Principles of Mandatory Regime is Expounded in New Volume

(Jewish Telegraphic Agency)

D.F.W Van Rees, Vice-President of the Permanent Mandates Commission of the League of Nations, who last year published the first part of his monograph in French “Les Mandates Internationaux,” has now issued the second part which presents a comprehensive survey of the questions referred to. Both books appeared in the edition of “Librairie Arthur Rousseau,” Paris. In the previous publication M.Van Rees dealt with the problems appertaining to the international control of the Mandatory administration, while his present volume is devoted to the general principles of the Mandatory regime.

Mr.Van Rees touches successively upon the political status of the Mandated territory and its legal consequences: the status of the natives, international conventions, loans and private capitals; upon the intergrity of the Mandated territory, and its state domains; the principles of administration and obligations of the Mandatory Government; religious freedom military status, finances, economics, etc. Economic questions, such as taxes,customs and Postal tariffs, concessions, monopolies, are given a prominent place in the book. Special chapters are devoted to Palestine, Transjordan,Syria and the Lebanon as well as to the African Mandated territories.

Referring to Palestine the author emphasizes the fundamental difference between the mandatory regime of Iraq and that of Palestine which difference, he remarks, was caused by the fact that in Palestinc it was necessary to take account not only of the native Arab population but also of the “Jewish people who, by virtue of the Balfour Declaration inserted at the head of the Mandate, forms an integral part of the inhabitants of Palestine.”M.Van Rees speaks of the difficulties of the Mandatory Power facing a dual problem in the country, lay stress on the articles of the Mandate relating to the Jewish National Home and concludes with an eulogy on the “impartiality and ability of the Palestine Administration”as well as the “conciliatory attitude and admirable devotion of the Jews.”Thanks to these two factors, the author thinks, it may be hoped that “a pacific and definitive solution of a great political and social problem in Palestine”will be attained some day.