File 2908/1907 Pt 3 ‘Persian Gulf:- Quarantine; German complaint’ [‎123v] (246/250)

on clean ships from an infceteJ port, it is certain that in many instances
the commercial rivalry between neighbouring ports will act as a restraint
on port authorities in ordering indiscriminately a measure which might
drive ships to other, more indulgent, ports.
In the matter of the repulsion of ships to other ports for rat destruc
tion, not only does the same (or an analogous) consideration hold good,
hut ships will in the future, as in the past, ascertain what are the fully-
equipped ports, and will sail to them first, instead of going to other
ports, only to court repulsion. Finally, in the matter of the charge to
shipping for rat destruction, we should have greatly preferred to see
our own proposals accepted. These were that, when executed by the
sanitary authority, the charge should not exceed the actual cost of the
operation (not including the original cost of the plant), and that when
done by a company or an individual, the charge should be as low as
possible and should in no case exceed 300 fr. The rejection of these
proposals—or rather the substitution for them of the clause quoted—
leaves the door open to possible abuse, in the form of excessive charge
for rat destruction when done by a company or individual.
We should add that the opposition—or rather hesitation in accepting
our proposals on tiiis point—shown by the German delegation was
largely the cause of their rejection. Our German colleagues, however,
showed subsequently their agreement generally with our proposals by
making, when signing the Convention, a reserve, in the form of “ voeu,”
that Governments will agree, in framing their tariffs for rat destruction,
to prevent over-charge when the process is carried out by a company
or individual. We repeated this “voeu” in making our own reserves.
The Representatives of Brazil and the Argentine Republic were
desirous of introducing into the Convention detailed regulations for the
control of yellow fever. Colonel Gorgas, of the United States’ dele
gation, read a very interesting report upon the work done in America
in establishing the role of the mosquito in the spread of the disease;
and the Argentine delegate submitted a draft set of regulations based
upon the mosquito theory. Tin's was not, however, added to the
Convention, which contains hut a single article (Article 182) concerning
yellow fever. That article recommends the countries interested to bring
their sanitary regulations into line with the teaching of modern science,
particularly in regard to the part played by the mosquito in spreading
the disease.
(C .)—The Codification Committee.
The work of this Committee was almost exclusively confined to
reducing to one, more or less consistent, document the four preceding
Conventions of 1892, 1893, 1894, and 1897. and incorporating in it the
additions and modifications made by the present Conference. "
. In lMs >sk, the preliminary work of M. Beco, the Belgian delegate
m preparing editions of the earlier Conventions, first in parallel columns
and then m a single, unified code, was of invaluable service.
The above summary includes all the more important points dealt with
hy the Pans Conference of 1903. lu this summarv we have not even
attempted to mention every minute modification which lias been made
in the samtary regulations previously in force under the old Conventions:
Aii^itinr^ IMI 1 iat P W lcaUy ;i11 tll0se modifications result from the
m^m^tTd t al,ot. 1,rmClplCS ^ the Co “ f —e, which we have
W enn^w s C ? menti O“ substitutes a single consistent document for
complex amt sometimes contradictory instruments. To sanitary
the^ndividind ^ U ^ 0f C0 sma11 magnitude On
national d w w d t tl0nS m0(llficatlons now introduced into inter
national .„w, we have already expressed our opinion as each one was