TEEATY 473 TEEATY States invited to accede who must lodge a declaration of accession without res- ervation withi'i two months. A new State, dominion, or colony may be ad- mitted, provided its admission is agreed to by two-thirds of the assembly. A State may withdraw upon rr/ing two years' notice, if it has fulfilled all its interna- tional obligations. SECRETARIAT A permanent secretariat will be es- tablished at the seat of the League, which will be at Geneva. ASSEMBLY The Assembly will consist of repre- sentatives of the members of the League and will meet at stated intervals. Voting will be by States. Each membtx will have one vote and not more than three representatives. COUNCIL The Council will consist of represent- atives of the Five Great Allied Powers, together with representatives of four members selected by the Assembly from time to time; it may co-opt additional States and will meet at least once a year. Members not represented will be in- vited to send a representative when ques- tions affecting their interests are dis- cussed. Voting will be by States. Each State will have one vote and not more than one representative. A decision tak- en by the Assembly and Council must be unanimous except in regard to procedure, and in certain cases specified in the covenant and in the treaty, where de- cisions will be by a majority. ARMAMENTS The Council will formulate plans for a reduction of armaments for consid- eration and adoption. These plans will be revised every ten years. Once they are adopted, no member must exceed the armaments fixed without the con- currence of the Council. All members will exchan'ge full information as to armaments an'.i programs, and a perma- nent commission will advise the Council on military and naval questions. PREVENTING OF WAR Upon any war, or threat of war, the Council will meet to consider what com- mon action shall be taken. Members are pledged to submit matters of dis- pute to arbitration or inquiry and not to resort to war until three months after the award. Members agree to carry out an arbitral award and not to go to war with any party to the dispute which complies with it. If a member fails to carry out the award, the Council will propose the necessary measures. The Council will formulate plans for the es- tablishment of a permanent court of in- ternational justice to determine interna- tional disputes or to give advisory opin- ions. Members who do not submit their case to arbitration must accept the jur- isdiction of the Assembly. If the Coun- cil, less the parties to the dispute, is unanimously agreed upon the rights of it, the members agree that they will not go to war with any party to the dispute which complies with its recommenda- tions. In this case, a recommendation, by the Assembly, concurred in by all its members represented on the Council and a simple majority of the rest, less the parties to the dispute, will have the force of a unanimous recommendation by the Council. In either case, if the necessary agreement cannot be secured, the mem- bers reserve the right to take such ac- tion as may be necessary for the main- tenance of right and justice. Members resorting to war in disregard of the covenant will immediately be debarred from all intercourse with other mem- bers. The Council will in such cases consider what military or naval action can be taken by the League collectively for the protection of the covenants and will afford facilities to members co-oper- ating in this enterprise. VALIDITY OF TREATIES All treaties or international engage- ments concluded after the institution of the League will be registered with the secretariat and published. The Assem- bly may from time to time advise mem- bers to reconsider treaties which have become inapplicable to involve danger to peace. The covenant abrogates all obligations between members inconsistent with its terms, but nothing in it shall affect the validity of international engagements such as treaties of arbitration or re- gional understandngs like the Monroe Doctrine for securing the maintenance of peace. THE MANDATORY SYSTEM The tutelage of nations not yet able to stand by themselves will be intrusted to advanced nations who are best fitted to undertake it. The covenant recognizes three different stages of development re- quiring different kinds of mandatories: (a) Communities like those belonging to the Turkish Empire, which can be provisionally recognized as independent, subject to advice and assistance from a mandatory in whose selection they would be allowed a voice. (b) Communities like those of Cen- tral Africa, to be administered by the mandatory under conditions generally approved by the members of the League,
