LEAGUE COUNCIL

Press, Volume LXXII, Issue 21759, 16 April 1936, Page 10

LEAGUE COUNCIL

NEW ZEALAND MAY OBTAIN SEAT

AUSTRALIA'S MEMBERSHIP TO EXPIRE SOON MR SAVAGE'S STATEMENT

[From Our Parliamentary Reporter.!

WELLINGTON, April 15. The possibility of New Zealand obtaining before the end of the year a seat on the council of the League of Nations now held by Australia was discussed to-day by the Prime Minister (the Hon. M. J. Savage). Australia's membership of the council, which is for a term of three years, will expire in Sep-* tember and it is gathered that steps have already been taken by New Zealand about the filling of the vacancy. • i„„„„ 0 Of the 14 seats on the league council five are held permanently by the Great Powers, and it is u*uai for one of the non-permanent seats to be allocated to tne British Dominions, all of which are independent signatories to the League Covenant. Canada, the Irish Free State, and' Australia have .already occupied seats in the council at different times, and when Australia s term expires the choice lor the vacancy is expected to lie between New Zealand and South Africa. Election of members of the council is carried out by the League of Nations Assembly. The procedure in the past, when a British Dominion has held a seat in the council, is that the High Commissioner for that Dominion should be its representative. If New Zanland is granted membership in September the present High Commissioner (Sir James Patr) will probably be the Dominion's representative on the council until his term expires at the end of the year, when he would be replaced by his successor, who in accordance with the Labour party's recommendations, will be Mr W. J. Jordan, M.P. for Manukau. However, the Prime Minister indicated that if a Dominion Cabinet Minister was in England at the time of the sitting of the League Council he would probably occupy the seat if it was allocated to New Zealand.

It is of interest to note that the Australian representative (the Rt. Hon. S. M. Bruce) is at present president of the League Council, an indication that Dominion membership entails full responsibility in the aims and objects of the league.