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The council's request - Advisory Opinion No. II

excluding direct reception in the Polish mail coaches of postal matter deposited in letter-boxes placed either on the station premises or on the trains.
So much for the decision taken as it stands. Danzig, however, contends that the real intention of the High Commissioner in giving his decision was that Poland could have no postal activities outside the building assigned for the purpose. In Danzig's opinion this is clearly shown by the letter of the High-Commissioner dated January 6th, 1923, and also by a projet d\'accord which he submitted to the Parties on April 27th, 1922, before giving his
,decision. The possible legal effects of the letter of January 6th will be considered further on. For the present it is sufficient to Say that any persona1 opinion which General Haking may have expressed or any proposa1 he may have made as a mediator cannot alter the meaning and the scope of the decision. Once a decision has been duly given, it is only its contents that are authoritative, whatever may have been the views of its author.

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The decision of December 23rd, 1922, refers to a dispute concerning the right of Poland to establish a letter sorting office (bureau de triage) at the main Kailway Station of Danzig, and was to the effect that Poland had no such right.
It is conceded on both sides that there is nothing in the operative portion of the decision which deals witli the points now in dispute between Poland and Danzig. But in paragraph 6 of the statement of reasons (motifs) the High Commissioner says that Article zg of the Paris Convention gives Poland the right to establish one postal service, which, according to his decision of May 25th, 1922, and the subsequent Agreement between the two Governments, means one Post Office in the port of Danzig; then he goes on to say that in his opinion "this Post Office is not intended to deal with al1 letters posted in Poland to Polish nationals residing in Danzig, and with al1 letters sent by these Polish nationals either to Poland or abroad, but that it is intended to enable the Polish authorities, legally established in Danzig territory, to make up mails and despatch them direct to Poland or abroad from that Post Office, and from nowhere else, and also to deal with through mails sent from

The council's request - Advisory Opinion No. II, page 29.