Galerie

Danzig-Polish Post Office Dispute 1925

(e)  direct service communications between Polish post and telegraph offices in the port and foreign post and telegraph offices;
(f)  permission to establish an unrestricted postal, telegraph and telephone service between the port of Danzig and foreign countries;
(g)  permission to establish a private local postal and telegraph service in the port of Danzig;
(h)  through communication for Poland, via the territory of Danzig, with Poland or other countries;
(i)  through communication with other countries for Danzig via Polish territory;
(k)  reciprocal communication between Poland and Danzig;
2) any subsequent arrangements regarding points (a), (c) and (d) shall not affect the decision as to the situation from the standpoint of municipal law, of Polish authorities and offices in the territory of the Free City of Danzig.

It will be seen that there is no trace of any provision confining the operation of the Polish postal authorities to the inside of its postal building. The postal service which Poland is entitled to establish in the port of Danzig must be interpreted in its ordinary sense so as to include the normal functions of a postal service as regards the collection and distribution of postal matter outside the post-office. Indeed, any limitations or restrictions in this respect would be of so exceptional a character that they cannot, in the absence of express reservations, be read into the text of treaty stipulations.

Both sides have put forward arguments as to the exact meaning a of the phrases “all classes (Arlen) and branches (Zweige) of the traffic service and of the technical and administrative services and the installations (Einrichtungen) necessary for such services (Article 150 (a) of the Warsaw Agreement). Danzig contends, while Poland denies, that the Word “installations” refers to the interior service (innerhalb des internen Dienstes). The Court is of the opinion that this point cannot affect the conclusion at which it has arrived. The Article in question begins with these words: “It (i. e., the service) extends to”, etc. (Er erstreckt sich). This Article read in connection with the preceding and subsequent Articles should be interpreted in the sense of including the things enumerated therein, and not in the sense of excluding the postal service from exercising its normal functions in collecting and delivering postal matter outside the postal building.

By the terms of Article 29 of the Paris Convention, Poland is entitled to establish in the port of Danzig postal, telegraph and

Danzig-Polish Post Office Dispute, Seite 31.