History of Communications-Electronics in the United States Navy, Captain L. S. Howeth, USN (Retired), 1963, pages 547-548:
Final Protocol, First International Radio Telegraphic Conference, Berlin, 1903
The delegations to the preliminary conference concerning wireless telegraphy designated below:
Germany, Austria, Spain, the United States of America, France, Hungary, Russia are unanimous in proposing to their Governments to examine the following general bases for an international convention:
ARTICLE I
Exchange of correspondence between ships at sea and coastwise wireless telegraph stations opened to general telegraphic service, is subject to the following rules:
SECTION 1. All stations whose field of action extends to the sea are called coastwise stations.
SECTION 2. Coastwise stations are required to receive and transmit telegrams originating on ships at sea without distinction as to the systems of wireless telegraphy employed by said ships.
SECTION 3. The contracting states make public the technical points of a nature to facilitate and accelerate communication between coastwise stations and ships at sea.
However, each of the contracting Governments can authorize stations situated in its territory, under such conditions as it may deem proper, to utilize several installations or special arrangements.
SECTION 4. The contracting states declare their intention to adopt, in order to establish the tariffs applicable to telegraphic service between ships at sea and the international telegraphic system, the following bases:
The total charge to collect for this service is established by the word. It comprises:
(a) The charge for transmission over the lines of the telegraphic system of which the amount is that fixed by the international telegraph regulation in force attached to the St. Petersburg Convention.
(b) The charge pertaining to the marine transmission.
The latter is, as the former, fixed by the number of words, this number of words being counted according to the international telegraphic rule as indicated in the paragraph above (a).
It comprises:
1. A charge called "charge of the coastwise station," which goes to said station;
2. A charge called "charge of the ship," which goes to the station installed on the ship.
The charge of the coastwise station is subject to the approval of the state on whose territory it is established, and that of the ship to the approval of the state whose flag the ship carries.
Each of the two charges should be fixed on the basis of equitable remuneration for the telegraphic work.
ARTICLE II
A regulation which will be attached to the proposed convention will establish rules for the exchange of communications between coastwise stations and those placed on board ship.
The prescriptions of this regulation may at any time be modified by common agreement by the administration of the contracting Governments.
ARTICLE III
The rules of the telegraphic convention of St. Petersburg are applicable to transmission by wireless telegraphy in so far as they are not contrary to those of the proposed convention.
ARTICLE IV
Wireless telegraph stations should, unless practically impossible, give priority to calls for help received from ships at sea.
ARTICLE V
The service of operating wireless telegraph stations should be organized, as far as possible, in a manner not to interfere with the service of other stations.
ARTICLE VI
Contracting Governments reserve to themselves, respectively, the right to make special arrangements between themselves, having for their object to oblige the companies operating wireless telegraph stations in their territories to observe, in all their other stations, the prescriptions of the proposed convention.
ARTICLE VII
The prescriptions of the proposed convention are not applicable to the wireless telegraph stations of the state not open to general telegraphic service, save in that which concerns the clauses which Articles IV and V are intended to cover.
ARTICLE VIII
Countries which have not joined the proposed convention will be admitted at their request.
Done at Berlin August 13, 1903.
DECLARATION OF THE DELEGATION OF GREAT BRITAIN
While engaged in itself to submit the above bases to the examination of its Government, the British delegation declares that in view of the situation in which wireless telegraphy finds itself in the United Kingdom this delegation ought to maintain a general reserve. This reserve relates especially to section 2 of the 1st article and to the application of the rules of Article V to the stations indicated in Article VII.
Done at Berlin August 13, 1903.
DECLARATION OF THE ITALIAN DELEGATION
The delegation of Italy while agreeing to submit to the examination of its Government the propositions contained in the final protocol of the conference, ought, agreeably with the declarations made by its members in the several meetings, to make on account of the Government the following reservations:
Article 1st, Section 2.--It would accept the proposed text only on condition of the following addition being made: "Provided that all these systems give a known guarantee for good working in reciprocal correspondence with respect to the range, to the perfection of the organization, and to the surety of communications."
Article 1st, Section 3.--It cannot accept the first paragraph of this section because in the agreements concluded with M. Marconi the Government engages to keep the details of the installations secret.
Article VI.--It cannot accept the text of this article and it should limit itself to the declaration on the part of its Government it will endeavor to introduce in the agreements stipulated with M. Marconi some modifications in the desired direction.
Done at Berlin August 13, 1903.