SPANISH ORDER relative to the Prolongation of the Commercial Convention of March 30, 1914,* between Spain and Italy.-Madrid, December 29, 1917. + The Minister of Finance to the Director-General of Customs. THE Ministry of State having reported in its telegram of the 19th instant to this Department that the Italian Government, through its Ambassador at this Court, have informed the Spanish Government that both Governments have agreed to the prolongation of the Commercial Agreement between the two countries for a period of one year, dating from the 1st January next, His Majesty the King (whom God guard has deigned to command that this information should be brought to the notice of your Excellency in order that the necessary orders may be sent without delay to the Customs authorities to continue to apply during the coming year the the régime established in the said agreement. The above is communicated to your Excellency for your information and the necessary action. God keep your Excellency many years. J. VENTOSA. SPANISH DECREE enjoining the Maintenance of Neutrality by Spanish Subjects in the War between Guatemala and Germany.--Madrid, April 29, 1918: Ministry of State, Political Department. (Translation.) THE Representative of Guatemala at this Court having notified that the National Legislative Assembly of the said Republic has declared that in the present international conflict it assumes the same belligerent attitude as the United States of America against the German Empire, the Government of His (Catholic) Majesty considers it to be its duty to command all Spanish subjects to maintain the strictest neutrality in accordance with the existing laws and the principles of international law. It consequently makes it known that all Spaniards residing in Spain or abroad who may commit any hostile act * Vol. CVII, page 947. + Madrid" Official Gazette," December 30, 1917. which may be held contrary to the strictest neutrality, shall lose the right of protection from the Government of His Catholic Majesty, and shall suffer the consequences of the measures adopted by the belligerents without prejudice to the penalties which they may have incurred under the laws of Spain. All national or foreign agents who undertake or promote in Spanish territory the recruiting of soldiers for any of the belligerent armies or navies shall be likewise punished in accordance with Article 150 of the Penal Code. The above is published for the general information of all it may concern. Madrid, April 29, 1918. NOTIFICATION of the Denunciation by the Spanish Government of certain Treaties and Commercial Conrentions, &c., concluded between Spain and Denmark, the Netherlands, Norway, Switzerland and Sweden respectively; and of the Denunciation by the French Government of the Consular Conrention and Com. mercial Modus Vivendi concluded between Spain and France.-Madrid, September 23, 1918.* (Translation.) Ministry of State, Under-Secretary's Office, Madrid, September 23, 1918. THE Government of His Majesty has denounced, under date of the 20th instant, the following Treaties and Commercial Conventions with special tariffs: The Convention with Sweden of the 27th June, 1892;! The Conventions with Norway of the 27th June, 1892, and the 25th August, 1903; § The Convention with Denmark of the 4th July, 1893;|| The Declaration exchanged between His Majesty's Government and that of the Netherlands on the 12th July, 1892;¶ and The Treaty with the Swiss Federation of the September, 1906.** 1st In virtue of this denunciation and in accordance with * Madrid "Official Gazette," + Vol. LXXXIV, page 113. Vol. LXXXIV, page 111. September 28, 1918. Vol. XCIV, page 813. Vol. LXXXV, page 866. **Vol. CI, page 610. the stipulations contained in the same the said Conventions. will cease to have effect on the 20th September, 1919. * The Government of the French Republic has denounced the Consular Convention between Spain and France of the 7th January, 1862, and the Commercial Modus Vivendi of the 1st January, 1892, indefinitely prolonged by the Declarations exchanged on the 29th November, 1906.† The denunciation of the Consular Convention will take effect from the 10th instant and that of the Modus Vivendi on the 10th June, 1919, both Agreements ceasing to hold good in virtue of the stipulations contained therein on the 10th September, 1919. MARQUIS DE AMPOSTA, SPANISH NOTIFICATION of the Prolongation of the Commercial Convention of March 30, 1914, between Spain and Italy.-Madrid, December 27, 1918. § (Translation.) By an exchange of notes dated the 23rd and 26th instant the Convention of Commerce and Navigation agreed to between Spain and Italy on the 30th March, 1914, has been prolonged for a first period of six months counting from the 1st January, 1919, and this period can be tacitly renewed by another dating from the 1st July to the 20th September of the same year. The above is made public for general knowledge. J. PEREZ CABALLERO, SWEDISH LAW restricting the right of Foreigners to acquire Real Property or Mines or Shares in certain Companies.-May 30, 1916. (Translation.) (No. 156.) WE, Gustaf, &c., make known that we, with the Riksdag, have found good, repealing the Decree of the * Vol. LII, page 139. + Vol. XCIX, page 1096. Vol. CVII, page 947. 