54. Sir F. HALLasked the Lord President of the Council whether the Treaties signed at Washington by the representatives of Great Britain, the United States, France and Japan only become effective if confirmed by the legislative assemblies of those countries; whether any machinery has been proposed for dealing with amendments that may be put forward by any of the countries: and whether, in the event of the American House of Representatives introducing important modifications into the Pacific Treaty, the arrangements agreed upon at Washington will fall to the ground?
§ The LORD PRESIDENT of the COUNCIL (Sir Arthur Balfour)According to the ordinary rules of international law, treaties are binding only after ratification. The treaties referred to by my hon. and gallant Friend are no exception to the general rule. The answer to the second part of the question is in the negative. There seems no advantage in discussing the hypothetical case referred to in the third part of the question.