SECRET SESSION.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVII, Issue 65, 17 March 1936, Page 7

SECRET SESSION.

LEAGUE DELIBERATES.

j Immediate Consideration of ! German Repiy. BRITISH CABINET MEETS. - United Press Association.—Copyright. (Received 1.30 p.m.) LONDON, March 16. The League Council assembled at 3.30 this afternoon in private session then a,t 3.55 began a secret session. A communique from the private meeting stated that the Council had reconsidered the French and Belgian communications dealing "with Locarno.

Mr. S. M. Bruce (president) read the invitation to Germany and also Germany's reply. He suggested that prior to holding the public meeting the Council should consider the two questions raised in the German reply. He asked whether the proposals made in Herr Hitler's speech should be discussed immediately or in the near future. The Council decided to consider the German reply immediately at a secret meeting, which is now in progress.

A special meeting of the British Cabinet was held to consider the situation in the light of the week-end developments, and in particular, the reply of j the German Government to the invij tation sent by the League of Nations Council to tako part in the Council's present deliberations as one of the contracting parties to the Treaty of Locarno. There was a full attendance of Ministers. Before attending the meeting Mr.' Anthony Eden was in consultation with j officials at the Foreign Office. In viev j of the terms of the German reply special I interest attaches to the Cabinet meetj ing, which is now proceeding. MISCHIEVOUS REPLY. How British Circles Regard German Note. LEAGUE NO "COURT OF LAW." * LONDON, March 16. The "Daily Telegraph" diplomatic correspondent points out that decisions of the League Council must be unaniI mous. Therefore, if Germany's condition in regard to equality were granted she could block the Council's decision by her own vote. The correspondent states that Herr Hitler's reply is regarded in British Ministerial circles as totally unacceptable and mischievous, in its apparent attempt- to drive a wedge between France and Britain. Commenting on Herr Hitler's reply "The Times" says there need be no difficulty over the first condition. The second is a rational interpretation of I the functions if it means that I Germany must be permitted to attend i not merely as an offender for sentence, but also as a partner in deliberations to preclude future treaty-breaking by bringing all the European nations within the League as equals. "The League is not a Court of law," says "The Times/' "but a political body which exists' to maintain peace by agreement. The League Powers must duly declare that there has been a flagrant breach of Locarno, but their larger responsibility is to restore and strengthen what is broken. "Herr Hitler cannot mean to require the League to accept his incursion into the Rhineland as a normal occurrence, but it would not be unreasonable if „the Council, after condemning his offence, should forthwith consider his proposals in extenuation and as a guarantee against a recurrence." /' MOST SUBMARINES. Has Soviet World's Largest Quantity? RELIABLE GERMAN" REPORT. ! LONDON, March 16. Tlio "Daily Telegraph" naval correspondent states that the German Admiralty, whose information on Russian naval -matters usually is most reliable, savs the Soviet possesses S6 submarines and that many more are being constructed. This figure compares with other countries as follows:—France, 92; United States, 90; Italy, 70; Japan, 67; British Empire, 59; Germany, 28. BRITISH SUPPORT. CO-OPERATION OF GERMANY. British official "Wireless. RUGBY, March 16. It is known thai the British member of the League Council was one ofthosc who gave the strongest support to the ' proposal that a special invitation be addressed to the German Government to ii-a r, ar f in the examination of tlie matter which has been brought before the League by the French and Belgian , G Tis me understood that the British Ambassador in Berlin, Sir Eric Phipps, Ambass Germa n Government of importance which the British the gre attached to the acceptance 1 as facilitating the difficult negotiations and being an ££S£ of a desire for an amicable I settlement.