Decision No. 46019. The Court of Customs and Patent Appeals affirmed the judgment of the lower court which held that, by virtue of the terms of the Cuban reciprocity treaty of 1902, avocados from Cuba are not subject to the duty of 15 cents per pound as provided in paragraph 750 of the Tariff Act of 1930. A résumé of the decision of March 19, 1934, will be published in an early issue of this bulletin.

FINANCE

EXCHANGE OF NOTES BETWEEN THE UNITED STATES AND THE IRISH FREE STATE PROVIDING FOR RELIEF FROM DOUBLE INCOME TAX ON SHIPPING PROFITS

An agreement between the United States and the Irish Free State has been entered into by exchange of notes dated August 24, 1933, and January 9, 1934, providing for relief from double income tax on shipping profits.

The provisions of the Revenue Act of 1932 stipulate in section 212(b) that "The income of a nonresident alien individual which consists exclusively of earnings derived from the operation of a ship or ships documented under the laws of a foreign country which grants an equivalent exemption to citizens of the United States and to corporations organized in the United States, shall not be included in gross income and shall be exempt from taxation under this title." Section 231(b) provides that "The income of a foreign corporation, which consists exclusively of earnings derived from the operation of a ship or ships documented under the laws of a foreign country which grants an equivalent exemption to citizens of the United States and to corporations organized in the United States, shall not be included in gross income and shall be exempt from taxation under this title."

The equivalent exemptions required by sections 212(b) and 231(b) of the Revenue Act of 1932 were found to have been met by the provisions of section 10 of the Irish Free State Finance Act of 1932 (No. 20 of 1932), and the exemptions accorded to steamship owners of the Irish Free State under the ruling of the Acting Secretary of the Treasury are effective as of April 6, 1932, the beginning of the first income-tax taxable year to which section 10 of the Irish Free State Finance Act of 1932 is applicable.

'See Bulletin No. 39, December 1932, p. 9.

INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE FOR THE UNIFICATION OF LAWS ON BILLS OF EXCHANGE, PROMISSORY NOTES, AND CHEQUES 10

Monaco

According to a communication from the League of Nations dated February 6, 1934, the Consul General of the Principality of Monaco at Geneva signed, on January 25, 1934, a protocol of accession by Monaco to the following conventions signed at Geneva June 7, 1930, at the first session of the International Conference for the Unification of Laws on Bills of Exchange, Promissory Notes, and Cheques :

Convention and protocol providing a uniform law for bills of exchange and promissory notes;

Convention and protocol for the settlement of certain conflicts. of laws in connection with bills of exchange and promissory notes;

Convention and protocol on the stamp laws in connection with bills of exchange and promissory notes.

Canada-India-Mexico

SILVER AGREEMENT 11

Instruments of ratification of the silver agreement signed at London July 22, 1933, were deposited with the Department of State by the following countries on the dates indicated: Canada, March 28; India, March 21; and Mexico, March 26, 1934.

China

According to information received from the Chinese Minister at Washington and from the American Minister to China, the Chinese Government ratified on March 21, 1934, the silver agreement of July 22, 1933, with the following reservations:

"In ratifying this Agreement the National Government of China declares that as silver is the basic monetary standard of China the National Government will consider itself at liberty to take whatever action it may deem appropriate if in its opinion changes in the relative values of gold and silver adversely affect the economic condition of the Chinese people contrary to the spirit of stabilizing the price of silver as embodied in this Agreement."

NAVIGATION

INTERNATIONAL LOAD LINE CONVENTION

Irish Free State-Yugoslavia

12

By a note dated March 27, 1934, the British Ambassador at Washington informed the Secretary of State that the instrument of ratification by the Irish Free State and the instrument of accession by Yugoslavia to the international load line convention signed at London July 5, 1930, were deposited with the British Government on February 8 and 26, 1934, and will take effect on May 8 and 26, 1934, respectively.

POSTAL

PARCEL POST CONVENTION BETWEEN THE UNITED STATES AND THE PORTUGUESE COLONIES OF WEST AFRICA

On March 21, 1934, the President approved and ratified the agreement signed at Lisbon February 25, 1933, and at Washington February 27, 1934, modifying the parcel post convention of November 18, 1927, between the United States and the Portuguese Colonies of West Africa. The agreement modifies section 3 of article XXIII of the convention of 1927, which relates to the payment by the country of origin to the country of destination of terminal charges on parcel post. An increase in the charges is provided for.

