Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-12-07

will it result in preserving the fur seal
herds Of the north Pacific ocean and restor-
ing them to their former value for the pur-
poses of commerce, but also that it will
AFFORD permanently satisfactory settle
ment of question the only other solu-
ton Of which seemed to be the total de-
struction Of the fur seals. In another as
pect, also. this convention is of impor-
lance in that it furnishes an Illustration
of the feasibility of securing a general
International game law for the protection
of other mammals of the sea- the preser-
walton of which is of importance to all
the nations of the world
Legislation Necessary.
The attention of Congress is especially
called to the necessity for legislation on
the part of the United States for the pur-
pose Of fulfilling the obligations assumed
under this convention, to which the Sem
ate gave it's advice and consent on the
24th day of July last.
Protection of Industrial Property.
The conference of the International
Union for the Protection of Industrial
Property. which. under the authority of
Congress, convened at Washington on
May is, 1911. closed it's labors on June >.
1911, by the signature of three acts. as
follows:
% A convention revising the Paris con-
vention of March 10, 1855. for the protec-
ton of industrial property, as mod1hed by
the additional act signed at Brussels on
December IA, 1900;
(2) An ARRANGEMENT to replace the ar
rangement signed at Madrid on April ~,
1891, for the international registration OF
trademarks, and the additional act with
regard thereto signed at Brussels on De-
cember IA, 1900: and
CD An arrangement to replace the ar
rangement signed at Madrid on April II.
1891. relating to the repression of false IN
dication Of production of merchandise.
The United States is a signatory of the
first convention only, and this will be
promptly submitted to the Senate.
International Opium Commission.
Ina special message transmitted to the
Congress on the eth of January, 1911 in
which l concurred in the recommendations
made by the Secretary of State in regard
to certain needful legislation for the con-
troll of our interstate and foreign traffic
in opium and other menacing drugs,
quoted from my annual message OF De-
cember Z. 1909, in which l announced that
the results of the international opium
commission held at Shanghai in Febru-
ary 1909, at the invitation of the United
States, had been laid before this govern
ment; that the report OF that commission
showed that China was making remarka-
BILE progress and admirable efforts toward
the eradication of the opium evil; that the
interested governments had not permitted
their commercial interests to prevent
their co-opera ton in this reform; ana, as
a result of collateral Investigations or the
opium question in this country, / recon-
mended that the manufacture, sale and
use of opium in the United States should
be more vigorously controlled by legisla-
ton
Prior to that time and in continuation OF
the policy of this government to secure
the cooperation of the interested nations,
the United States proposed an lnterna-
tional opium conference with full powers
for the purpose of clothing with the force
of International law the resolutions
adopted by the aforementioned commas
sion together with their essential coroi-
laries The other powers concerned cor
daily responded to the proposal OF TINS
government, and. l am glad to be apie TO
announce, representatives or all the Pc"
ers assembled in conference at Inc hague
on the first of this month
Since the massage of the Opium-eXciu-
sion act more than twenty states have
been animated to modify their pharihdc!
laws and bring them in accord wlth the
spirit Of the act, thus stamping out, 10
measure the intrastate traffic in OPIUM
and other habit-forming drugs. But, al
though | have urged on the Congress the
passage of certain measures Tor Ieuefa'
control of the interstate and foreign trdi-
fir in these drugs no action mas YET peen
taken. In view of the fact that there IS
now sitting at The Hague so important
p conference which has under review the
municipal laws of the dlHerent ndtioin
for the mitigation of their opium ana
other allied evils. conference when Win
certainly deal with the international as
meets of these evils, it seems to me most
essential that Congress should take nm
mediate action on the anti-narcotic legls-
lation to which I have already called at
tention by a special message.
Buenos Aires Conventions.
The four important conventions signed
at the Fourth Pan American Conference
at Buenos Aires. providing for the regu-
lation of trademarks, patents, and copy
rights. and for the arbitration of pecu-
mary claims have. with the advice ana
consent of the Senate. been ratified on the
part of the United States ana the ratili-
"a lions have been deposited with the
government of the Argentine Republic In
accordance with the requirements or the
conventions. l am not advised that SIM
liar action has been taken by any other
of the signatory governments.
Suppression of Obscene Publications.
one the notable duN dHCcS III
national morality accomplished in recent
years was an arrangement entered into
on April IL Of the present year between
tho United States and other powers for
the repression of the circulation of OBJ
scene publications.
Foreign Trade Relations.
In my last annual message l referred
to the tariff negotiations of the Depart
ment of State with foreign countries in
connection with the application. by
series of proclamatiOns. of the minimum
tariff of the United States 10 importa-
tions from the several countries. and L
stated that, in it's general operation. Sec
ton = of the new tariff law had proved
a guaranty of continued commercial
peace, although there were, unfortunate
~, instances where foreign governments
dealt arbitrarily with American interests
within their jurisdiction in a manner in
furious and inequitable. During the past
year some instances of discriminatory
treatment have been removed, but l re-
gret to say that there remain a few
cases of differential treatment adverse to
the commerce of the United States. While
none of these instances now appears to
amount to undue discrimination in the
sense of section . of the tariff law of
August ), 1863, they are all exceptions
to that complete degree of equality of
tariff treatment that the Department of
State has consistently sought to obtain
for American commerce abroad.
While the double tariff feature of the
tariff law of 1909 has been amply justified
L.