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Rh outside of Europe are authorized to maintain this maximum at 50 centimes, including a receipt given to the sender.

In modification of the stipulations of Article 8 of the Convention, it is agreed that, as a temporary measure, the Administrations of the countries outside of Europe, whose legislation is at present opposed to the principle of responsibility, retain the option of postponing the application of that principle until they shall have been able to obtain from the legislative power the authority to introduce it. Up to that time, the other Administrations of the Union are not bound to pay an indemnity for the loss, in their respective services, of registered articles addressed to or originating in the said countries.

The Dominican Republic, which forms part of the Postal Union, not having been represented at the Congress, the protocol remains open to it in order that it may adhere to the Conventions which have been concluded at the Congress, or only to one or the other of them.

The protocol likewise remains open to the Empire of China, whose delegates at the Congress have declared the intention of that country to enter the Universal Postal Union on a date to be fixed hereafter.

It also remains open to the Orange Free State, whose representative has declared the intention of that country to adhere to the Universal Postal Union.

The protocol remains open to those countries whose representatives have signed this day the principal Convention only or only a certain number of the Conventions concluded by the Congress, for the purpose of allowing them to adhere to the other Conventions signed this day, or to one or the other of them.

The adhesions contemplated by Article IV preceding, must be notified to the Government of the United States of America by the respective Governments, in diplomatic form. The term accorded to them for that notification will expire on the 1st of October 1898.

In case one or more of the contracting parties to the Postal Conventions signed this day at Washington, shall not ratify one or the other of those Conventions, this Convention shall be none the less valid for the States which shall have ratified it.