The annual report of the Universal Postal Union for 1949 was submitted to the eleventh session of the Economic and Social Council in accordance with Article V of the agreement between the United Nations and UPU. The Union reported the retirement, effective January 1, 1950, of Dr. Alois Muri as Director of the International Bureau and the subsequent appointment of Fritz Hess, Director-General of the Swiss Posts, as Dr. Muri's successor. The Union further reported that during 1949, 67 postal administrations, nineteen fewer than in 1948, had settled their transit charge accounts through the general clearing account; the annual general account for reply coupons involved a sum total of 505,159 gold francs as some 12,000,000 coupons were supplied by the International Bureau to various postal administrations; 653,744 postal identity cards were also made available to member administrations. During the year, the International Bureau received no communications regarding arbitral awards given or to be given under Article 12 of the Paris Convention of 1947, although various other disputes as well as non-litigious questions were communicated to the Bureau. Japan, CeyIon, Burma, and Israel notified the Bureau during the year of their accessions to the 1947 convention; various other ratifications and accessions with reference to supplementary protocols and agreements were also communicated to the Bureau in 1949.