Abstract

Pursuant to the receipt of an application for membership from the Government of Austria dated August 20, 1947, the Executive Board, in a resolution adopted on February 18,1948, resolved that action on the application should not be postponed until the next regular meeting of the Board of Governors.

Resolution No. 1. Membership for Austria

Pursuant to the receipt of an application for membership from the Government of Austria dated August 20, 1947, the Executive Board, in a resolution adopted on February 18,1948, resolved that action on the application should not be postponed until the next regular meeting of the Board of Governors.

In accordance with Section 13 of the By-Laws, the following resolution was submitted on February 24, 1948, for a vote without meeting:

RESOLVED:

(1) That the Board of Governors hereby approves the admission of Austria to membership in the International Monetary Fund under Article II, Section 2, of the Articles of Agreement on the following terms and conditions:

(2) That the quota of Austria shall be $50,000,000;

(3) That its subscription shall be equal to its quota, and that not less than 10 per cent of the subscription shall be paid in gold and the balance in the currency of Austria;

(4) That no part of the subscription need be paid at the time the Articles of Agreement are signed on behalf of Austria;

(5) That within thirty days after the Fund so requests, Austria shall communicate to the Fund the par value of its currency based on the rates of exchange prevailing on the date Austria becomes a member of the Fund, and within sixty days following the Fund’s receipt of the communicated par value Austria and the Fund shall agree on an initial par value for the currency; provided that the Fund may extend the period of sixty days, and that Austria shall be deemed to have withdrawn from the Fund if agreement on a par value has not been reached when the extended period expires;

(6) That Austria may not engage in exchange transactions with the Fund before the thirtieth day after the par value of its currency has been agreed in accordance with (5) above and its subscription shall be paid in full before such thirtieth day;

(7) That Austria shall become a member of the Fund subject to the terms and conditions set forth in this resolution as from the date wlien Austria has complied with both of the following requirements:

a. Austria shall deposit with the Government of the United States of America an instrument stating that it has accepted in accordance with its law the Articles of Agreement and all the terms and conditions prescribed in this resolution, and that it has taken all steps necessary to enable it to carry out all its obligations under the Articles of Agreement and this resolution; and

b. Austria shall sign the original copy of the Articles of Agreement held in the Archives of the Government of the United States of America.

(8) That Austria may accept membership in the Fund pursuant to this resolution until August 31, 1948.

The Board of Governors adopted the foregoing resolution and, accordingly, on April 12, 1948, the Managing Director extended to the Government of Austria a formal invitation to become a member of the international Monetary Fund. The process was completed on August 27, 1948, when Dr. Ludwig Klein-waechter, Austrian Minister to the United States, signed the Articles of Agreement on behalf of the Government of Austria.

Resolution No. 2. Extension of Time for Iran’s Consent to Increase in Quota25

Pursuant to a request received from the Government of Iran, under the date of March 22, 1948, for an extension in the time required to effect formal consent to increase the quota of Iran, authorized at the Second Annual Meeting (Resolution No. 2–3), the following resolution, approved by the Executive Board on April 1, 1948, was submitted for a vote without meeting, in accordance with Section 13 of the By-Laws, on April 12, 1948:

RESOLVED:

That the Board of Governors hereby renews Resolution No. 3 on the Increase of the Quota of Iran, passed at the Second Annual Meeting, except that the date “March 31, 1948” shall be changed to “July 31, 1948”.

The Board of Governors adopted the above resolution as of May 28,1948, and the new quota of Iran, increased to $35 million, became effective on July 21, 1948, the date on which the Fund received the necessary consent from the Government of Iran.

Resolution No. 3. Second Regular Election of Executive Directors 26

RESOLVED:

(a) That the Report of the Executive Directors of the Fund, dated September 3, 1948, regarding the Second Regular Election of Executive Directors, is hereby approved;

(b) That the Proposed Rules for the Conduct of the Second Regular Election of Executive Directors, attached to said Report of the Executive Directors, are hereby adopted as the rules for the conduct of said election;

(c) That Resolution No. 10 adopted by the Board of Governors at its Inaugural Meeting in March 1946 is hereby repealed; and

(d) That the Third Regular Election of the Executive Directors shall take place at the annual meeting of the Board of Governors in 1950.

Resolution No. 4. Membership for Siam27

WHEREAS, the Government of the Kingdom of Siam has applied for admission to membership in the International Monetary Fund in accordance with Section 2 of Article II of the Articles of Agreement of the Fund; and

WHEREAS, pursuant to Section 21 of the By-Laws of the Fund, the Executive Board after consultation with representatives of that Government has made recommendations to the Board of Governors with regard to the quota to be subscribed by the Government of the Kingdom of Siam and other conditions, which in the opinion of the Executive Board, the Board of Governors might wish to prescribe;

NOW THEREFORE, the Board of Governors, having considered the recommendation of the Executive Board, hereby resolves that the Government of the Kingdom of Siam shall be admitted to membership in the International Monetary Fund under Article II, Section 2, of the Articles of Agreement on the following terms and conditions:

(1) That the quota of Siam shall be $12,500,000;

(2) That its subscription shall be equal to its quota, and that not less than 25 per cent of the subscription shall be paid in gold and the balance in the currency of Siam;

(3) That the portion of the subscription to be paid in gold shall be paid on or before the date on which the Articles of Agreement shall have been signed on behalf of Siam;

(4) That within thirty days after the Fund so requests, Siam shall communicate to the Fund the par value of its currency based on the rates of exchange prevailing on the date Siam becomes a member of the Fund, and within sixty days following the Fund’s receipt of the communicated par value Siam and the Fund shall agree on an initial par value for the currency; provided that the Fund may extend the period of sixty days, and that Siam shall be deemed to have withdrawn from the Fund if agreement on a par value has not been reached when the extended period expires;

