ASSEMBLY OF LEAGUE.

Auckland Star, Volume LIII, Issue 210, 5 September 1922, Page 5

ASSEMBLY OF LEAGUE.

THE OPENING MEETINC CHILEAN TO PRESIDE. WITHDRAWAL OF PERU. (By Cable.— Preie Anoetatfea.—Copjrtffct.) 'Received 10.30 n.m.> GENEVA. September 4. At the opening meeting of the Assembly of the League of Nations to-day. Signer Edwards, of Chili, was elected President of the Assembly, whereupon the Peruvian delegation withdrew. The Australian Press Association's Geneva correspondent states th«t the opening of the Assembly only occupied half an hour, and then adjourned to enable the committee to examine the credentials of the delegates, which it is understood was more i-ritical than hitherto. The Brazilian Ambassador <o London presided pending the election of a president. He vigorously repudiated the allegation that the T*aguc was dead. — (A. and N.Z. Cable.) AMERICANS STANDING OUT 5 NATIONS UNREPRESENTED. ißeceivod 11.30 a.m.) GENEVA, September 4. Honduras. Salvador, Nicaragua, Argentine, and Bolivia are not represented at the League of Nations Assembly. Pern is holding olf till the election of a President. GERMANY NOT APPLYING. VACANCIES IN COUNCIL. LONDON. September 4. The correspondent of the •'Daily News" at Geneva statee that Germany will not apply for membership of the League of Nations. The Little Entente (Czechoslovakia, Yugoslavia, and Rumania) and Sweden are applying for two of the four vacancies on the Council from which China will nrobablv withdraw.— (A. and Jf.Z. Cable.)

r>iecuseing thp work of the League of Nations, Mr. H. H. Aequith wrote re L-ently: —

The L«ague ie bringing together, in it* periodical assemblies at Geneva, representative men from the countries of all constituent members, not for the purpose of exchanging platitudes or capping one another's perorations, but for the discussion and settlement, in its various commissions and Kith-commission* of the practical problems which affect the wvllbeing and peace of the whole household of nations.

Of these none transcends, or indeed equals, in importance that of disarmament. It may be α-skrd what llie Ijcuguc has done or is doing in this matter. Thu answer ifc that for the first time in the history of mankind a serious and considered effort is being made by a commission, comprising statesmen, military and naval expwrte, oconomUts, and representatives of labour to work out a definite plan wliieli can be submitted to the fifty-one States which are constituents of the Leagnv. All these problems are inter-related. None of them can bo isolated, or. one aftur another, dealt with in water-tight compartments. But. owe that fundamental condition is recognised, there may be .found a way to permanent peace.

What are the railestonve which have to be passed before the goal is reached? Mv answer is clear.

I. Wo must ascertain definitely, one* for all, and be prepared to liquidate the whole account of reparations and international indebtedness. Nothing could be, from this point of vh'W. more apposite Or instructive tlian the report of the bankers' committee at Paris.

'2. When this essential preliminary programme lias been gone through wvj shall know exactly what are—not the paper—-hut the real obligations which have to be provided for. The financial expvrts of the business world will then prove- equal to the tack of meeting and distributing them, not only with the minimum of disturbance, but with the maximum of statistics for international trade.

•'). W« must get rid of the Supreme Council and make the League of Xationfi (enlarged if possible in membership and scope) the real arbiter in international concerns.

4..Ww must make hII compacte between particular States subject to general assent, and where treaty obligations are involved, enforceable only by collective guarantees.

This is not intended to be an exhaustive catalogue of the methods by which war can be made impossible. It may still lie a 'long time lief ore we can reach the idealism of the 4(ith Psalm: "He roaketh ware to ccaee unto tho end of the earth." but I am satisfied that along this road, and this road only, can we make any progress.