The right of transit is guaranteed throughout the entire territory of the Union.
Consequently, the several Postal Administrations of the Union may send reciprocally through the intermediary of one or of several of them, as well closed mails as correspondence in open mails, according to the requirements of trade and the convenience of the postal service.
The correspondence exchanged, whether in open or in closed mails, be-tween two Administrations of the Union, by means of the services of one or of several of them as well Administrations of the Union, is subject to the following transit charges, to be paid to each of the countries traversed, or whose services participate in the conveyance, viz:
1st. For territorial conveyance, 2 francs per kilogramme of letters or post-cards, and 25 centimes per kilogramme of other articles;
2nd. for sea conveyance, 15 francs per kilogramme of letters or post-cards, and 1 franc per kilogramme of other articles;
It is, however, understood-
1st. That wherever the transit is already gratuitous at present, or subject to more advantageous conditions, such condition is maintained, except in the case provided for in paragraph 3, following;
2rd. That wherever the rate of sea-transit has hitherto been fixed at 6 francs 50 centimes per kilogramme of letters or post-cards, such rate is reduced to 5 francs;
3rd. That every sea conveyance not exceeding 300 nautical miles is gratuitous if the administration concerned is already entitled, on account of mails or correspondence benefiting by this conveyance, to the remuneration applicable to the territorial transit: in the contrary case, payment is made at the rate of 2 francs per kilogramme of letters or post-cards, and 25 centimes per kilogramme of other articles;
4th. That in the case of sea-conveyance effected by two or more Administrations, the expenses of the entire transportation cannot exceed 15 francs per kilogramme of letters or post-cards, and 1 franc per kilogramme of other articles. These expenses are in such case shared between the Administrations pro rata for the distances traversed, without prejudice to other arrangements between the parties interested;
5th. That the rates specified in the present article do not apply either to conveyance· by means of services depending upon Administrations foreign to the Union, or to conveyance within the Union by means of extraordinary services specially established or maintained by one Administration in the interest or at the request of one or several other Administrations. The conditions of these two categories of conveyance are regulated by mutual agreement between the Administrations interested.
The expenses of transit are borne by the Administration of the country of origin.
The general settlement of these expenses takes place on the basis of statements prepared every two years, during a month to be determined on in the Regulations of Execution 5 referred to in Article 14 hereafter.
The correspondence of the Postal Administrations with each other, articles reforwarded or missent, undeliverable articles, acknowledgments of delivery, post-office money-orders or advices of the issue of orders, and all other documents relative to the postal service, are exempt from all transit charges, whether territorial or maritime.