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39

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Article VII. 1. Registered correspondence may be sent marked with trade charges up to 500 francs to be collected on delivery between countries of which the administrations agree to introduce this service. These articles are subject to the same regulations and rates as registered articles. 2. The amount collected from the addressee is to be transmitted to the sender by means of a money-order, after deducting the rate chai-geable for ordinary money-orders, and a commission of 10 centimes for the service of collection. Article VIII. 1. In case of the loss of a registered article, and except in cases beyond control, the sender, or, at the request of the sender, the addressee, is entitled to an indemnity of 50 francs. 2. The obligation of paying the indemnity rests with the administration to which the despatching office is subordinate. To that administration is reserved a remedy against the administration responsible —that is to say, against the administration on the territory or in the service of which the loss took place. 3. Until the contrary be proved, the responsibility rests with the administration which, having received the article without making any observation, cannot establish the delivery to the addressee, or the regular transfer to the following administration, as the case may be. For articles addressed " Poste Ilestante," the responsibility ceases on delivery to a person who has proved, according to the rules in force in the country of destination, that his name and description correspond to those indicated in the address. 4. The payment of the indemnity by the despatching office ought to take place as soon as possible, and at the latest within a year of the date of the application. The responsible office is bound to refund to the despatching office, without delay, the amount of the indemnity paid by the latter. In a case where the responsible office has given notice to the despatching office not to effect payment, the former must repay to the latter office any costs which the non-payment may entail. 5. It is understood that the application for an indemnity is only entertained if made within a year of the posting of the registered article; after this term the applicant has no right to any indemnity. 6. If the loss has occurred in course of conveyance without its being possible to ascertain on the territory of what country the loss took place, the administrations concerned bear the loss in equal shares. 7. The administrations cease to be responsible for registered articles for which the owners have given a receipt on delivery. Article IX. 1. The sender of a letter or other article can have it withdrawn from the post or have its address altered, so long as such article has not been delivered to the addressee. 2. The request for such withdrawal is sent by post or by telegraph at the expense of the sender, who must pay as follows : — (1.) For every request by post, the amount payable for a registered single letter ; (2.) For every request by telegraph, the charge for a telegram according to the ordinary tariff. 3. The stipulations of this Article are not obligatory for countries of which the legislation does not permit the sender to dispose of an article in its course through the post. Article X. Those countries of the Union which have not the franc for their monetary unit fix their charges at the equivalents, in their respective currencies, of the rates determined by the foregoing Articles V. and VI. Such countries have the option of rounding fractions in conformity with the table inserted in the detailed regulations mentioned in Article XX. of the present Convention. Article XI. 1. Prepayment of postage on every description of article can be effected only by means of postage-stamps valid in the country of origin for the correspondence of private individuals. Nevertheless, reply post-cards bearing postage-stamps of the country in which these cards were issued are likewise considered as duly prepaid. 2. Official correspondence relative to the postal service, and exchanged between postal administrations, is alone exempted from this obligation, and from all liability to charge. 3. Correspondence posted on the high seas in a letter-box on board a packet or placed in the hands of the commanders of ships may be prepaid by means of the postage-stamps, and according to the tariff, of the country to which the said packet belongs or by which it is maintained. If the posting on board takes place during the stay at one of the two extreme points of the voyage or at at any intermediate port of call, prepayment can only be effected by means of the postage-stamps, and according to the tariffs, of the country in the waters of which the packet happens to be. Article XII. 1. Each administration keeps the whole of the sums which it collects by virtue of the foregoing Articles V., VI., VII., X., and XI., except-the credit due for the money-orders relerred to in paragraph 2 of Article VII. 2. Consequently, there is no necessity under this head for any accounts between the several administrations of the Union, excepting always the credit referred to in paragraph 1 of the present Article. G—F. 1.