LEAGUE OF NATIONS
Mandate for Palestine.
QUESTIONNAIRE
INTENDED TO ASSIST THE PREPARATION OF THE ANNUAL REPORTS
OF THE MANDATORY POWERS.
I. — JEWISH NATIONAL HOME (Article 2 of the Mandate).
1. What measures have been taken to place the country under such political, administrative and economic conditions as will secure the establishment of the national home for the Jewish people?
What are the effects of these measures?
2. What measures have been taken to place the country under such political, administrative and economic conditions as will secure the development of self-governing institutions?
What are the effects of these measures?
3. What measures have been taken to place the country under such political, administrative and economic conditions as will safeguard the civil and religious rights of all the inhabitants of Palestine, irrespective of race and religion?
What are the effects of these measures?
II. — AUTONOMOUS ADMINISTRATION (Article 3).
What measures have been taken to encourage local autonomy?
What are the effects of these measures?
III. — JEWISH AGENCY (Article 4).
1. When and in what manner has the Jewish agency been officially recognised?
2. Has this agency given any advice to the Administration in the past year?
If so, in what form and in what connection?
3. What is the nature and extent of the co-operation of this agency with the Administration of Palestine in economic, social and other matters?
4. In what manner has this agency taken part in the development of the country (statistics of the results obtained)?
5. What steps have been taken in consultation with His Britannic Majesty's Government to secure the co-operation of all Jews who are willing to assist in the establishment of the Jewish national home?
IV. — IMMIGRATION AND EMIGRATION (Article 6).
1. What measures have been taken to facilitate Jewish immigration?
2. What measures have been taken to safeguard the rights and position of other sections of the population?
3. What measures have been taken in co-operation with the Jewish agency to encourage the close settlement by Jews on the land (give figures)?
4. What are the effects of these measures?
Some statistics for emigration.
V. — LAND REGIME (Article 6).
1. How have State lands been defined and delimited?
2. How have waste lands been defined and delimited?
3. What measures have been taken for the registration of real property?
VI. — NATIONALITY (Article 7).
1. What is the text of the nationality law?
2. Have special provisions been enacted, framed so as to facilitate the acquisition of Palestinian citizenship by Jews?
VII. — JUDICIAL SYSTEM (Articles 8, 9 and 10).
1. When did the new judicial organisation begin to operate?
2. What special features does it include with a view to assuring to foreigners as well as to natives a complete guarantee of their rights as laid down in Article 9?
3. What special measures have been taken to assure respect for the personal status of the various peoples and communities and for their religious interests?
4. How have the control and administration of Wakfs been assured?
5. What extradition agreements have been made between the Mandatory and other foreign Powers since the coming into force of the mandate?
VIII. — ECONOMIC EQUALITY (Articles 11 and 18).
1. How have the interests of the community been safeguarded in the execution of measures taken to secure the development of the country in respect of public ownership or control of any of the natural resources of the country or of the public works, services and utilities?
2. Has it been found necessary to arrange with the Jewish agency to construct or operate any public works, services and utilities or to develop any of the natural resources of the country — and if so, under what circumstances?
3. Give a complete list of concessions and the names and nationalities of the concession holders.
4. Give the reports submitted to the company meetings and the balance sheets of these undertakings, or, when such reports and balance sheets are not available, give all information relating to the subject, particularly the rate of interest and the uses made of profits.
5. What provisions are made to secure economic equality as regards:
(a) Concessions?
(b) Land tenure?
(c) Mining rights (in particular, rules in regard to prospecting)?
(d) Fiscal regime (direct and indirect taxation)?
(e) Customs regulations (imports, exports, transit)?
6. What regulations has the mandatory Power made for the application of the clause providing "freedom of transit under equitable conditions"?
7. Have any customs agreements been made by virtue of Article 18?
If so, give the text of such agreements.