Argentina

POSTAL UNION OF THE AMERICAS AND SPAIN 13

By a telegram dated March 16, 1934, the American Ambassador to Argentina reported that by Presidential decree of March 14, Argentina announced its withdrawal as of April 1, 1934, from the convention of the Postal Union of the Americas and Spain, signed at Madrid November 10, 1931. As this convention has been administered provisionally by the Argentine Government under section 5 of article 26 thereof, the 1-year notice of withdrawal provided in section 1 of that article would seem to be not required of the Argentine Republic, inasmuch as it has never definitively ratified the convention.

UNIVERSAL POSTAL CONVENTION AND SUBSIDIARY AGREEMENTS 14

Chile-Dominican Republic

With regard to the universal postal convention and subsidiary agreements signed at London June 28, 1929, the British Ambassador at Washington transmitted to the Secretary of State with a note dated March 27, 1934, a revised schedule of ratifications and accessions which have been received by the British Government up to March 10, 1934. The ratifications not hitherto reported in this bulletin are as follows:

Chile deposited on January 11, 1934, its ratification of the convention, the agreement on letters and parcels of declared value, the parcel post agreement, the money order agreement, the agreement concerning collection of accounts through the post, and the agreement concerning subscriptions to newspapers and periodicals through the post.

The Dominican Republic deposited on December 15, 1933, its ratification of the convention only.

TELECOMMUNICATIONS

INSTRUMENTS SIGNED AT THE INTERNATIONAL RADIOTELEGRAPH CONFERENCE, MADRID, 1932 1

Denmark

14

By a note dated February 27, 1934, the Spanish Ambassador at Washington informed the Secretary of State of the deposit, on February 6, of the instrument of ratification by Denmark of the telecommunication convention signed at Madrid December 9, 1932. The ratification does not include any of the regulations and protocols annexed to the convention. The Danish Government declared when making this deposit that it would notify the International Bureau. of the Union at Bern of its approval of the said regulations and protocols.

Morocco

The Spanish Ambassador at Washington informed the Secretary of State by a note dated March 16, 1934, of the deposit, on February 23, of the instrument of ratification of the telecommunication convention by the Sultan of Morocco. This ratification, which is exclusive of the Spanish Zone, includes also the telegraph regulations, the telephone regulations, and the general and additional radio regulations annexed to the convention.

Article 6 of the convention provides that the instruments of ratification of the convention shall be deposited with the Spanish Gov

ernment, which shall, through diplomatic channels, notify the other signatory and adhering governments of the ratifications or adherences as soon as they are received.

Article 7 of the convention provides that the governments must, as soon as possible, submit their decision concerning the approval of the regulations annexed to the convention. This notification. of approval shall be reported to the International Bureau of the Union at Bern, which shall inform the members of the Union accordingly. In accordance with these provisions of article 7 concerning the approval of the regulations, the International Bureau has conveyed the following information to the Department of State:

Albania approved on February 1, 1934, the general radio regulations and the telegraph regulations;

Australia approved on January 9, 1934, the general radio regulations, the additional radio regulations, the final radio protocol, the telegraph regulations and the final telegraph protocol;

Belgium approved on December 2, 1933, the European radio protocol;

Bolivia approved on January 23, 1934, the general radio regulations, the additional radio regulations, and the telegraph regulations;

The Free City of Danzig approved on January 1, 1934, the general radio regulations, the additional radio regulations, the final radio protocol, the telegraph regulations, the final telegraph protocol, and the telephone regulations;

Denmark approved on February 8, 1934, the general radio regulations, the additional radio regulations, the final radio protocol, the telegraph regulations, the final telegraph protocol, and the telephone regulations;

Estonia approved on January 1, 1934, the general radio regulations, the additional radio regulations, the final radio protocol, the telegraph regulations, the final telegraph protocol, and the telephone regulations;

France approved on January 1, 1934, the general radio regulations, the additional radio regulations, the final radio protocol, the telegraph regulations, the final telegraph protocol, and the telephone regulations;

States of the Levant under French Mandate approved on January 11, 1934, the general radio regulations, the additional radio regulations, the final radio protocol, the telegraph regulations, and the final telegraph protocol;

Japan approved on December 22, 1933, the general radio regulations, the additional radio regulations, the final radio protocol, the telegraph regulations, the final telegraph protocol, and the telephone regulations;

Morocco (excluding the Spanish Zone) approved on February 23, 1934, the general radio regulations, the additional radio regulations, the telegraph regulations, and the telephone regulations;

Switzerland approved on January 1, 1934, the general radio regu lations, the additional radio regulations, the final radio protocol, the telegraph regulations, the final telegraph protocol, and the telephone regulations.