The Auckland Star: WITH WHICH ARE INCORPORATED The Evening News, Morning News and The Echo. WEDNESDAY. SEPTEMBER 8, 1926 THE LEAGUE ASSEMBLY.

Auckland Star, Volume LVII, Issue 213, 8 September 1926, Page 6

The Auckland Star: WITH WHICH ARE INCORPORATED The Evening News, Morning News and The Echo.

WEDNESDAY. SEPTEMBER 8, 1926 THE LEAGUE ASSEMBLY.

For the cause that lacks assistance, For the wrong that needs resistance, For the future in the distance, And the good that ice can do.

Although the main interest of the present Assembly of the League of Nations centres round the admission of Germany and the demands made by Spain and Brazil for permanent seats on the Council, there are many other matters on the agenda paper, which, though of not great political importance, yet have a considerable bearing on problems of national welfare.

The question of permanent seats affects the whole theory of the League organisation as written in the Covenant. If the right of member States to demand permanent seats is established, the Council almost inevitably would cease to play its present role, and would become a body not very different from the Assembly. At present the Council acts as a kind of International Cabinet, and it is imperative that the number of seats should be strictly limited in order that a meeting of the Council may be quickly summoned should any urgent matter make this necessary. If more permanent seats are granted, the number of non-permanent seats will also have to be increased, otherwise the Council would be dominated by the permanent meml>ers, and the elected members would have little or no influence. The special committee set up by Viscount Ishii, of Japan, at the special meeting of the Assembly in March last, made a proposal that the number of members of the Council should be increased to fourteen, of which five seats were to be permanent and nine seats elective. Three nations were to be elected for three-year terms at each annual meeting of the Assembly. It was further suggested that the Assembly might be empowered, by a two-thirds vote, to renew the membership of one of the three whose terms were expiring. It was hoped that by this means Spain and Brazil might be contented.

This hope has not been realised. The Government of Brazil contends that the League has departed from the ideals of its organisation, and has become "an association under the dominance of force rather than one designed to achieve the reign of justice among the peoples." At the last meeting of the Council, Brazil resigned from the League; but this

resignation cannot take effect until 1928, as the Covenant requires two years' notice of resignation. A new Government takes office in Brazil in November next, and' it may reverse the decision of its predecessor. Spain has intimated if h er demand for permanent seats is not met, she will also withdraw from the League, but she lias withdrawn her opposition to the amendment of Article IV. of the Covenant permitting the reconstitution of the Council. The attitude of Spain is not quite clear, and possibly she may fall in with the suggestion of the retiring President of the Assembly, Dr. Benes, and consent to remain in the League. Dr. Benes stated in his retiring speech that he also hoped Turkey would become a member. Other matters, however, of more general interest, are to come up for discussion in the Assembly. One of them is a proposal to establish a fixed date for Easter, preferably the second Sunday in April. This would undoubtedly be a distinct gain. The present method of fixing Easter is unintelligible to the lay mind, and only dimly comprehended by ecclesiastics themselves. It was a matter of heated controversy in olden days because of its supposed doctrinal significance, but the practical advantages of a fixed Easter are so apparent that the Churches are not likely to offer any opposition. With the question of a fixed Easter goes also the reform of the calendar, one suggestion being that there should be thirteen months of twenty-eight days each, thus making each week-day fall on the same date in each month.

A new proposal to be brought before the Assembly is that there shall be a conference of Press experts to consider means for the better and cheaper transmission of news between different countries. The report of the Child Welfare Congress, which was attended by representatives of fifty-two nations, and was the first of its kind in the world's history, will also be presented for consideration. 4 A proposal is to be brought forward for either abolishing passports altogether or for reducing them to the lo\vest possible number. A report on international loans is also to be submitted to the Assembly, showing the success attendant on the financial reconstruction of Austria and Hungary, and suggesting an international loan of half a million to enable Bulgaria to assist in the rehabilitation of her refugees. Questions of transport. currencies and tariffs will also be dealt with, as well as matters affecting sanitation and national health.

The scope of the League's activities is now so wide that it covers almost every matter of social nnd political life. While the political sphere naturally claims a larger share of public notice, it may be doubted whether the political work of the League has in reality been as important as its work in the social and humanitarian field.