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Danzig-Polish Post Office Dispute 1925

only in cases where ordinary methods of interpretation have failed. It is a cardinal principle of interpretation that words must be interpreted in the sense which they would normally have in their context, unless such interpretation would lead to something unreasonable or absurd. In the present case, the construction which the Court has placed on the various treaty stipulations is not only reasonable, but is also supported by reference to the various articles taken by themselves and in their relation one to another.

It has also been urged that recognition of Poland’s claims would result in a serious loss to the revenue of the Free City of Danzig. It cannot be doubted that the institution of a Polish postal service in the port of Danzig would mean a loss to the Danzig postal monopoly, but this consideration cannot affect the treaty rights to which, in the opinion of the Court Poland is entitled.

The Court wishes to point out that nothing in the present opinion can be construed as prejudging the way in which, from the point of view of private rights and municipal administration, Poland’s postal rights in Danzig may be exercised.

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Since the Court  of opinion that the port in the postal sense is not a personal entity comprising certain authorities and offices or categories of persons, as contended by Danzig, and that the Polish postal service is not limited to operations inside the building in the Heveliusplatz, it is essential to indicate why the Court considers the port of Danzig as a territorial area.

Besides the fact that the expression “the port of Danzig” conveys, as ordinarily used, the notion of a territorial and topographical entity, both the Paris Convention and the Warsaw Agreement use in several instances the expression “dans le Port" (“im Hefen von Danzig") and particularly in Article 168 of the above mentioned Agreement there is a specific mention of arrangements to be concluded concerning the relations between Polish post, telegraph or telephone office in the port with addressees or Polish authorities and offices outside the port (band e) or with “Polish

Danzig-Polish Post Office Dispute, Seite 34.