LEAGUE ASSEMBLY.

Auckland Star, Volume LXI, Issue 230, 29 September 1930, Page 7

LEAGUE ASSEMBLY.

"Work for Peace and Economic Stability.

MR. HENDERSOI." RETURNS. (British Official Wireless.) (Received 12.30 p.m.) RUGBY, September 28. Mr. Arthur Henderson, Foreign Secretary, who returned to London from Geneva yesterday, said that the meeting of the Assembly had. been interesting and useful, if, perhaps, Jess spectacular than last year. Referring to the discussion on amendments to the Covenant to bring it into line with the Kellogg Pact, thus rendering a private war as impossible under it as it already is under the pact, he said that he hoped that they might' be adopted by the League of Nations before the present meeting breaks up. Last year Britain announced her intention, he said, of ratifying the optional clause under which all international disputes of a justifiable nature have to be sent to arbitration. Since then' Britain had ratified the clause and many other countries left Geneva confident that it would soon be of universal application. "This, together with the effective entry into force of the General Act of Arbitration, which I hope is not far distant, will increase the scope of international arbitration and will go a long way towards the netting up of a practicable plan for the disposal of every form of international dispute by the same methods of law and justice, as govern the relations of individuals in any civilised State. "Measures such as these, together with projects like the treaty to provide financial assistance to States which are unjustly attacked, have also been discussed and will almost certainly be adopted by the League during this assembly. '•'They are in fact, the preparation for the work Of disarmament. This will be taken up in Geneva in a few-weeks' time by the committee which is preparing for a general disarmament conference. That we all hope will be held before very long." European Union. After referring to M. Briand's project for a European union and to the steps taken by the Assembly regarding it, he said that with it goes the proposal for a tariff truce in Europe, ,to be followed by negotiations with a view to reducing Customs tariffs, and dealing with other economic questions of common concern. "These are the proposals to which Mr. Williain Graham, President of the Board of Trade, has devoted so much time during the past year, anij if effect can be given to his hopes I do hot doubt that they will prove a valuable means for assisting the League in producing that feeling of etability and security which must so much facilitate an : agreement upon disarmament. "The representatives of the _ European nations have, on the suggestion of M. Briand, instructed Sir Eric Drummond, Secretary of the League of Nations, in preparing the agenda for the next meeting of the European Powers at Geneva in January, to take due note of the results of the conference which is to be held in Geheva in November. In pursuance of the" plan initiated by Mr. Graham to give further consideration to the European tariff problem, this is particularly encouraging."