2tst Nov. An independent State has the absolute control of telegraphs within its territory. Junction of the telegraph lines of any two adjoining States can only be effected by a special Convention between two States.
The European Governments, with most of their dependencies and colonies, and some extra-European Governments, whose lines had previously been connected at the respective frontiers according to such special Conventions, have concluded the International Telegraph Convention of St. Petersburg 1875 (with the annexed Service Regulations, revised at Paris 1890) containing the stipulations, under which the contracting Parties agree to work their international lines.
the International Telegraph Convention is a voluntary agreement between the contracting Parties, from which agreement each of the contracting Governments has reserved to itself the right to withdraw altogether (Int, Lelg. Conv. Art. 20) as well as the power to suspend the service of the international telegraphs for an indefinite period if it judges it necessary (Int. Telg. Conv. Art. 8).
Who International Telegraph Office at Berne is the common secretariate established for the purpose of exchange ing communications regarding their common business between such telegraph Administrations as are parties to the International Convention. The United States of America, British North America, most of the South American States and some other countries are not parties to the International Telegraph Convention.
When China wished to connect her telegraph lines with the Russian telegraph lines on the Russo-Chinese frontier, she had to conclude a convention with Russia for that purpose. There was no other means.
As far back as in 1865, Russia had invited China to establish such connection, proposing that China should construct a telegraph line from Tientsin to Kiakhta and there connect this Chinese line with the Russian lines. China at that time declined the invitation.
In 1869, Russia granted to the Great Northern Telegraph Company a concession for connecting, by submarine cables, the Russian telegraph system at Viadivostock with Nagasaki, Shanghai, Foochow, Amoy and Hongkong, subject to the necessary landing permission from the respective governments; Russia giving the Great Northern telegraph Company, in consideration of the expenses incurred by the undertaking, certain guarantees against tariff competition from eventual Russo-
Chinese landline connections, as far as. regards the ports which the Great Northern Telegraph Company undertook to connect by submarine cables with the Russian telegraph system at Viadivostock.
Tu 1887, after China had introduced telegraphs and extended her lines to the Russian frontier, China on her side invited Russia to connect the landlines on the frontier. Russia at once was willing; but as to the conditions for connection, she had necessarily to take into due consideration the above mentioned guarantees by which she had bound herself to the Great Northern Telegraph Company, after China had rejected Russia's aforesaid original proposal of 1865 for unconditional connection.
The negotiations on this point have now resulted in the conclusion of a telegraph convention between China and Russia, signed on the 25th August this ear.
According to this convention, which is concluded for ten years, the Chinese and Russian landlines will be connected at three places on the frontier, viz: at Wenchuen (Novokievsk), at Hlampo (Blagoviestchensk), and at Kiakhta.
The telegraph charges for transmission vid the said junctions, from any station in China, will be, per word To Europe (excepting Russi $2.00 Russia in Rassia in Asia 0.88
The convention stipulates for reduetion of these charges in case other telegraph routes should establish lower charges—also that the charges at any time may be modified by the common consent of the two contracting parties,—further that the stipulations of the International Telegraph Convention shall be applied to the correspondence vid the said junctions.
The changes fixed for transmission vid the Russo-Chinese junctions are considerably lower than the existing charges vid the cables and Vladivostock. The following table gives the reduction per word from different places in China, as compared with the existing charges via the cables and Viadivostock:
Reduction per word.
ToRasia To Europe la in (exc, Russia)
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.