LEAGUE OF NATIONS.

Auckland Star, Volume LII, Issue 25, 29 January 1921, Page 10

LEAGUE OF NATIONS.

SIR JAMES ALLEN. I (From Our Special 'Correspondent.) LONDON, December 10. A Press correspondent at Geneva, where the League ol Nations is still sitting, nays:— "fcjir James Allen has done very useful work in the direction of economy, and he has commanded so much respect in the Budget Commission that he was invited to make ita general report, a valuable document which obtained acceptance in its main essentials. Sir James has been eager to give the Assembly better supervision over the personnel of the secretariat, and also the expenditure by that body." He goes on to say on the question of the large salaries of the secretariat: —

'"Those with under £1000 a year are going to have rather a dilficult time, if they are worth their salt. Geneva is no place for a League of Nations secretariat which is going to be siinted in pay, but Mr. Collins, of the Australian representatives, was on very safe ground when he tackled the 'tall poppies' who draw more than £1000. There certainly should not be nearly as many as thirtyeight of them." With regard to the Permanent Commission to which is to be entrusted the duty of examining tlin annual reports from the mandatory nations, he says: — "The original personnel was fixed at fifteen, but this was regarded as too unwieldy. The Council has cut it down to nine members, a majority of whom are to be chosen from Powers which are not the holders of mandates, while there will be one adviser representing the International Labour organisation. The annual reports from the mandatories are to in the presence of thoir representatives, who will bo able to give supplementary information, if they so desire, when any question arises. Although this would seem to indicate, from the manner of its wording, that eventually jt ma-v bncomp for _ - \iisf.rnlia and New Zealand each to Iceep an official almost permanently employed in flenPFa, fliat view is held neither by Senator Millen nor hy Sir James Allen. The word "asse«i»or" is employed by the New Zealand Hipli Commissioner in defining the ta=k of the mandatory's representatives."