ADDITIONAL EXTRADITION TREATY BETWEEN BELGIUM AND GREAT BRITAIN. File No. 7775/-1. Minister Wilson to the Secretary of State. No. 196.] AMERICAN LEGATION, SIR: I have the honor to transmit for the information of the department a duplicate copy of a convention, recently concluded between the Kingdoms of Belgium and Great Britain, which is an addition to the extradition treaty of October 29, 1901. I have, etc., HENRY LANE WILSON. [Inclosure.] The Government of His Majesty the King of the Belgians and the Government of His Majesty the King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and of the British dominions beyond the seas, Emperor of India, having deemed it necessary to complete Article XIV of the treaty of extradition between Belgium and Great Britain of the 29th October, 1901, relative to the application of the stipulations of the treaty to the extra-European colonies and foreign possessions of the two States, the undersigned, duly authorized to that effect by their respective Governments, have agreed as follows: ARTICLE I. In the relations of each of the high contracting parties with the extraEuropean colonies and foreign possessions of the other the periods fixed by Articles IV, paragraph 1, and V of the treaty of the 29th October, 1901, shall be extended as follows: 1. A fugitive criminal arrested under the terms of Article IV shall be discharged in the dominions of His Britannic Majesty if, within the period of two months from the date of the arrest, a request for his extradition shall not have been made by the government of the requisitioning state. The fugitive criminal may be discharged in the dominions of His Majesty the King of the Belgians if within the same period a request for his extradition has not been made by the government of the requisitioning state; he shall be released if within seven days following the expiration of this period the warrant issued by the competent authority shall not have been communicated to the fugitive criminal. 2. The person arrested shall be set at liberty if, within the three months, counting from the date of arrest, sufficient evidence in support of the demand for extradition shall not have been produced. ARTICLE II. The present convention shall be ratified and the ratifications shall be exchanged at London as soon as possible. It shall come into force ten days after its publication, in conformity with the laws of the high contracting parties, and it shall have the same force and duration as the treaty of extradition to which it relates. In witness whereof the undersigned have signed the present convention, and have affixed their seals thereto. Done in duplicate at London, the 5th March, 1907. BOLIVIA. FINANCIAL CONDITIONS. File No. 5614/1. No. 306.] Minister Sorsby to the Secretary of State. AMERICAN LEGATION, SIR: I have the honor to transmit herewith a résumé of the Bolivian budget for 1907, showing an estimated deficit of 1,012,775.68 bolivianos." Comparing the budget of 1905 with the receipt of revenues from all sources of 7,928,730 bolivianos, and expenditures of 9,473,577.45 bolivianos, with its resultant deficit of 1,544,844.45 bolivianos, and of 1906 with receipts of revenues from all sources of 10,406,233 bolivianos, and expenditures of 11,688,556.58 bolivianos, with the resultant deficit of 1,282,323.58 bolivianos, with that of the present year, with receipts of revenues from all sources of 13,583,333 bolivianos, and expenditures of 14,596,108.68 bolivianos, with the resultant deficit of 1,012,775.68 bolivianos, a decided improvement in the economic conditions, together with a general development and progress of the country, is noted. In defining a deficit in the national budget of Bolivia it may be well to remark that a deficit does not necessarily imply a national indebtedness, as the Government may or may not expend or exhaust many of the various sums appropriated, and, as a fact, the national expenditures rarely if ever exceed the receipts. I have, etc., WILLIAM B. SORSBY. ARRANGEMENT FOR THE SETTLEMENT OF THE BOUNDARY DISPUTE BETWEEN BOLIVIA AND PARAGUAY. SIR: I have the honor to inclose an article cut from La Presna of the 13th instant, which gives, I believe, accurately the story and results • Not printed. of efforts that are being made to settle the pending boundary dispute between the neighboring Republics of Bolivia and Paraguay, the outcome of which is that the offer of the President of this Republic to act as arbiter in the matter has been accepted, subject to the approval of the Congresses of the two countries. The dispute in question is, as will be seen, one of long standing, repeated efforts having been made to reach an amicable solution of it. A renewed and serious effort was made by the two countries during the past year to reach a friendly settlement, in that the Government of Bolivia accredited to that of Paraguay one of the most able diplomats, Dr. Emeterio Cano, at one time Bolivian minister for foreign affairs, with special instruction in the matter in question. The Government of Paraguay responded to the cordial act of Bolivia and appointed special plenipotentiary to treat with Doctor Cano an ex-vice-president of Paraguay, Dr. Manuel Dominguez. These two representatives of their respective countries, in spite of diligent endeavors, were unable to find common ground on which to agree. Such was the state of affairs when Doctor Zeballos, on November 26 last, accepted the portfolio of minister of foreign affairs of this Government. Doctor Zeballos took advantage of the presence in this country some weeks ago, en route for Europe, of the minister for foreign affairs of Bolivia, Dr. Caludio Pinilla, through the Argentine minister in Asuncion to offer to the Government of Paraguay the mediation of this Government in the pending question on the following conditions: Meeting in Buenos Aires of the ministers for foreign affairs of the two countries in order to discuss the respective claims of the same, and to endeavor to reach a direct arrangement between them. In case of disagreement the matter to be submitted to arbitration before the President of this Republic. This offer of intervention was accepted, and Dr. Adolfo L. Soler, at present minister of finance but recently minister for foreign affairs of Paraguay, was at once sent to Buenos Aires to represent that country in the matter. Doctor Dominguez, the special plenipotientiary of Paraguay appointed last year to treat with Doctor Cano, of Bolivia, accompanied him to advise with Doctor Soler. These plenipotentiaries of the two countries met in this city with Doctor Zeballos. In spite, however, of repeated endeavors the matter proved