Magyar külpolitika, 1930 (11. évfolyam, 1-7. szám)

1930 / 2. szám - The customs convention conference in Geneva

July 1930 HUNGÁRIA LLOYD 19 agreement would never be reaüsed in practice. Por, while on the one hand the majority of the States taking part in the Conference refused to approve even this agreement, those who accepted it did so only on condition that they should not be compelled to givo guarantees that the agreement would really be earried into effect, Aparl from oertain special reservations — in particular those of the Austrian and Czecho-Slovak representatives—, the Convention proposed to generálisé a very judicious provision of the Franco-Belgian commercial treaty. ít namely stipulated the obligation of notification in the event of any State being a Party to the agreement desiring to raise its customs tariffs during the period of validity of the Convention requiring the same within twenty days to inform all signatory Slales through (íeneva, those States being entitled to demand negotiations with the respective conntry in the matter of compensation, as alsó — in the event of these negotiations leading to no result within three months — to renounce their ohligations as Memhers of the Conference. This provision is certainly an innovation in commercial policy; but in practice it is worth ahout as mucii as a promise made to someone. That it is not a whit more than that, is proved by the fact it was thought necessary to make even this provision dependent npon a reservation according to which the obligation to send notification within twenty days shall only be in force if there are no exeeptional circumstances motivating its suspension. An exeeptional circumstance of the kind has already appeared on the scene: the raising on a large scale of the Germán agrarian duties has afforded Poland a pretext to refuse to carry the Convention into effect. C'est tout: this is the only positive and concrete resull of the recent Geneva Customs Conference; for the drafting of a fresh „Protocole d'un programme" fixing the agenda for future discussion can .scarcely be called a particularly positive result, even though it was signed hy most of the States. For this procés verbal does not prove anything at all except the readiness to negotiate: and the States were all ready enough /to do the same in the case of the draft customs agreement; and the result is well known to us'all. Nevertheless, the /Conference can boast of somé result; it has kept the matter warm. This fact must not be disparaged. It is really of importance. For the path demarcated will one day be passable after all, — though it may not be so today. And, again, <— the question of an economic rapprochement has become the official business of the States. From being mere priváté propaganda — which will naturally continue to be earried on, probably more intensively than ever — it has passed into the rangé of discussion of the States. Though perhaps it is impossible to expect this new sphere to bring about any very rapid solution, there can be no doubt that the question is already in the right channel, through which it must eventually lead to a final settlement. The manner of settlement is of course the grand question; and the most important business facing the States is to appoint that manner of settlement with exactitude. So far the matter has not been cleared up. THE NEW SIÓFOK COMFORTABLE HOTELS, EKED BEACH, IMPROVED DINING ROOMS, HOT-AND COLD ARE NOW OPEN. RUNNING WATER IN ALL HOTELS B AT H ROOMS. INFORMATION GIVEN BY : THE BATH MANAGEMENT, SIÓFOK. OFFICE OF SIÓ FOK- BA TH : VÁROSHÁZ-UTCA 10. BUDAPEST, IV. TELEPHONÉ : 890—88. 1