INTERNATIONAL BUREAUX. The beginnings of the international movement may be traced back for more than a century. In 1823, for the first time, scientific congresses were held in Germany, to which representatives of other countries were invited. France, England and the United States soon followed this example. The need was soon felt for permanent bureaux to carry out decisions made. This was the origin of international bureaux, some official and some private bodies, dealing with the widest range of subjects: Agriculture, trade and industry; com munications and transport ; labour ; medicine and hygiene ; eco nomics and finance; law and administration; arts and sciences; humanitarianism, religion, morals and education ; sport and travel; feminism ; international languages ; bibliography and documenta tion ; disarmament.
In 1909 there were 30o such bureaux; in Nov. 1912, 51o. The World War was a serious hindrance to international life, and a large number of private bureaux were closed. After the war it took a long while to re-establish international relations. Many of these bureaux became inter-allied in character and several years passed before they again became really international.
An international handbook (Annuaire de la vie internationale) was founded in 1905, and published in 1905, 1906 and 1907 by the Institut international de la Paix. Another series was published in 1908-09 by the International Bibliographical Institute, and in 1912 by the Union of International Associations with the aid of the Carnegie Foundation. Since the World War the League of Nations has become the centre for international bureaux. Four editions of the Handbook of International Organizations have been published, in 1921, 1923, 1925 and 1926. Only such bureaux as replied to the questionnaire sent out by the secretariat of the League of Nations were included and, therefore, certain omissions were inevitable. Nevertheless, it can claim to give a fairly com plete survey of international life at the present day. The last edition contains about 40o entries. This shows a decided decrease in the number of international bureaux since 1912. An examina tion of the dates of foundation discloses a still greater diminution; for, since 157 were founded after the World War and eight during the war, it follows that of the bureaux recorded in 1912, 250 at most survived. These figures prove clearly the fatal effect of the war on international relations and the long time required for their re-establishment.
The geographical distribution of these international bureaux is of interest. Switzerland heads the list with 83 bureaux. Then comes France, 74; Great Britain, 63; Belgium, 6o; the Nether lands, 4o; the United States, 22; Germany, 19; Italy, 8; Austria, 6; Denmark, 6; Sweden, 4; other countries, 12, one in each. The importance of these bureaux varies greatly. Several will be found under separate headings (see RED CROSS, etc.) . Bureaux founded on general treaties, that is to say, based on international conven tions, signed by the various States, should be classed separately.
Bureaux Based on International Conventions (Addresses as in 1928) .
Advisory committee for the international protection of nature Founded, 1913. Seat, Basle: 22 Spitalstrasse.
Central international office for the control of the liquor traffic in Africa, 1919. Brussels: Ministry for Foreign Affairs.
Central Office for international railway transport, 1893. Berne: 36 rue Monbijou.
International bureau for the publication of customs tariffs, July 5, 189o. Brussels: 38, rue de l'Association.
International bureau of commercial statistics, 1913. Brussels: Ministry of Finance.
International bureau of the Pan American postal union, 1912. Montevideo.
International bureau of the telegraphic union, 1868. Berne: i, Effingerstrasse.
International bureau of the universal postal union, 1874. Berne: 2, Schwanengasse.
International bureau of weights and measures, 1875. Paris: Parc de St. Cloud.
International Central-American office, 19o8. Guatemala: ioa, calle Oriente, No. 1.
International commission for air navigation, July is, 1922. Paris: 20, avenue Kleber.
International commission for the decennial revision of nosological nomenclature, 1900. No permanent secretariat.
International conference for promoting technical uniformity on railways, 1882. Berne: Federal Railway Department.
International conference for the study of epizootics, 1920. Paris. International exchange service, 1886. Brussels: Belgian International Service, 45 rue des Longs-Chariots.
International hydrographic bureau, 1919. Monaco: 3 avenue du Port.
International institute of agriculture, 19o5. Rome: Villa Umberto 1. International institute of refrigeration, 192o. Paris: 9, avenue Carnot.
International prison commission, 1880. Groningen (Netherlands) . International public health office, 1907. Paris: 195 Bd. St. Germain. Office of the American international union for the protection of trade marks, Dec. 6, 1927. La Havane: 55, calle de Trocadero. Permanent court of arbitration, 1899. The Hague.
United international bureaux of industrial, literary and artistic property, 1885. Berne: 7 Helvetiastrasse.
Article 24 of the Covenant has defined the relations of the League of Nations with international bureaux in the following terms: "There shall be placed under the direction of the League all international bureaux already established by general treaties if the parties to such treaties consent. All such international bureaux and all commissions for the regulation of matters of international interest hereafter constituted shall be placed under the direction of the League.
"In all matters of international interest which are regulated by general conventions but which are not placed under the control of international bureaux or commissions, the secretariat of the League shall, subject to the consent of the Council and if desired by the parties, collect and distribute all relevant information and shall render any other assistance which may be necessary or desirable.
"The Council may include as part of the expenses of the secre tariat the expenses of any bureau or commission which is placed under the direction of the League." In practice these relations have been, up to now, somewhat vague. Four international bureaux have been placed under the direction of the League: The international bureau for assistance, from June 19 21 ; the international hydrographic bureau, from Oct. 2, 1921 ; the central international office for the control of the liquor traffic in Africa, from Jan. 1 s, 1922; and the inter national commission on air navigation, from July 1922.
The bureaux which existed before the League of Nations was founded show no eagerness to surrender their autonomy and merely maintain contact with the international bureaux section of the secretariat of the League of Nations—of which M. Nitobe ( Japan) was the director for seven years, and since 1927, M. Dufour-Feronce (Germany).
The League of Nations publishes a quarterly bulletin of infor mation on the work of international organizations, containing a summary of the proceedings of the congresses and conferences held in the period. Further, the League of Nations allocates to the Union of International Associations at Brussels a subsidy for the publication of a collection of international resolutions; vol. i. ap peared in 1923. It contains the resolutions passed by 15 confer ences and congresses. When it is remembered how many bureaux there are, it will be realized that an enormous number of volumes will be required to contain all their resolutions. (E. CO