I Constitution and Jurisdiction

The official languages of the court are French and English. The hearings are public. Every decision is by a majority of the judges present at the hearing. The judgments are required to state the reasons on which the decisions are based. They are delivered in open court, and are printed and published in a regular series of reports. They are final and without appeal, but a judgment is binding only between the parties and in the particular case. Dis senting judges are entitled to deliver separate opinions.

Special chambers of five judges each are appointed by the court for three years to hear and determine labour cases arising under Pt. XIII. of the Treaty of Versailles and cases relating to transit and communications under Pt. XII. of the Treaty of Ver sailles. In such cases the judges are assisted by technical assessors. With a view to the speedy dispatch of business, the court forms annually a chamber of three judges, who, at the request of the contesting parties, may hear and determine cases by summary procedure.

Special pains are taken in the statute to ensure that in each case there shall be in the court some judge familiar with the laws, cus toms and peculiarities of each country which is a party to the controversy, and if in any case there is no member of the court coming from the country which is a party litigant, that party may name an additional judge to sit in the court in that case. For

this purpose several parties in the same interest are reckoned as one party only.

Advisory Opinions.

The court has provided by rules for giving an advisory opinion upon written request from the Assem bly or the Council of the League of Nations containing an exact statement of the question accompanied by all documents likely to throw light upon it. When such a request is received, the registrar is required to give notice to the members of the court, to the members of the League of Nations, to the states mentioned in the annexe to the Covenant and to any international organiza tions which are likely to be able to furnish information on the question. Opinions are given only after hearing all parties con cerned and after deliberation by the full court ; and the requests and opinions are printed and published in a special collection of reports.