Directory_and_Chronicle_1916 — Page 341

RUSSO-JAPANESE RAILWAY CONVENTION

SIGNED AT ST. PETERSBURG, MAY, 1907

The Imperial Government of Japan and the Imperial Government of Russia, having resolved to conclude a Convention concerning the connection of the Japanese and the Russian Railways in Manchuria, conformably to the provisions of Art, VIII. of the Treaty of Peace signed at Portsmouth on September 5 (August 23, 1905, O.S.), the undersigned, Itchiro Motono, Docteur en Droit, Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary of Japan; and le Maitre de la Cour Imperial Alexandre Iswolsky, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Russia, being duly authorized for the purpose by their respective Governments, have agreed and concluded the following Articles, under the title of Provisionary.

Regarding the provisions of this Convention which concern the South Manchuria Railway Company on the one part and the Chinese Eastern Railway Company on the other, the two Governments engage mutually to take necessary measures to ensure their prompt execution by the said Companies.

Art. I. The junction of the sections of the two railways will be made at the boundary line of the Kuanchengtze station of the Chinese Eastern Railway. The Southern Manchurian Railway Company shall prolong its line at the gauge adopted by that Company from the Tchantchun station of the said Company to the limit of the Kuanchengt ze station of the Chinese Eastern Railway, and the Chinese Eastern Railway shall construct a line of the same gauge in continuation to the Japanese line con- structed by the Southern Manchurian Railway to the platform of the Russian Kuanchengtze station. The Chinese Eastern Railway shall construct in prolongation of its line, a railway of the gauge of 1 metre 524 (Russian gauge of 5 English feet from the platform of the Russian Kuanchengtze station to the limit of that station, and the Southern Manchurian Railway Company shall construct a line of the same guage in continuation to the prolongation of the Russian railway constructed by the Chinese Eastern Railway Company to the Japanese Tchantchun station.

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The point of junction of the two sections of the Japanese and Russian railways and the plans of that junction shall be resolved upon in common accord between the two companies.

Art. II.-The Southern Manchurian Railway Company as well as the Chinese Eastern Railway Company shall establish, besides the junction of their lines, direct communication for passengers and for merchandise, and also all the necessary in- stallations, in order to effect in the shortest time and with the least expense possible the tran-port of the merchandise at the terminal stations, made recessary by the difference in the width of the gauges.

Each Company reserves the right to decide on the plans of construction within the limits of its own ground.

Art. III. Each Company takes charge of all the undertakings mentioned in Articles I. and II. of the present Convention which entails on them respectively, and the undertakings shall be executed by the companies with the least possible delay and as far as possible simultaneously.

Art. IV. The maintenance of the tracks, of the installations for transmission. and transport, and all the other accessories upon the ground of each railway shalt respectively be taken charge of by the Companies.

Art. V. The traffic between the Southern Manchurian Railway and the Chinese Eastern Railway shall be established conformably to the following conditions:

The passenger trains of the Southern Manchurian Railway, with passengers, their baggage, and other objects transported by those trains, proceed on the Japanese track to the Russian station of Kuanchengtze, and the passenger trains of the Chinese