WHY LEAGUE FAILED.

Auckland Star, Volume LVII, Issue 70, 24 March 1926, Page 7

WHY LEAGUE FAILED.

OLD DIPLOMACY AND NEW.

' VA6TNESS OF THE ISSUES.

RAPIDITY VERSUS SLOWNESS

|(By Cable.—Press Association.— Copyright.)

(Eeceived 1- noon.) LONDON, March 23. The Geneva correspondent of the.i "Times" says the discussions at Geneva failed because they were the first clash ; between traditional diplomacy and League machinery. Diplomacy is normally slow, but rapidity is essential at League meetings, causing terrific intens- , ity in the negotiations between fifty I nations, necessitating work that would be done under old methods in six days heing accomplished in one day; yet its ramifications are entuess. A trail could be traced to the Far East and to South America with a maze of sidetracks resulting in issues too great to be settled •within ten days. Probably Sir Austen Chamberlain erred throughout the first ■week in negotiating solely with Locarno delegates. Among tiiose excluded were Benor Mello Franco, who may have re- , sented it, resulting in the eventual stub- j bornness of others, including Spain. He I also objected to Sir Austen Chamberlain's methods. M. Briand, Premier of France, per- | evaded Germany to accept the Swedish and Czecho-Slovakian offers, but the ship Lβ steereed, which was laden with the paraphernalia of old diplomacy, crashed into the League's hull, resulting in damage to both, disclosing the old barque's cunning dodges, threats and hidden motives. The League should not be blamed for this unsavoury business, because it revealed the badness of old diplomacy. It also proved that even when a country is within the League it cannot be to accept any policy of which it disapproves. — ("Times.") GERMANY AS A MEMBER. IDEA NOT YET ABANDONED. A WILL FOR AMITY. l BERLIN, March 23. The Reichstag was crowded to-day When a debate on the Geneva ■ Assembly of the League of Nations took place. The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Herr Btresemann, said the result of the meeting, namely, the postponement of Germany's admittance to the League, was regrettable because epecial interests in various countries had strongly and brutally exerted themselves to the detriment of the idea of the. universality of the League. They had thus brought the League into a serious crisis. This crisis had revealed the fact that in the past the League had been the instrument of the victorious States. Germany was now confronted by the necessity for reaching a decision on the point whether, after her experience at Geneva, she should prosecute the power of joining the League on equal terms as a great Power. Herr Stresemann denied that the result of- the Geneva meeting was a defeat for Germany. He urged that Germany must continue to strive to enter the League on equal terms with the world Powers, even if the League should be nothing else but a diplomatic instrument for furthering the special interests of nations. Fortunately the interests of Germany were identical with the ideals of the League. Germany did not intend to prosecute any kind of policy of might or of a balancing of power. There was no room in the League for a special group of the Locarno Powers. The aim of Germany was to materialise in the League harmony between all nations without discrimination. An earlier departure from Geneva of the German delegates would have been the greatest blunder imaginable politically Germany was entitled to withdraw Jier application for admittance to the League if the decision)of the Commis eion of the League on the question of ar extension of the Council resulted- in a new construction of the League whicr. would not correspond to German expec tations. But the German Governmeni desired to co-operate on an equal footing with the mother nations of the League and to safeguard German interests ir peaceful competition with • othei nations. It would be stupid to abandon then aim, -which was collaboration with othei nations, because the mechanism of th( League had failed this time. The Ger man Government had unanimously de cided to follow up the Locarno policy with which, said Herr Stresemann, th< continued occupation of the second anc third Rhineland zones was incompatible '( Reuter.) : EX-GERMAN COLONIES. |WTL_ THEY BE RESTORED ', • MELBOURNE, -March 23. In reply to a question in the House o: Representatives, the Prime Minister, Mr S. M. Bruce, said the Commonwealtr Government had received no official o; other information to the effect that Ger many's entry to the League of Nation; had been made in any way dependent oi Germany receiving back any of hei former colonies. Had such a request been made the Commonwealth woulc lave been informed.— (A. and N.Z.)