LEAGUE OF NATIONS.

Press, Volume LVIII, Issue 17627, 2 December 1922, Page 16

LEAGUE OF NATIONS.

"GREAT MISUNDERSTANDING."

SIR PRANCIS BELL'S VIEWS.

(press association telegram.)

V/ELLINGTOX. December 1

Sir Francis Bell. Attorney-General, was si passenger by the steamer Tahiti, which arrived from San l-'riuu'iavo today. Sir Francis has been on a visit to England. Whilst in Europe he attended the third Plenary Conference of the Assembly of the League of Nations at Geneva.

"There is great misunderstanding about tho League of Nations," remarked Sir Francis Bell. "It. is really a congregation of important statesmen, from every country of Europe. The Prime Ministers of a number of countries are there, nnd •when the Prime Ministers do not attend men like .Karl Balfour from Eugland, and 11. Ihinotaux from France, attend, and matters get disposed of at the League Assembly at Geneva chiefly in committees by reason of tho presence of such men and the opportunity of conference. I myself saw one serious question between the Poles and Lithuanians which was almost impossible of settlement by correspondence, which was practically disposed of by the meeting of distinguished Polish statesman and members of tho Lithuanian Government. 111-feeling is removed. Then such matters as the provision of money to restore Austria could not possibly have been managed by correspondence between the countries, but tho points of difference were uettled by discussion. Idealism of the creation of world peaco through the League is quite another matter. It is probably talk rather than action, it is ideal more than hope, but the settlement of questions such us I have mentioned, and the difficulties between new nations and their neighbours ia really effectively completed through the League of Nations. It is a very great assembly of statesmen of nations, but I do not think it can be an engine for universal peace unless America and Germany are members, but I think there are very great hopes of America taking some part, at all ovonts in the affairs of Europe, in that way, because of her immense commercial interests.

"Then the League of Nations has particular relation to us because we are a Mandatory. It is an entirely and distinct function of the Loague to be the controlling body of the Mandatory Powers, and it is that part of the function of the League which mostly concerns us in New Zealand, and which enforces the necessity of our representation at the League not as an independent sovereign State, but as a country responsible first to England and then to the League for the administration of the mandated territory, and it was in that relation I had to raiso my voice against the inothods adopted. Even if the League were dissolved as a body constituted to settle the differences of nations," added Sir Francis Bell, "it would still have to continue its existenco as a body to which mandatories are responsible."

Sir Francis Bell mentionod that tho conference of the League Assembly lasted about a mouth, most of the work being done by the committees, of which there are six. Asked whether the Loague would go steadily ahead, whether Washington came in or not, Sir Francis Bell replied: "Absolutely, because the minor nations are determined to maintain the League and the Covenant of the League. It is their only security. The League could not cease, partly because of the mandates, and partly because, as I have said, of tho determination of the minor nations to insist on the guarantee that they have under the League. Great discussion has taken place on the torms of that part of the Covenant which guarantees minor nations. It was supposed those conditions were a stumbling-block for America, because America will not take part in the guarantee against the aggregation of new nations, and an attempt was made during the last assembly to modify that clause in the Covenant, but it failed because the minor nations will not abandon a jot or tittle of it naturally."