LEAGUE SEATS.

Press, Volume LXII, Issue 18802, 21 September 1926, Page 9

LEAGUE SEATS.

DOMINION CLAIMS. IMPATIENCE AT GENEVA, FOREIGN OFFICE ATTITUDE. LwiTULUX USD S.Z CISLB AS-OCHTIOI.I (Received September 2'Vn, P. 15 P-m-) LONDON, September »■ _ Th* ••Daily Telegraph's" diplomatic correspondent state, that the recent incidents at the League ot Nations meeting make it certain that the question of adequate Dominion representation on the Council of the League will be brought up at the Imperial Conlerfneo. Mr L C. M. S. AmciT, Colonial becretarv, is known to be sympathetic to the Dominion claims, but the foreign Office finds great difficulty in ada.ptmg itself to this new conception of Im-p-rial foreign policy. This may explain Sir Austen Chamberlain's diffidence at Geneva in committing himself to any immediate support of Dominion candidature and the impatience manifested by at least three of the Dominions at postponement. The correspondent states that a, large proportion of the funds for the League is subscribed by the British Empire.

TROUBLE IN FRANCE.

"M. POINCARE TREMBLES." (AUSTRALIAN AND N.Z. CABLE ASSOCIATION.) (Received September 20th, 9.15 p.m.) PARK, September 20. Eager commentaries ou M. Briand's and Dr. Stresemarm's five hours' conversation continue, but well-informed people prophesy that the reactionaries in M. Poincare's Cabinet aro prepaxing for a repetition of tho famous Cannes coup of January, 1922. The present Cabinet was formed with tho 6oie object of defending tho franc and is composed of men who aro politically bitter enemies, including M. Poineare, who engineered tho Ruhr occupation, and M. Bartheu, who played a big part in M. Briand's downfall at the time of the Cannes trouble.

A new division may occur over the question of the Pact with Germany. "L'Avenir," a newspaper represents ing the Nationalist bloc, affirms that M. Briand is making M. Poineare tremble.

DISARMAMENT. 'AUSTRALIA!? AND N.Z. CABLE ASSOCIATION.) GENEVA, September 19. M. Paul Boncour, in a speech before the Disarmament Committee urging a preparatory committee to hasten its labours for the purposo of enabling the drawing up of an early programme of disarmament in 1027, pointed out that if a conference in 1927 had no other effect it would stabilise existing armies and preveut a rocommencoment of the race in armaments when tho economic and financial situation improved. The British, Belgian, Polish, and Jugo-Slavian delegates supported the Italian view that there is at present no hurry to convene a conference as political questions are not yet settled. The discussion was adjourned.

FRANCE JUBILANT,

'AUSTRALIAN* AJTD 1f.2. CABLE ASSOCIATION.) LONDON, September 19. The "Sunday Express" says that it is not surprising that France is jubilant over the constitution of the League of Nations Council, seobig that four Powers with which sho has military treaties, Poland, Rumania, Belgium, and Czecho-Slovakia have secured seats, whilo sho counts upon receiving the support of the La tin-American States —Chile, Columbia, and Salvador in the event of future differences with Germany. Most of the Latin-American League delegates live in Paris, and are susceptible to its atmosphere. China is reckoned as definitely hostile to Great Britain, and thus Franco considers that she will have an absolute majority of eight or ten behind her. France claims to have successfully isolated Germany, and she will have a strong majority even in the ovent of a conflict against England. Tho situation thus created for the Empire was realised by the Dominions, but Sir Austen Chamberlain apparently did not grasp it.

FRUITS OF LOCARNO

GERMANY'S INTENTIONS. ("THB TISIES.') BEELIN, September 19. The general feeling is that the fruits of Locarno are ripening. At long last French and Germans have now met on an equal footing, affording wide prospect of developments. Nationalist newspapers are discussing the speech which Dr. Stresemann delivered to German journalists, declaring that German progress towards rehabilitation, between the Versailles and Geneva conferences, has caused the deepest satisfaction. "Anyone predicting in 1919 that such a reception would have been accorded Germany in 1P25," he added, "would have been considered a lunatic. This reception was a sign that the Versailles spirit had been abandoned, also a handsome recantation of the moral stigma placed on Germany. "The German delegation had no intention of assaulting the League with a list of demands, hut would aim at recovering gradually what Germany had lost, especially as Germany, if the victor, would not have renounced the

fruits of victory with any better grace." Dr. Stresemann appealed to the Nationalists to cease their carping and extravagant criticism, suggesting Germany's disunity in her foreign policy. Nevertheless the "Deutsche" to-day endemns Germany's agreement to Poland acquiring a seat in the Council, and declares that as long as foreign troops are on German soil and the territorial and financial clauses in the Versailles Treaty remain in force, Geneva gestures and words are empty.' Other Nationalist journals echo these sentiments.