Daily Arizona silver belt., 1909-12-08

Ou the part of the United States to act jointly with the commissioners on the part of Canada in examining into the question of Instructions in the St. John river between Maine and New Brunswick, and to make Tecommenda- tions for the regulation of the uses thereof, and are now engaged in this work.
 Negotiations for an international conference to consider and reach an arrangement providing for the preser- vatiOn and protection of the fur seals in the north Pacific are in progress with the governments of Great Britain, Japan and Russia. The attitude of the governments interested leads me to hope for a satisfactory settlement of this question as the ultimate outcome of the negotiations.
 International Prize Court
 The second peace conference recent. ly held at the Hague adopted conven- tion for the establishment of an inter national prize court upon the joint pro. posal of delegations of the United States, France, Germany and Great Britain. The law to be observed by the tribunal in the decision of prize cases was, however, left in an uncertain and therefore unsatisfactory state. Ar ! ticle : of the convention provided that | the court was to be governed by the provisions of treaties existing between | the belligerents, but that in the absence of such provisions the court shall ap ply the rules of international law. II no general recognized rule exists tho court shall give judgment in accord
 ance with the general principles oi | justice and equity. As, however, many questions in international and maritim, | law are understood differently ant
 therefore interpreted differently in var
 ious cases, it was deemed advisable no
 to entrust legislative powers to the pro
 posed court, but to determine the rule
 of law properly applicable in con ference of the representative maritim nations. Pursuant to an invitation 0 Great Britain a conference was held a London from December ?, 1908 to Feb
 ruary 26, 1909, in which the following
 powers participated; The United State; Austria Hungary, France, Germany
 Great Britain, Italy, Japan, The Meth
 erlands, Russia and Spain. The cor
 ference resulted in the declaration i
 London, unanimously agreed to an
 signed by the participating lNwer'
 concerning among other matters, tn
 highly important subjects of blockade contraband, the destruction of neutrt prizes, and continuous voyages.
 The declaration of London is an em nently satisfactory codifcation of tn international maritime law and 1t :
 hoped that it's reasOnableness and fai . ness will secure it's general adoption . as well as remove one of the diflicultit standing in the way of the establish | ment of an international prize court.
 Under the authorization given in tf z sundry appropriation act, approve - March 4, 1909, the United States WI !, represented at the international mar D time law at Brussels. The conferen' e met on the 2Sth of September last ar t resulted in the signature ad referendu r of d convention for the unification f certain regulations with regard to mai f time assistance and salvage and co h vention for the unificatiOn of certa n rules with regard to collisions at SC
 Two new projects of convention d which have not heretofore been co