# United States Treaty Series/Volume 1/Liquor traffic in Africa: duties

This is the official United States government version published in the first volume of the United States Treaty Series (Bevans).
LIQUOR TRAFFIC IN AFRICA: DUTIES
* Convention signed at Brussels June 8, 1899
* Protocol of deposit of ratifications signed at Brussels June 8, 1900
* Senate advice and consent to adherence December 14, 1900
* Adherence declared by the President of the United States February 1, 1901
* Proclaimed by the President of the United States February 6, 1901
* Adherence of the United States deposited at Brussels February 15, 1901
* Entered into force July 8, 1900; for the United States February 15, 1901
* Replaced December 2, 1907, by convention of November 3, 1906
31 Stat. 1915; Treaty Series 389
[TRANSLATION]
His Majesty the German Emperor, King of Prussia, in the name of the German Empire; His Majesty the King of the Belgians; His Majesty the King of Spain, and in his name Her Majesty the Queen-Regent of the Kingdom; His Majesty the King-Sovereign of the Independent State of the Congo; the President of the French Republic; Her Majesty the Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, Empress of India; His Majesty the King of Italy; Her Majesty the Queen of the Netherlands; His Majesty the King of Portugal and of the Algarves, etc.; His Majesty the Emperor of All the Russias; his Majesty the King of Sweden and Norway, etc.; and His Majesty the Emperor of the Ottomans;
Wishing to provide for the execution of Article XCII of the General Act of Brussels, which prescribes the revision of the Regulations on the importation of spirituous liquors into certain regions of Africa;
Have resolved to assemble a Conference for the purpose at Brussels, and have named as their Plenipotentiaries, that is to say:
His Majesty the German Emperor, King of Prussia, in the name of the German Empire, M. Frederic-Jean, Count of Alvensleben, his Chamberlain and Privy Councillor, his Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary to His Majesty the King of the Belgians; and M. Guillaume Göhring, his Councillor of Legation;
​His Majesty the King of the Belgians, M. Auguste, Baron Lambermont, his Minister of State, his Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary; and M. Auguste Van Maldeghem, Councillor of the Court of Cassation of Belgium;
His Majesty the King of Spain, and in his name Her Majesty the Queen-Regent of the Kingdom, M. W. Ramirez de Villa-Urrutia, his Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary to His Majesty the King of the Belgians;
His Majesty the King-Sovereign of the Independent State of the Congo, M. Paul de Smet de Naeyer, his Minister of State, Member of the Chamber of Representatives of Belgium; and M. Hubert Droogmans, Secretary-General of the Finance Department of the Independent State of the Congo;
The President of the French Republic, M. A. Gérard, Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary of the French Republic to His Majesty the King of the Belgians;
Her Majesty the Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, Empress of India, Sir Francis Plunkett, her Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary to His Majesty the King of the Belgians; and Mr. H. Farnall, of the Foreign Office;
His Majesty the King of Italy, M. R. Cantagalli, his Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary to His Majesty the King of the Belgians;
Her Majesty the Queen of the Netherlands, Jonkheer Rudulphe de Pestel, her Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary to His Majesty the King of the Belgians;
His Majesty the King of Portugal and the Algarves, M. Antoine-Marie, Count of Tovar, his Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary to His Majesty the King of the Belgians;
His Majesty the Emperor of All the Russias, M. N. de Giers, his Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary to His Majesty the King of the Belgians;
His Majesty the King of Sweden and Norway, M. Auguste-L.-Fersen, Count Gyldenstolpe, his Minister Plenipotentiary to His Majesty the King of the Belgians;
His Majesty the Emperor of the Ottomans, Étienne Carathéodory Efendi, High Dignitary of his Empire, his Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary to His Majesty the King of the Belgians;
Who, furnished with powers in good and due form, have adopted the following provisions:—
Article I
From the coming into force of the present Convention, the import duty on spirituous liquors, as that duty is regulated by the General Act of Brussels, shall be raised throughout the zone where there does not exist the system of total prohibition provided by Article XCI of the said General Act, to the ​rate of 70 fr. the hectolitre at 50 degrees centigrade for a period of six years.
It may, exceptionally, be at the rate of 60 fr. only the hectolitre at 50 degrees centigrade in the Colony of Togo and in that of Dahomey.
The import duty shall be augmented proportionally for each degree above 50 degrees centigrade; it may be diminished proportionally for each degree below 50 degrees centigrade.
At the end of the above-mentioned period of six years, the import duty shall be submitted to revision, taking as a basis the results produced by the preceding rate.
The Powers retain the right of maintaining and increasing the duty beyond the minimum fixed by the present Article in the regions where they now possess that right.
Article II
In accordance with Article XCIII of the General Act of Brussels, distilled drinks made in the regions mentioned in Article XCII of the said General Act, and intended for consumption, shall pay an excise duty.
This excise duty, the collection of which the Powers undertake to insure as far as possible, shall not be lower than the minimum import duty fixed by Article I of the present Convention.
Article III
It is understood that the powers who signed the General Act of Brussels, or who have adhered to it, and who are not represented at the present Conference, preserve the right of adhering to the present Convention.
Article IV
The present Convention shall be ratified within the shortest possible period, and such period shall not in any case exceed one year.
Each Power shall address its ratification to the Government of His Majesty the King of the Belgians, which shall give notice thereof to all the other powers signatory of the present Convention. The ratifications of all the Powers shall be deposited in the archives of the Kingdom of Belgium.
As soon as all the ratifications have been produced, or at latest one year after the signature of the present Convention, their deposit shall be recorded in a Protocol which shall be signed by the Representatives of all the Powers who shall have ratified.
A certified copy of this Protocol shall be addressed to all the Powers interested.
Article V
The present Convention shall come into force in all the possessions of the Contracting Powers situated in the zone defined by Article XC of the General Act of Brussels on the thirtieth day after the date of the preparation of the Protocol of Deposit mentioned in the preceding Article.
​In faith whereof the respective Plenipotentiaries have signed the present Convention, and have affixed their seals thereto.
Done at Brussels, the eighth day of the month of June, eighteen hundred and ninety-nine.
* [For Germany:]
** Alvensleben
** Göhring
* [For Belgium:]
** Bon Lambermont
** A. Van Maldeghem
* [For Spain:]
** W. R. de Villa-Urrutia
* [For the Congo:]
** P. de Smet de Naeyer
** H. Droogmans
* [For France:]
** A. Gérard
* [For the United Kingdom:]
** F. R. Plunkett
** H. Farnall
* [For Italy:]
** R. Cantagalli
* [For the Netherlands:]
** R. de Pestel
* [For Portugal:]
** Cte de Tovar
* [For Russia:]
** N. de Giers
* [For Sweden and Norway:]
** Aug. F. Glydenstolpe
* [For Turkey:]
** Ét. Carathéodory
* ↑ TS 467, post, p. 551.
* ↑ General act dated July 2, 1890 (TS 383), ante, p. 134.
Footnotes
This work is in the public domain in the United States because it is a work of the United States federal government (see 17 U.S.C. 105).
Public domainPublic domainfalsefalse