3rd October, 1829, with regard to the conditions under which aliens may acquire and possess real property in Sweden, and amending any provisions contained in any law or decree at variance with the regulations hereinafter stated, to decree as follows: ART. 1.-An alien may not, without the consent of the King, given for special cases, acquire real property in Sweden nor acquire or work an appropriated mineral deposit nor carry on mining, nor in any case appropriate a mineral deposit in Sweden. What has thus been enacted as to alien citizens shall also apply to alien companies, societies, other corporations and foundations. 2. A Swedish partnership in which there is a foreign partner, a Swedish joint-stock company whose shares may be issued to bearer, or a Swedish economic society, may not in Sweden acquire real property, appropriate a mineral deposit, acquire or work an appropriated mineral deposit nor carry on mining, unless the King, in each separate case, has granted the company or the society permission thereto. The same shall apply also as regards a Swedish jointstock company whose shares must be issued to order, unless a proviso as hereinafter stated has been inserted in the articles of association. The said proviso, where it does not comprise more rigorous regulations, shall be to the effect that only a certain part, at any time less than a fifth, of the company's shares, or if there are shares representing different values in regard to votes, only so many shares that the number of votes which they represent constitutes a certain part, at any time less than a fifth, of the number of votes represented by the total shares of the company, may, by subscription or transfer, be acquired by an alien citizen, corporation or foundation, by a Swedish partnership in which there is a foreign partner, by a Swedish economic society, by a Swedish joint-stock company whose shares may be issued to bearer, or by another Swedish joint-stock company in whose articles of association a proviso as hereinbefore stated has not been inserted, though, nevertheless, notwithstanding the proviso, shares may be acquired by a Swedish company or Swedish society such as is referred to in Article 18. No change in the articles of association, in so far as it concerns the proviso provided for in the second paragraph of this article, may be made without the King's consent, 3. Any acquisition of shares which has taken place in contravention of the proviso referred to in the second paragraph of Article 2 shall be invalid. If any person, in accordance with the proviso that a share may not be acquired by subscription or transfer, has obtained a share in some other way, the proviso shall not entail restriction of his right to subscribe to or obtain the number of new shares in the company which corresponds to his share of the previous joint capital, nor restriction in the right to subscribe to or obtain new shares which at the time when he obtained the shares was annexed thereto in accordance with the articles of association. 4. Notwithstanding the regulations of Article 2, a Swedish company or Swedish society may acquire a house, a building site, a storehouse, a small quarry, a small gravel or clay pit, a small waterfall, a small peat moss, or the like, if the property, in the manner enacted under Article 5, is decided on examination to be, necessary for the business of the company or society. A waterfall from which at ordinary low water more than 100 turbine horse-power can manifestly be extracted, shall in no case be deemed to be a small waterfall. Nor shall a peat moss with an area of more than 25 hectares be deemed to be a small peat moss. The examination provided for in this article shall devolve on the Governor of the province in which the real property is situated. 5. If such examination as is provided for in Article 4 is requested, or if anyone desires, in accordance with Article 1 or 2, to apply for the King's consent to acquire real property, the application, together with the title-deeds, shall be lodged with the Provincial Governor within a year from the date of acquisition. If this period is allowed to expire, or if it is decided on examination that the case is not one falling under Article 4, and, should the King's consent not be granted on being applied for, the acquisition shall be declared invalid. If the King's consent is applied for it shall be incumbent on the Provincial Governor, in so far as the acquisition is not sanctioned under Article 4, to submit the documents, together with his own opinion, to the King. Appeal from the decision of the Provincial Governor in a matter of the kind referred to shall be made in the manner prescribed in general for causes concerning economic questions. Detailed regulations with regard to the investigation which may be required for the examination of such a case by the Provincial Governor will be issued by the King. If, in accordance with what has been stated above in this article, the question of the right to acquire property is not yet decided, such impediments shall be deemed to exist with |