" inheritance," and the right of separate negotiation and signature. And, side by side with this growth to independence, came recognition of the value of prior consultation in cases where the interests of other members of the Commonwealth might be affected. 2. Technical Agreements Technical agreements, being non-political in nature and frequently not subject to ratification, are occasionally concluded between Governments on a departmental level. They correspond to French Arrangements Administrate/s. The Dominions have, from a very early date, been free to make technical agreements. In 1890, for example, a separate signature on behalf of New Zealand was appended to the Convention which established the Union for the Publication of Customs Tariffs, now superseded by the International Convention for the Simplification of Customs Formalities, to which New Zealand acceded on 29 August, 1924. 3. Extradition Agreements Extradition treaties negotiated by the United Kingdom applied automatically to the Dominions until as late as 1923. It later became customary, in treaties made between His Majesty in respect of the United Kingdom and a foreign country, to include a provision enabling His Majesty to accede in respect of a Dominion. An example of that practice is the Extradition Treaty with Finland of 30 A lay 1924, to which New Zealand acceded in 1925. When New Zealand accepted the Mandate for Western Samoa in 1921, most of the extradition agreements to which New Zealand was a party at that date were extended to Western Samoa by exchanges of notes between the New Zealand Government and the foreign governments concerned. 4. International Labour Conventions New Zealand has been a separate member of the International Labour Organization since its establishment in 1919, and free to ratify any of the 186 draft conventions. Of these, 31 have been ratified independently in respect of New Zealand ; they deal with such matters as hours of work, wage-fixing

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