiscal year ending June 30, 1941 the sum of $4,202.86 was appropriated by Congress for the payment of this contribution (54 Stat. 188).

INTERNATIONAL SEED-TESTING ASSOCIATION

(Established in 1924)

Offices: Copenhagen, Denmark.

The International Seed-Testing Association was created pursuant to action taken at the International Conference on Seed-Testing which met in Cambridge, England, in 1924.

The Association is composed of officials charged with the testing of seeds in the member countries, and its object is to bring about the standardization of methods of seed testing and interpretation of results with a view to the issuance by the member countries of standard international certificates of quality covering agricultural seeds passing in international trade. It cooperates with the International Institute of Agriculture 16 and 33 other associates in the general field of agriculture through the International Coordinating Commission for Agriculture and maintains an information service for the coordination of seed-testing research on an international basis.

The Association publishes a journal known as the Proceedings of the International Seed-Testing Association, which contains reports on questions coming within the province of the Association, abstracts of such articles of interest to the Association as have been published elsewhere, book reviews, etc.

Commencing with the fiscal year 1925 the United States has contributed an annual sum toward the Association's expenses. Funds for the first of these annual payments were provided by an act of Congress approved June 5, 1924 and contained in the appropriations for the Bureau of Plant Industry, Department of Agriculture (43 Stat. 432).

18 See ante, p. 22.

INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL-POLICE COMMISSION

Offices: Vienna, Germany.

(Established in 1923)

The International Criminal-Police Commission, which was established in 1923, held its first session in Vienna in 1924 and has held sessions and organized congresses periodically since that time.

The Commission is responsible for insuring and developing the fullest mutual assistance among all criminal-investigation departments within the framework of the laws of the various states, and encourages the foundation and development of institutions capable of contributing effectively toward the suppression of crime. More particularly it interests itself in the study of the following problems: suppression of counterfeiting of currency and the forgery of checks, securities, and passports; improvement in exchange of communications between police authorities; suppression of narcotic-drug abuses; suppression of traffic in women and children; methods of identification; formulation of campaigns against alcoholism; suppression of publications and films contrary to public morals; and extradition. The Commission cooperates with member states in the progressive unification of penal law.

On June 10, 1938 Congress authorized membership on behalf of the United States in the International Criminal-Police Commission and approved an annual appropriation toward its expenses (52 Stat. 640). These appropriations are contained in the annual appropriations for the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Department of Justice.

INTER-AMERICAN RADIO OFFICE
(Established in 1939)

Offices: Habana, Cuba.

Part 1 of the inter-American radio-communications convention (53 Stat. 1576) which was signed at Habana on December 13, 1937 provides for periodical conferences of the contracting governments for the purpose of resolving by common understanding such problems as may arise in the field of radio communications on the American Continent. Part 2 of the convention provides for the establishment of the Inter-American Radio Office. The signatory governments agree to communicate to the Office all provisions of internal and international radio legislation and the regulations in force in their territories, and such amendments as may be introduced in these provisions, as well as statistical, technical, and administrative reports relating thereto, and, specifically, to transmit to the Office every six

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