IX. — HOLY PLACES (Articles 13 and 14).
1. What measures have been taken for the assumption by the Mandatory of responsibility in connection with the Holy Places and religious buildings or sites, including the responsibility of preserving existing rights and of securing free access to the Holy Places, religious buildings and sites, and the free exercise of worship?1/
2. Which are the purely Moslem sacred shrines the immunities of which are guaranteed?
X. — FREEDOM OF CONSCIENCE (Articles 15 and 16).
1. What measures have been taken to assure freedom of conscience and religion?
2. Have any restrictions been made upon the free exercise of any form of worship in the interest of the maintenance of public order and morals?
What are the effects of such restrictions?
3. What measures have been taken to assure the rights of communities to maintain their own schools for the education of their own members?
What educational requirements of a general nature are imposed by the Administration?
XI. — MILITARY CLAUSES (Article 17).
1. What is the form of military organisation and training?
2. Are there any police forces independent of the military charged with the defence of the territory?
What is the respective importance of these two forces and the amount spent on each?
Racial and religious composition of these two forces.
3. Has there been any occasion for the Administration of Palestine to contribute to the cost of the maintenance of the military forces of the mandatory Power?
If so, to what extent?
4. Has the Mandatory exercised its right to use the roads, railways and ports of Palestine for the movement of armed forces and the carriage of fuel and supplies?
If so, to what budget has the expenditure been charged?
XII. — INTERNATIONAL CONVENTIONS (Articles 19 and 20).
1. To what international conventions has the Mandatory adhered on behalf of the Palestine Administration?
2. What steps have been taken by the Mandatory to co-operate with the League of Nations in the struggle against disease, including diseases of plants and animals?
XIII. — ANTIQUITIES (Article 21).
Has the Mandatory enacted a law of antiquities according to the provisions laid down in Art. 21 of the mandate?
Give the text.
XIV. — OFFICIAL LANGUAGES (Article 22).
1. Have the three official languages been used simultaneously and on an equal footing in
legislative and administrative documents and in the courts?
If not, what languages are used?
2. To what observations does the application of this system give rise?
XV. — HOLY DAYS (Article 23).
What days are recognised as holy days by the various communities?
XVI. — TRANS-JORDANIA (Article 25).
1. Has the territory lying beyond the Jordan been finally delimited and organised?
2. In what way does the political and administrative regime established in this territory differ from the regulations laid down for Palestine?
XVII. — LABOUR.
1. Have measures been taken to ensure, in accordance with Part XIII of the Treaty of Versailles, the consideration of conventions or recommendations of International Labour Conferences?
2. Are these conventions or recommendations being carried into effect?
3. What other regulations are in force in regard to labour?
4. What powers has the Administration for controlling labour contracts in order to ensure their loyal fulfilment both on the part of employer and employed, and what powers does it possess to prevent any abuses in this respect?
5. What is the competent authority in regard to labour legislation and what authority is responsible for the application of such legislation?
XVIII. — TRADE IN AND MANUFACTURE OF DRUGS.
Have measures been taken to secure the prohibition or the control of the importation, of the production, and the consumption of poisonous or narcotic drugs?
XIX. — EDUCATION.
1. What is the general system of elementary education (organisation and statistics)?
Is this education free for all, and if not, in what cases is it free?
2. What measures have been taken for higher education, for example, medical, veterinary and technical education?
3. In what languages is instruction given in the various categories of schools?
XX. — PUBLIC HEALTH.
1. What steps are being taken to ensure public health and sanitation and to combat endemic and epidemic diseases?
2. What is the regime for medical assistance?
3. What is the actual situation as regard prostitution and what measures have been taken in this matter?
XXI. — PUBLIC FINANCE.
A general schedule of the revenue and expenditure of the territory, the budgetary system, and indication of the nature and the assessment of taxes.
XXII. — DEMOGRAPHIC STATISTICS.
Statistics of births, marriages (polygamy), deaths, emigration and immigration.
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The Permanent Mandates Commission would be grateful to the mandatory Powers if they would be good enough to add to the annual reports the text of all the legislative and administrative decisions taken with regard to each mandated territory in the course of the past year.
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Notes
1/ This question has been drafted in general terms and will be defined in detail when the Council has taken the decision provided for in Article 14 of the Mandate.
Document Type: Questionnaire
Document Sources: League of Nations
Subject: Palestine question
Publication Date: 31/12/1922