The record-union., 1897-05-03

the delegates will be entertained by
both the President and the Postmaster
General, and the District Commission
ers will, in case the appropriation they
desire is granted, give an official re-
ception and a water trip, probably to
Old Point Comfort and Richmond. The
delegates, before the close of the con-
gress, also will be taken on a journey
in the West, returning by way of New
York.
The gathering will be in Wash
lngton from month to six weeks, but
the congress itself will meet not more
than a half dozen times. The real
work, save that of ratification of pro-
ceedingS when the committees have re-
ported, which belong to the full con-
gress, devolves upon the four COM
mittees, one of which at least will be
in session practically every day except
Saturday and Sunday. One committee
will have charge of the general treaty
which is adopted at every congress, and
also will settle accounts between in
vidual countries. With the latter this
country has nothing to do. A second
committee will take up arrangements
for exchange of letters of declared val
ue. the parcels post system and the
postal books of identity used by some
countries. A third will consider money
orders, bills collectible by post and sub
scriptions, through Postoffices to news
papers and periodicals, while the fourth
will put the new general treaty into
definite shape for ratification.
The congress will be opened Wednes-
= 81
Gary who delivers his salutatory in
English, while the assemblage reads the
French translation.
This will occupy a little over five
minutes, being formal welcome. Then
the senior delegate, not now selected,
will respond in few words. The cleo
ton of a presiding officer will follow.
George S. Bachelor, eX-Minister to
Portugal and Chairman of the United
States delegation. probably will be the
honored one. The business of the con-
gross will begin at once, all proceedings
being conducted in French and behind
closed doors.
Many measures will be brought for
ward for consideration. The new
treaty or general convention and sew
eral minor ones, signed by only two or
three of the countries will be discussed
and adopted in substitution of old ones
in order to cover new conditions. Per-
haps the most important proposition will
involve what is known as the interme-
date transit system. This provides for
compensation by the sending countries
to all countries over whose domains it's
mails are transported An agreement
to carry the mails of all the countries in
the Union mutually free will be sought,
but probably voted down. Such coun-
tries as Belgium, which sends out little
mail, but over whose lands much foreign
mail is transported at big profit to the
kingdom, will object to cutting off this
revenue. This practically defeats the
scheme, as one well-founded dissent kills
a proposition. This country and a few
others, however have declared in favor
of the free transportation. The ultimate
action, it is said, probably will be the
acceptance of the average weights, sta
tistics of the last six years, as basis of
all intermediary transit accounts up to
the assemblage of the next congress,
that is up to 1903, when the issue will
be reviewed.
adopt a universal postage stamp not
good for domestic postage, but for con-
venient communication between coun-
tries and the universal return stamped
envelope proposition having a similar
scope, also will be brought up, but the
probabilities of adoption are said to be