difficult of solution, and it was decided to avail themselves of the alternative condition contained in Doctor Zeballo's offer of mediation and to submit the question to the arbitral decision of the President of this Republic. Accordingly, on the 12th instant, a protocol to that effect was signed by the authorized parties. The protocol, in accordance with one of its terms, will be submitted to the congresses of Bolivia and Paraguay, and, if approved, the matter will be taken up in regular form, and the decision of the President of this country will be final in the matter. It will be observed from the map which La Prensa prints to accompany the inclosed article that the territory in question lies between the rivers Paraguay and Pilcomayo, and between the parallels of latitude 19 and 23 south and between the meridians of longitude 58 and 63 west. I am, etc., A. M. BEAUPRÉ. SIR: I have the honor to transmit herewith a legalized copy, with translation, of an agreement arranged at Buenos Aires, Argentine on January 12 last, between representatives of Bolivia, Paraguay, and Argentine for a final settlement of the long-standing BoliviaParaguay boundary and territorial dispute. In this connection I have also the honor to report that Dr. Juan M. Saracho, acting minister for foreign affairs, and the actual minister of justice and public instruction, willingly complied with my request for a copy of the agreement for transmission to the department, and later requested that I transmit in conjunction therewith a map showing the territory in dispute; the several proposed boundary lines as embodied in three previous protocols; Puerto Pacheco, situated in the disputed territory, and for the cession of which Bolivia, for reasons of commerce set forth in the accompanying memorandum, seems to be disposed to concede more of the disputed territory than she ever has before; Puerto Corumba, a Brazilian port, and which, in the present unsettled state of the Bolivian boundary question, controls the river transportation for that particular region. I have, etc., WILLIAM B. SORSBY. [Inclosure 1-Translation.] Drs. Claudio Pinilla, minister of foreign relations for Bolivia, and Adolfo Soler, minister of the treasury for Paraguay, duly authorized by their respective Governments, having met in the city of Buenos Aires in honor of the friendly mediation of the Government of the Republic of Argentine, for the purpose of discussing to a conciliatory and friendly solution respecting the question of the boundary dispute existing between the respective countries, after having studied the several propositions presented by the high parties, litigants, and by the minister of foreign affairs for the Argentine Republic, Dr. Estanislao S. Zeballos, have agreed to accept the following solution proposed by the latter in the conference of to-day. ARTICLE I. The high contracting parties agree to submit the question pending to the decision of His Excellency the honorable President of the Argentine Republic. ARTICLE II. The zone submitted to said arbitration is understood to be that between parallel 20° 30′ and the line which they sustain in their allegations north of the Paraguay, in the interior of the territory, between meridians 61° 30′ and 62° of Greenwich. ARTICLE III. Both ministers will ratify this convention within four months from its date, and in consequence their plenipotentiaries in Asuncion, Doctors Cano and Dominguez, shall subscribe to this agreement of limited arbitration, which shall necessarily be submitted to the respective Congresses for approval at the first ordinary sessions. ARTICLE IV. The plenipotentiaries of the high contracting parties are to be opportunely designated for the purpose of presenting to the President of the Argentine Republic, within the period of thirty days from the congressional approval, an exposition of the titles and evidence in support of their rights. ARTICLE V. The President of the Argentine Republic will decide the controversy with respect to the rights of the high contracting parties, in conformity with the titles and evidence submitted. ARTICLE VI. In case that one of the high contracting parties should fail to obtain the ratification referred in Article III, the respective plenipotentiaries at Asuncion will negotiate an agreement fixing the zone to be submitted to the arbitration agreed upon, and in the meanwhile the statu quo referred to in the following article is understood shall be continued. ARTICLE VII. Pending the process of complying with this convention, the high contracting parties compromise from this moment not to change nor to advance the position of their possessions as they to-day exist. In no case can this statu quo be suspended before the expiration of one year from the date fixed by Article III. The statu quo shall be loyally observed under the guarantee of the Argentine Government. The present agreement to be signed in three identical copies. A true copy. (Signed) Bolivia owns the territory embraced in the whole of the extension which during colonial period pertained to the Court of Charcas. In virtue of which and conformable to the Uti Possidetis of 1810, she alleges the right to all of the Chaco Boreal between the rivers Paraguay and Pilcomayo and the province of Chiquitos, of the Department of Santa Cruz. On the other hand, Paraguay also alleges ownership to the region of the Chaco, founding her claim upon several ancient possessions, such as Fortress Borbon and others. The litigation of the frontiers between both countries is of long duration, and has given rise to three treaties known by the names of the signers, as follows: 1879, Quijarro-Decoud; 1887, Tamayo-Aceval; and 1895, Ichazo-Benites. None of these treaties were accepted by the Paraguayan Congress, and the efforts of Bolivia for the solution of this matter always encountered the denial of the congress of that country, despite the fact that the Bolivian Government and congress approved the first two. Senor Claudio Pinilla, passing through Buenos Aires, celebrated the accompanying agreement, which has been approved by the Government of Bolivia and will also certainly be approved by that of Paraguay. As an offering to continental peace and in preservation of her commercial and customs liberty Bolivia finds it necessary to accept a new (another) segregation of her territory. In effect, the oriental region of Bolivia, embracing an extensive territory rich in mines and of an extraordinary fertility, must send its import and export commerce to the Atlantic via the river Paraguay and the Plate, but encounters the inconvenience of having to pass through Brazilian territory, where the mer |