FOUNDATION OF PEACE

Auckland Star, Volume LV, Issue 225, 22 September 1924, Page 5

FOUNDATION OF PEACE

CZECHOSLOVAK OPTIMISM. ARBITRAMENT OF PARLEY. PALACE FOR ARBITERS. (By Cable — Press Association —Copyright.; LOXDOX. September 21. A message from Geneva states that the League of Xations Assembly has agreed that the protocol drafted by Dr. Benes, Minister of Foreign Affairs in Czechoslovakia, shall not come into operation y until it has been ratified by the 15 States, and until the Disarmament Conference has actually reached an agreement. This conference will be called for June 15, or six weeks after the date on which the last ratification is receivable (May li. Germany and America arc t<. be invited to attend the conference. Dr. Benes reviewed the provision* ot the protocol, which are substantially the same a; in the original draft, except that an aggressor is to be held respon--iblc r..r the .-o*t nf all joint action by the League, and. secondly, that States refusing t« sign the protocol will not have their rights ur position injured by that refusal. Another alteration provides that the ( ouncil oi the League can give financial aid to small States whose commerce may be injured by their joining in an economic blockade. The Geneva correspondent of the "Daily Telegraph" -.tates that the idea of Britain becoming the League'- "police man of the sea*" lias been deiinitely abandoned. All the delegates seem to have agreed on a definition of an aggressor as a Power which refuses arbitra tion aud will not submir to a regular inquiry. This alone will not prevent war. but in the opinion oi the British and Scandinavian delegations the more the advance made toward di-armament the easier will be the task of obtaining recognition ..■•' arbitration unci its de cisions. The announcement that the Disarma ment Conference will be held on June 15 is confirmed. The sub-committee dealing with arbitration, security and disarmament reached an agreement. The Bene- system provides for everything except nea races of people throughout the earth without "hand to war and fingers to fight.'' No protocol has yet shown how the massacre in tiie Caucasus, the civil war in China, the Spanish-Riff war, the MohammedanHindu riots, and the brother v. brothel trouble could be prevented by the action of peaceful gentlemen at a table. The chief provision of the Benes protocol is that a- country refusing to arbitrate (and therefore preferring to fight I should be considered an aggressor, and apparently the signatories to a protocol insisting on arbitration would still use navies, armies.'or starvation 'blockade) to bring them to a sense of brotherly love. There is apparently no panacea for the prevention of war. and particularly is there no present method of infusing brotherly love among brothers. THE POSITION OF CHINA. AN ITALO-SWISS TREATY. .Received 2.30 p m GENEVA. September 21. In pursuance of the resolution of tli€ Cninese Parliament, the Chinese delega tion at the League of Xation3 meeting is pressing for the re-election of China to a seat on the Council. Failing this concession China will withdraw from the League. Signor Salandra announced that ar Italo-Swiss treaty of general arbitration has been signed. It is the most em bracive treaty for conciliation and peace vet concluded, permitting the settlement of all conflicts without exception. It provides that all the differences be sub mitted to an international court of jus tice after other means cf conciliation have failed.— i Reuter. | CONSULTING DOMINIONS. GENEVA GALLERIES CROWDEI AUSTRALIAN MAKES TROUBLE GENEVA. September 20. The calling of the meeting of tint Assembly this morning aroused expecta tion of an announcement regarding arbi tration and security. The public gal ieries were crowded. The business, how ever, was the submission of reports oi the committees which had complete.' their labours. The British delegatior will meet on Sunday to discuss it: course of action for next week. Thesf conferences are held as frequently a' possible, being the only method of con suiting the Dominions. The Britisl: delegates would prefer to meet the Dominion representatives more often but there are obstacles, owing to th* division of the delegates among the committees, and the fact that they art not living in the same hotel. Mr. Matthew Charlton (Australia: spoke at an anti-war meeting this even ing. Thousands of people were present including Italian. Swiss and Germai Socialists. One of the last-named is i member of the Reichstag. During thi height of his fulminations against tht capitalists a young man and a womai protested against his insincerity. The; were promptly ejected. A scuffle ensued, and sticks and list. were flourished. Mr. Charlton said the Australia! Labour party would consent to suppor auy move toward peace, from whateve: quarter it might come. If Labour wer. returned at the next elections in Aus tralia the rirst step would be to abolisi compulsory military training.— lA. an; X.Z. Cable.) YTXAYET OF MO6TJL. A DIFFICULT QUESTION. LOXDOX. September 21. The League of Xations Council dis cussed the question of Mosul. Felh Bey. the Turkish representative, claimet that the whole vilayet of Mosul right fuSy belonged to Turkey. He strongl: urged that a plebiscite be taken. Lord Parmoor 'Britain) replied tha _ plebiscite was impossible owing to thi nomadic character of the population, am would be likely to provoke disorders Britain could not return the Mosul dis trict fo Turkey on account of her pledge to Iraq. Furthermore, the districts con tamed in the mandated territory wer 1 entrusted to Britain by the League which alone could modify the mandateThe discussion was adj.-.urned.— (A and XX Cable.)