Object of the Unions.
§ 581. The development of international intercourse has called into existence innumerable treaties for the purpose of satisfying economic and other non-political interests of the several States. Each nation concludes treaties of commerce, of navigation, of extradition, and of many other kinds with most of the other nations, and tries in this way, more or less successfully, to foster its own interests. Many of these interests are of such a particular character and depend upon such individual circumstances and conditions that they can only be satisfied and fostered by special treaties from time to time concluded by each State with other States. Yet experience has shown that the several States have also many non-political interests in common which can better be satisfied and fostered by a general treaty between a great number of States than by special treaties singly concluded between the several parties. Therefore, since the second half of the nineteenth century, such general treaties have more and more come into being, and it is certain that their number will in time increase. Each of these treaties creates what is called a Union among the contracting parties, since these parties have united for the purpose of settling certain subjects in common. The number of States which are members of these Unions varies, of course, and whereas some of them will certainly become in time universal in the same way as the Universal Postal Union, others will never reach that stage. But all the treaties which have created these Unions are general treaties because a lesser or greater number of States are parties, and these treaties have created so-called Unions, although the term "Union" is not always made use of.[961]
[961] A general treatise on Public International Law cannot attempt to go into the details of these Unions; it is really a matter for monographs or for a treatise on International Administrative Law, such as Neumayer's "Internationales Verwaltungsrecht," which is to comprise three volumes, and of which the first volume appeared in 1910. See also Reinsch, "Public International Unions" (1911).
Post and Telegraphs.
§ 582. Whereas previously the States severally concluded treaties concerning postal and telegraphic arrangements, they entered into Unions for this purpose during the second part of the nineteenth century:—
(1) Twenty-one States entered on October 9, 1874, at Berne, into a general postal convention[962] for the purpose of creating a General Postal Union. This General turned into the Universal Postal Union through the Convention of Paris[963] of June 1, 1878, to which thirty States were parties. This convention has several times been revised by the congresses of the Union, which have to meet every five years. The last revision took place at the Congress of Rome, 1906, where, on May 26, a new Universal Postal Convention[964] was signed by all the members of the Family of Nations for themselves and their colonies and dependencies. This Union possesses an International Office seated at Berne.[965]
[962] See Martens, N.R.G. 2nd Ser. I. p. 651.
[963] See Martens, N.R.G. 2nd Ser. III. p. 699.
[964] See Martens, N.R.G. 3rd Ser. I. p. 355.
[965] See Fischer, "Post und Telegraphie im Weltverkehr" (1879); Schröter, "Der Weltpostverein" (1900); Rolland, "De la correspondance postale et télégraphique dans les relations internationales" (1901).