4333 THE PLEBISCITES IN THE PEACE TREATIES 1 35 



the result of this plebiscite depends the ultimate sovereignty 

 of the Basin. The only measure suggesting an accord of 

 the government with the wishes of the population during 

 the fifteen years seems to be the inclusion in the member- 

 ship of the Governing Commission to be chosen by the 

 Council of the League of Nations of " one native inhabitant 

 of the Saar Basin." 



The temporary loss of German sovereignty " will not 

 affect the existing nationality of the inhabitants of the ter- 

 ritory of the Saar Basin." However, "no hindrance shall 

 be placed in the way of those who wish to acquire a dif- 

 erent nationality, but in such cases the acquisition of the 

 new nationality will involve the loss of any other." 



Paragraph ii of the Annex provides for "the introduc- 

 tion or employment in the mines and their accessories and 

 subsidiaries of workmen from without the Basin," and 

 paragraph 14 gives the French State "the right of estab- 

 lishing and maintaining, as incidental to the mines, primary 

 or technical schools for its employees and their children, 

 and of causing instruction therein to be given in the French 

 language, in accordance with such curriculum and by such 

 teachers as it may select." 



In a plebiscite to be held " at the termination of a period 

 of fifteen years . . . the population of the territory of the 

 Saar Basin will be called upon to indicate their desires in 

 the following manner: 



A vote will take place by communes or districts, on the three fol- 

 lowing, alternatives: (a) maintenance of the regime established by 

 the present Treaty and by this Annex; (b) union with France; (c) 

 union with Germany. 



All persons without distinction of sex, more than twenty years 

 old at the date of the voting, residing in the territory at the date of 

 the signature of the present Treaty, will have the right to vote. 



The other conditions, methods, and the date of the voting shall 

 be fixed by the Council of the League of Nations in such a way as 

 to fix the freedom, secrecy and trustworthiness of the voting. 



The League of Nations shall, after tlie voting, "decide 

 on the sovereignty under which the territory is to be placed, 

 taking into account the wishes of the inhabitants as ex- 

 pressed by the voting." 