(5) That Siam may not engage in exchange transactions with the Fund before the thirtieth day after the par value of its currency has been agreed in accordance with (4) above and its subscription shall be paid in full before such thirtieth day;

(6) That Siam shall become a member of the Fund subject to the terms and conditions set forth in this resolution as from the date when Siam has complied with both of the following requirements:

a. Siam shall deposit with the Government of the United States of America an instrument stating that it has accepted in accordance with its law the Articles of Agreement and all the terms and conditions prescribed in this resolution, and that it has taken all steps necessary to enable it to carry out all its obligations under the Articles of Agreement and this resolution; and

b. Siam shall sign the original copy of the Articles of Agreement held in the Archives of the Government of the United States of America.

(7) That Siam may accept membership in the Fund pursuant to this resolution until March 31, 1949, provided, however, that if extraordinary circumstances are deemed by the Executive Directors to warrant an extension of the period during which Siam may accept membership pursuant to this resolution, the Executive Directors may extend such period until such later date as they may determine, but in no event beyond October 1, 1949.

Resolution No. 5. Reduction in the Quota of Honduras28

RESOLVED:

That the quota of Honduras shall be changed to $500,000, provided that Honduras consents to the change by a written notice which is in a form satisfactory to the Fund and is received by the Fund within ninety days from the date of adoption of this resolution. Such change shall become effective on the date the Fund receives such notice but not sooner than the date of this resolution.

Resolution No. 6. Report on Audit for the Fiscal Year ended April 30, 1948 and Administrative Budget for the Fiscal Year ending April 30, 194929

RESOLVED:

That the Board of Governors considers the Report on Audit for the fiscal year ended April 30, 1948, the Financial Statements contained therein and the Administrative Budget for the fiscal year ending April 30, 1949, as fulfilling the requirements of Article XII, Section 7, of the Articles of Agreement and Section 20 of the By-Laws.

Resolution No. 7. Rules and Regulations30

RESOLVED:

That the Board of Governors of the Fund hereby notifies the Executive Directors that it has reviewed the amendments and additions to the Rules and Regulations adopted by the Executive Directors since the Second Annual Meeting and has no changes to suggest.

Resolution No. 8. Amendment of Section 14 (f) of the By-Laws 31

RESOLVED:

That Section 14 (f) of the By-Laws be amended to read as follows:

Section 14. Terms of Service

(f) The Executive Directors and their Alternates are to be reimbursed, in addition, for all reasonable expenses incurred during absence from the seat of the Fund while on the designated service of the Fund. Executive Directors and their Alternates shall be reimbursed for authorized representation expenses actually incurred while they are absent from the seat of the Fund on a special mission at the request of the Fund. They shall also be reimbursed for travel and transportation expenses for themselves, their families, and their personal effects in moving once to the seat of the Fund during or immediately before their periods of service and in moving once from the seat during or immediately after their periods of service.

In addition, any Executive Director or Alternate who, while holding office continuously in either capacity, has served three years as a full-time Director or Alternate, shall be entitled upon the completion of each three years of such full-time service to reimbursement for the cost of transportation expenses for his family in traveling once to and from the country of which he is a national; provided that the Fund may arrange for reimbursement for such expenses incurred by a Director or Alternate during the third year of a three-year period of such full-time service.

Resolution No. 9. Death of Harry D. White32

WHEREAS, the late Harry D. White was one of the leading framers of the structure as well as the Articles of Agreement of the International Monetary Fund and the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development;

WHEREAS, he devoted the greater part of his last years to building up those institutions and served as Executive Director of the International Monetary Fund in its initial year of functioning;

WHEREAS, the same Harry D. White passed away in the latter part of the month of August last, and the Governors of the International Monetary Fund want to honor his memory and his contribution to the building of these institutions;

THEREBY, in recognition of these premises, the Governors for the International Monetary Fund hereby RESOLVE:

To record in the proceedings of this meeting the profound sorrow of the Board of Governors because of the death of Harry D. White.

Resolution No. 10. Site and Date of Fourth Annual Meeting33

RESOLVED:

That the future meetings of the Fund should be held in Washington and that the Chairman shall convene the Fourth Annual Meeting of the Board of Governors of the International Monetary Fund in Washington, D. C, in the month of September 1949, but that meetings outside Washington should be held from time to time, and it is recommended that the Board of Governors should consider the first such meeting outside Washington taking place in Paris in 1950.

Resolution No. 11. Election of Officers of the Board of Governors for Ensuing Year34

RESOLVED:

That the Governor of France is hereby elected Chairman, and the Governors of China, India, United Kingdom and United States are hereby elected Vice-Chairmen of the Board of Governors of the International Monetary Fund, to hold their respective offices until the election of officers of the International Monetary Fund takes place at the close of the next annual meeting.

Resolution No. 12. Establishment and Composition of the Procedures Committee for Ensuing Year 35

RESOLVED:

That a Procedures Committee be hereby established, to be available after the termination of this meeting, and until the election of officers of the International Monetary Fund takes place at the next annual meeting, for consultation at the discretion of the Chairman, normally by correspondence, and also if occasion requires by convening immediately before the annual meeting of the Board. The Procedures Committee shall consist of the Governors of the following members:

China, Ethiopia, France, Iceland, India, Luxembourg, Union of South Africa, United Kingdom, United States, Uruguay, Venezuela and Yugoslavia.

The Chairman, Vice-Chairman and Reporting Member shall be the Governors of France, India and the Union of South Africa, respectively.