ITALY.

ESTABLISHMENT OF AN INTERNATIONAL AGRICULTURAL

No. 554.]

INSTITUTE.

The Italian Ambassador to the Secretary of State.

[Translation.]

ROYAL ITALIAN EMBASSY, Washington, D. C., February 26, 1905. MR. SECRETARY OF STATE: By order of my government, I have the honor to inform your excellency that His Majesty the King, my august sovereign, has taken the initiative in the formation of an international institute of agriculture to be composed of representatives of the great agricultural societies of the various countries and of delegates from the several governments. This institute, being devoid of any political intent, should tend to bring about a community of interests among agriculturists and to protect these interests in the markets of the world. It will study agricultural conditions in the different countries, periodically indicating the supply and the quality of products with accuracy and care, so as to proportion production to demand, increase and distribute the various crops according to the rate of consumption, render the commerce of agricultural products less costly and more expeditious, and suitably determine the prices thereof. Acting in unison with the various national bureaus already existing, it will furnish accurate information on conditions regarding agricultural labor in various localities, and will regulate and direct the currents of emigration. It will favor the institution of agricultural exchanges and labor bureaus. It will protect both producers and consumers against the excesses of transportation and forestalling syndicates, keeping a watch on middlemen, pointing out their abuses, and acquainting the public with the true conditions of the market. It will foster agreements for common defense against the diseases of plants and live stock, against which individual defense is less effectual. It will help to develop rural cooperation, agricultural insurance, and agrarian credit. It will study and propose measures of general interest, preparing international agreements for the benefit of agriculture and the agricultural classes.

Carrying out the intention of His Majesty, the Italian Government appeals to all friendly nations, each of which ought to have its own representatives in the institute, appointed to act as the exponents of their respective governments, as organs of mutual relations, and as mediums of reciprocal influence and information. It accordingly now invites them to participate through their delegates in the first convention, which is to be held at Rome next May for the purpose of preparing rules for the new institute.

The King's Government trusts that the United States will be willing to cooperate in the enterprise, the first inspiration of which is due to an American citizen, and that, accepting the invitation to the conference at Rome, it will send thither a delegation commensurate with its importance as the foremost agricultural nation in the world.

Please accept, etc.,

MAYOR.

The Acting Secretary of State to the Italian Ambassador. No. 255.]

DEPARTMENT OF STATE, Washington, March 27, 1905. EXCELLENCY: By your note of the 26th ultimo you were so good as to inform the Secretary of State that His Majesty the King of Italy has taken the initiative in the formation of an international institute of agriculture, and that in carrying out the intention of His Majesty the Italian Government had invited the friendly nations to participate through delegates in the first conference, which is to be held at Rome next May for the purpose of preparing rules for the new institute.

In communicating this invitation you make known the wish of the King's Government that that of the United States will be willing to cooperate in the enterprise, and that, accepting the invitation to the conference at Rome, it will send thither a delegate commensurate with its importance as the foremost agricultural nation of the world.. As you were informed by the Department's note of the 6th instant," the subject-matter of your note was communicated to the President and to the Secretary of Agriculture.

The President, appreciating the interest which His Majesty has taken in this matter, has directed Mr. Henry White, the newly appointed American ambassador to Italy, to represent the United States at the conference in question, and to this end Mr. White's departure for his post at Rome will be hastened. The question of the selection of a technical agricultural associate or associates is having consideration.

Accept, etc.,

ALVEY A. ADEE.

The Acting Secretary of State to the Italian Ambassador. No. 257.] DEPARTMENT OF STATE, Washington, March 31, 1905. EXCELLENCY: Referring to this Department's note No. 255, of the 27th instant, I have the honor to inform you that, by the President's direction, Mr. Albert F. Woods, vegetable pathologist of the Department of Agriculture, has been designated as the technical agricultural associate of Ambassador White at the conference for the formulation of rules to govern the international institute of agriculture, to be held at Rome in May, 1905. Accept, etc.,

ALVEY A. ADEE.

a Not printed.

No. 277.]

The Acting Secretary of State to the Italian Ambassador. DEPARTMENT OF STATE, Washington, May 26, 1905. EXCELLENCY: Referring to previous correspondence with regard to representation by the United States at the agricultural conference to be held at Rome this month, I have the honor to inform you that Mr. W. P. Hill, master of the Pennsylvania State Grange, who is at present in Rome, has been appointed an additional delegate on the part of the United States to the conference in question.

Accept, etc.,

No. 2101.]

HERBERT H. D. PEIRCE.

The Italian Ambassador to the Secretary of State.

[Translation.]

ROYAL ITALIAN EMBASSY, Washington, D. C., August 9, 1905.

MR. SECRETARY OF STATE: The conference called together by the King's Government in order to provide with the consent of the adhering nations, for the creation of an international institute of agriculture, concluded its sessions on June 7 by signing a final act which embodies in the form of a convention the resolutions unanimously adopted by the delegates of the powers. In a series of meetings, after doubts had been cleared up, differences of opinion removed, and any possible difficulties evaded, the several delegates unanimously expressed themselves in favor of insuring an easy and early realization of the initiative so nobly taken by the King, my august sovereign. As appears from the final act, of which I inclose a copy, and from the text of the convention embodied therein, the resolutions adopted form, in their aggregate, a complete outline of the organization and functions of the new institute, which is to be established and operate in Rome.

