Perth Amboy evening news., 1923-07-02
PAN AMERICAN CONFERENCE
TOLD OF BY HASKIN
Daily Letter by Frederic j.. Haskiu

WASHINGTON, July 2.-While the
attention of most people who con-
Germ themselves with statecraft has
been focused on the Lausanne and
other European conferences which
have been wrestling with affairs of
the old world, a purely American
conference has been going on on this
side of the Atlantic. The Fifth Pan
American International Conference
recently concluded sessions az which
constructive steps were taken fol- the
improvement of strictly American
affairs. 1t is the one international
conference of importance. held in re-
cent months which has not been
dominated by such questions as the
German separations, the Near East
ern question and similar perplexed
tangles of international diplomacy.
The Pan American International
Conference takes its keynote from
the Monroe Observation-Disclosures for
Americans and the questions dis
cussed are distinctly American. The
conference just concluded adopted
four conventions that r of far
reaching importance in the improve
ment of inter-American relations.
They are:
First:-A continental treaty pro-
viding for the settlement of disputes
arising between the American repub-
lie by means of an impartial inves-
tigation of the facts involved. This
treaty provides that all controversies
arising between American States
which have not been settled through
diplomatic channels shall be submit
ted to a Commission of inquiry to be
composed of five members. Every
member must be an American-that
is a citizen of one of the republics of
either North-or South America. This
commission shall investigate and
render a report within n year of
the late of it's first meeting. The
force of public opinion will be de-
pended upon Chiefly for the enforce
ment of the findings of these COM
missions.
Second: a trademark convention.
This was drawn by the United States
delegation and was approved by the
whole Conference. 1t amends the
trademark treaty of 1910 and af-
fords a basis of protection of Amer
lean trademarks in any signatory
/ republic of either North or South
| America. A trademark bureau has
been set up at Havana at which any
citizen of the Americas can register
a trademark and obtain a measure
Of protection in all the other re-
kpublics. This convention is expect
ed to put a stop to the pirating of
famous trademarks which owners
have neglected to register locally
Third: a rather technical but i'm
portant commercial treaty which
s~tandardizes the terms to be used in
the classification Of merchandise.
This will simplify customs lriffs and
the compiling of statistics.
Fourth: another technical, COM
mereial convention relating to the
publicity of customs regulations.
| Confusion in trade arises from too
little knowledge in our nation Of
the customs laws of another. For in
stance. Brazil might prohibit the
importation of certain drugs. An
American manufacturer, ignorant of
this, might ship a consignment to
Rio and find that the drug would
be confiscated there as in violation
of the Brazilian law. The convention
provides that each nation shall eX-
change full sets Of its customs laws
with every other nation and facilf-
tate the comprehension of regula-
tions. A handbook covering these
various laws is to be published by the
Inter-American High Commission.
In addition to these four ma
jer conventions, the Conference
adopted a series of important reso-
buttons affecting jointly the people
of all the American republics. The
Pan American Union is strengthened
and the ground is laid for the more
complete exchange of information
on economic, political and social con
ditions. Cooperation between uni
versities of the various republics, in
Guiding the exchange of students, is
fostered. /.
The Conference resolved that the
work of codifying the whole body of
American law as it affects all the
republics-a work interrupted by the
World War-shall be resumed. A
commission of jurists is to convene
in Rio de Janiero in 1925 for this
purpose.
A very interesting series of resolu-
tions on hygie1ic questions was
adopted-as q statement of guiding
prirk am.slerican re