LEAGUE ACTION.

Auckland Star, Volume LXII, Issue 245, 16 October 1931, Page 7

LEAGUE ACTION.

PESSIMISM IN EAST. Handling of Sino-Japanese Deadlock. DIPLOMATIC GATHERING. (United P.A.—Electric Telegraph—Copyright) (Received 11 a.m.) LONDON, October 15.

According to a message from Washington State Department officials say that the participation of the United States in the League of Nations discussions on the Manchuria crisis will depend on the nature of the invitation. #■

The deliberations of the Council of the League of Nations at Geneva have produced an atmosphere of pessimism in official circles at Nanking. The newspapers in the capital especially are adopting a. sceptical attitude in regard to the outcome of the League's handling of the Sino-Japanese deadlock.

Leading Nanking journals, under semiofficial control, utter- a warning against placing too much reliance upon the League, also against' being "fooled by the crafty diplomacy of the Japanese." They advise the making of preparations for emergency. Sir Miles Lampoon, British Minister to China, reached the capital by aeroplane to-day, Mr. Nelson Johnson, United States Minister, also M. Wilden, French Minister, and Senor Garrade, Spanish Minister, arc due there to-mor-row. The purpose of this diplomatic gathering has not been announced. His Majesty's cruiser Caradoc and the gunboat Scarab are reinforcing the destroyer Bruce at Nanking. Absolute quiet prevails at Shanghai. It is reported that Japan is ignoring Nanking's latest memorandum.

TO BE INVITED.

League Council Decides to Call

In America. JAPANESE OBJECTION. (British" Official Wireless.) (Received 1 p.m.) RUGBY, October 15. In Geneva this morning the Marquess of Reading, and M. Briand had a lengthy conversation on the Sino-Japanese problem, and the special committee appointed by the League Council held a meeting. It was stated to-day that the Japanese delegate, Mr. Yoshizawa, who is consulting Tokyo on the United States being invited to join with the League in the effort to settle the Manchuria dispute, himself sees no political objection to it. . The Chinese delegate, Dr. Sze, yesterday welcomed it. The Governments of both parties to the dispute have been strongly urged to prevent exacerbation of the situation while the matter is-being considered by tho, Council. The special committee afterwards discussed with Mr. Yoshizawa a communique to the Council in which the Japanese Government expressed doubts ae to the juridical character of the Council's invitation to the. United States to take part in the discussions. Lord Reading said the question of principle as regarded the collaboration of the United States had been settled in September with the consent of Japan, and the question now arising was only a simple change of methods in this collaboration.

A plenary session was held this evening. It is stated that if invited the United States will co-operate, but this co-operation with the League will be confined solely to the Manchurian question. A later message states that Mr. Yoshizawa alone at to-night's plenary session voted against the decision, on _ a majority v6te, to enable an invitation to be extended to the United States. It is hoped Japan will yield once it is clear that the Council does not intend to abandon the invitation, which will probably be transmitted on October 16.