The final act of the conference was signed by the delegates under reservation of the approval of their respective governments, nor could it be otherwise. After this approval the convention, which constitutes the essential part of the act, shall, if approved (as the King's Government does not doubt it will be), assume the character of an obligation on the part of the nations which shall have adhered to it through the signature of plenipotentiaries appointed for the purpose. It is important that the announcements of adherence shall reach my government as early as possible, in order that the initiative taken by the King may suffer no delay in being put into actual and effectual execution. I am accordingly directed to remind the Federal Government of the imporance and appreciation which the Italian Government would attach to the prompt appointment of a plenipotentiary to affix his signature to the convention and thus sanction the work of the conference as far as the United States are concerned.

As is seen from the final act, the prearranged convention bears the fixed date of June 7, 1905. The original, which is alone intended for signature, is preserved in the ministry of foreign affairs.

Please accept, etc.,

MAYOR.

[Inclosure.-Translation.]

FINAL ACT OF THE INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE.

In a series of meetings held from May 29 to June 6, 1905, in which the aforementioned delegates were constantly animated by the desire to realize to the greatest possible extent the idea which inspired the initiative taken by His Majesty the King of Italy, the conference agreed on the following text of a convention which shall have the fixed date of to-day, June 7, 1905, and which shall be submitted to the approval of the respective governments to be signed, in case of acceptance, by plenipotentiaries appointed for this purpose:

ARTICLE 1.

There is hereby created a permanent international institute of agriculture, having its seat at Rome.

ARTICLE 2.

The international institute of agriculture is to be a government institution, in which each adhering power shall be represented by delegates of its choice.

The institute shall be composed of a general assembly and a permanent committee, the composition and duties of which are defined in the ensuing articles.

ARTICLE 3.

The general assembly of the institute shall be composed of the representatives of the adhering governments. Each nation, whatever be the number of its delegates, shall be entitled to a number of votes in the assembly which shall be determined according to the group to which it belongs, and to which reference will be made in article 10.

ARTICLE 4.

The general assembly shall elect for each session from among its members a president and two vice-presidents.

The sessions shall take place on dates fixed by the last general assembly and according to a programme proposed by the permanent committee and adopted by the adhering govern

ments.

ARTICLE 5.

The general assembly shall exercise supreme control over the international institute of agriculture.

It shall approve the projects prepared by the permanent committee regarding the organization and internal workings of the institute. It shall fix the total amount of expenditures and audit and approve the accounts.

It shall submit to the approval of the adhering governments modifications of any nature involving an increase in expenditure or an enlargement of the functions of the institute. It shall set the date for holding the sessions. It shall prepare its regulations.

The presence at the general assemblies of delegates representing two-thirds of the adhering nations shall be required in order to render the deliberations valid.

ARTICLE 6.

The executive power of the institute is intrusted to the permanent committee, which, under the direction and control of the general assembly, shall carry out the decisions of the latter and prepare propositions to submit to it.

ARTICLE 7.

The permanent committee shall be composed of members designated by the respective governments. Each adhering nation shall be represented in the permanent committee by one member. However, the representation of one nation may be intrusted to a delegate of another adhering nation, provided that the actual number of members shall not be less than fifteen.

The conditions of voting in the permanent committee shall be the same as those indicated in article 3 for the general assemblies.

ARTICLE 8.

The permanent committee shall elect from among its members for a period of three years a president and a vice-president, who may be reelected. It shall prepare its internal regulations, vote the budget of the institute within the limits of the funds placed at its disposal by the general assembly, and appoint and remove the officials and employees of its office. The general secretary of the permanent committee shall act as secretary of the assembly.

ARTICLE 9.

The institute, confining its operations within an international sphere, shall—

(a) Collect, study, and publish as promptly as possible statistical, technical, or economic information concerning farming, both vegetable and animal products, the commerce in agricultural products, and the prices prevailing in the various markets;

(b) Communicate to parties interested, also as promptly as possible, all the information just referred to;

(c) Indicate the wages paid for farm work;

(d) Make known the new diseases of vegetables which may appear in any part of the world, showing the territories infected, the progress of the disease, and, if possible, the remedies which are effective in combating them;

(e) Study questions concerning agricultural cooperation, insurance, and credit in all their aspects; collect and publish information which might be useful in the various countries in the organization of works connected with agricultural cooperation, insurance, and credit; (f) Submit to the approval of the governments, if there is occasion for it, measures for the protection of the common interests of farmers and for the improvement of their condition, after having utilized all the necessary sources of information, such as the wishes expressed by international or other agricultural congresses or congresses of sciences applied to agriculture, agricultural societies, academies, learned bodies, etc.

All questions concerning the economic interests, the legislation, and the administration of a particular nation shall be excluded from the consideration of the institute.

ARTICLE 10.

The nations adhering to the institute shall be classed in five groups, according to the place which each of them thinks it ought to occupy.

The number of votes which each nation shall have and the number of units of assessment shall be established according to the following gradations:

In any event the contribution due per unit of assessment shall never exceed a maximum of 2,500 francs.

As a temporary provision the assessment for the first two years shall not exceed 1,500 francs per unit.

Colonies may, at the request of the nations to which they belong, be admitted to form part of the institute on the same conditions as the independent nations.

ARTICLE 11.

The present convention shall be ratified and the ratifications shall be exchanged as soon as possible by depositing them with the Italian Government.

In witness whereof the delegates who were present at the final session held to-day have signed the present document.

Done at Rome, June 7, 1905, in a single original which shall be deposited in the ministry of foreign affairs of Italy and of which certified copies shall be delivered to all the nations represented at the conference.

[Signatures of the delegates follow.]