Full resolution (JPEG) - On this page / på denna sida - Chapter II. — State and Elective Consular Officers
<< prev. page << föreg. sida << >> nästa sida >> next page >>
Below is the raw OCR text
from the above scanned image.
Do you see an error? Proofread the page now!
Här nedan syns maskintolkade texten från faksimilbilden ovan.
Ser du något fel? Korrekturläs sidan nu!
This page has never been proofread. / Denna sida har aldrig korrekturlästs.
6 STATE AND ELECTIVE CONSULAR OFFICERS. P. i., Сн. и.
§ 4.
Commercial [-undertakings-]
{+under-
takings+} of
Elective
Consuls.
" Petrograd.1 At the same time I renounce all claims to
remunera-" tion or money recompense of any kind from the Imperial
Govern-" ment for my services as Russian Vice-Consul, other than the
" Consular fees which, in accordance with the Russian Consular
" Regulations, revert to my profit. Finally, I give my word of
" honour not to belong to any secret political or social society or
" organisation."
Only persons of unblemished character can be appointed to the
post of Elective Consul, and it is understood that, once appointed,
these functionaries may not accept the Consular office for another
Government without the special sanction of the Russian
Government.2 The same applies to State Consuls, who are subject to this
further restriction that they are not allowed, unless with the
permission of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, to accept titles,
honorary insignia, presents, wages, or any other form of remuneration
or reward, from Foreign Governments or private individuals.
Elective Consular Officers ought to bear in mind that their
appointment is a high honour. It may be that their social and business
standing will gain by such an appointment, but they should never
exploit it for personal purposes, especially as they have to observe
Russian interests. For instance, if a Russian man-of-war is in need
of coal and other supplies, the Consular Officer should make it possible
for the warship to be provided with those necessaries at the cheapest
possible rate. He must not push his own interests by proposing to
supply the warship at a higher price than would be paid when applying
to the open market. The Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs is
bound to exercise every precaution in order to prevent the Consul’s
official interests being prejudiced by his private business.3
Elective Consular Officers are not forbidden to engage in trade
and to transact private business, but this permission ought not to
be incompatible with the impartiality which Russian Consular Officers
must maintain towards Russian captains. That amount of tact is
expected from Elective Consular Officers which will lead to the
avoidance of the collision of the interests of the Consular Office
with his private business. In Consular practice there have been
cases in which, in pursuance of their private business, Russian
Elective Consular Officers have refused to deliver letters for
Russian vessels to the ship’s agents, and have forbidden ship’s agents
to call at the Consular office. This is inadmissible. The letters for
Russian ships must be delivered not only to the captains themselves,
but also to their agents whoever they may be. Consular Officers
should not bring any pressure to bear upon Russian captains in forcing
them to interest themselves in the Consul’s private business. Russian
captains ought, for instance, to be free from any compulsion whatever
to choose their agents according to their own wants and desires.
Russian State Consuls must not be interested, either directly or
indirectly, in any commercial undertaking whatever. Cases in which
a State Consul is appointed Agent for a Company protected by the
1 Collection of Regulations of the I. Department, Petrograd, 1912. §32,.
addition.
2 Cons. Reg., Art. 7.
3. Russian Civil Service Regulations, Art. 740.
§ 4.
<< prev. page << föreg. sida << >> nästa sida >> next page >>
