LEAGUE ASSEMBLY ROUSED

Dominion, Volume 21, Issue 291, 8 September 1928, Page 9

LEAGUE ASSEMBLY ROUSED

IMPASSIONED SPEECH BY NORWEGIAN DELEGATE GREATER CONFIDENCE AMONG NATIONS ESSENTIAL AND DECREASE OF MILITANT SPIRIT The Norwegian delegate roused the League Assembly with an impassioned 'speech in which he pleaded for greater confidence in the League among the nations. _ Ihe speaker refer red to the increase in armaments and the invention of frightful rases, and declared that the situation was due to distrust between the nations because a sufficiently strong League had not been established to ensure mutual confidence.

,United Press Association. —By Electric Telegraph. Copyright.

Geneva, September 6. The Norwegian delegate, Herr Mowinckle, roused the League Assembly for the first time with an impassioned speech, frequently applauded, in which he pleaded for greater confidence in the League among the nations, who had hoped that the birth of the League after the war would introduce a new spirit add bring the nations closer together. “What do we find?” he cried. \ “Everywhere armaments are increasing, more and more frightful gases are Invented and inventing, placing innocent villagers at the mercy of a change of wind, newspapers reporting manoeuvres daily on all sides—submarine, army, air manoeuvres. “Is there to be no end to the question lest we forget?”? exclaimed Herr Mowinckle, relapsing Into English. “This situation is due to the distrust s' between the nations which still exists, because a sufficiently strong .League has not been established to insure mutual confidence.” He appealed to delegates and the countries they represented to forget their national outlook and come together in the spirit of the League. When peoples trusted the League, they would not fear each other. Polish-Lithuanian Dispute. The whole afternoon was occupied with the interminable dispute between Lithuania and Poland. M. Valdemaras (Premier of Lithuania), reviewed the history of the dispute and blamed Poland for interrupting the negotiations by pressing her claim to Vilna. M. Zaleski (Poland) briefly replied on behalf of Poland. The Council adjourned the discussion and deliberated privately. M. Valdemaras announced Lithuania's adhesion to the Kellogg Pact. THE RHINELAND QUESTION MORE HOPEFUL ATMOSPHERE AFTER RRIAND-MUELLER CONVERSATION ' (“Times” Cables.) (Rec. September 7, 7.5 p.m.) London, September 7. The Geneva correspondent of “The Times” states that M. Briand'S and Herr Mueller’s first contact produced a more, hopeful atmosphere, leading to the expectation that a firm basis of negotiation will be discovered before the Assembly is over. Progress may be slow, but a big gain has been made in, the present interchanges. Herr Mueller appears to have definitely dropped the idea that evacuation ought to follow as a logical consequence of Locarno, without compensation or a quid pro quo. Herr Mueller is now believed to have admitted, as he must have realised before, that a request for the withdrawal of the Allied troops from the Rhineland six or seven years before the stipulated period would not be entertained without a corresponding advantage to the other side of something in the nature of a financial agreement whereby the Dawes payments would be definitely secured to Germany’s creditors. There is reason to believe that Germany has a proposal to this effect already drawn up in memorandum form ready to be produced at the ’ psychological moment. There must also later be a discussion regarding the nature of the supervision t to be exercised over the evacuated territory. Suggested International Commission. There has been much unofficial French talk about an international supervisory Commission. It is deemed probable that botli the French and German Governments will accept the idea of such a body. The acute point of difference will be whether it is to function after 1935, when the treaty period of occupation ends, but official conversations have not yet reached this length. It may be added that France no longer talks of attaching political conditions to the antedated evacuation. If the idea was ever seriously entertained that Germany must be asked for a renewed renunciation of ultimate union with Austria and a renewed undertaking that in no circumstances must she alter the eastern frontier, it is now abandoned. FRENCH WRITER’S. FEAR (Australian Press Association.) (Rec. September 7, 11.10 p.m. Paris, September 7. Fear that France may be obliged to BiL; tinder on the question of the Rhineland evacuation is expressed by “Pertlnax,” writing in the “Echo de Paris,” in which the writer points out that it is likely that the Cabinets in Rome and London will declare themselves favourable to evacuation, regardless of the terms on which France insists. The question may be decided when Lord Cushenduu confers with Mr. Baldwin at the week-end.

LEAGUE’S ECONOMIC WORK REMOVAL OF TRADE HINDRANCES SPEECH BY AUSTRALIAN DELEGATE (Australian Press Assn.—United Service.) Geneva, September 0. In a speech in the Assembly of the League of Nations Senator McLachlan said that Australia felt that the League’s principal alm should always be towards increasing international cooperation as a means of safeguarding peace. He feared that some of its recent, activities might endanger this great work. Every country desired to be master of its own internal policy. This Should be kept constantly In view. Last year the World Economic Conference gave a new impetus and a new direction to the League’s economic work, and Australia was forced to study its activities. Australia recognised the great importance of the League’s work in reconstructing Europe, and realised that it would share in the general benefit of a more prosperous Europe. The League’s work, designed to remove obstacles hindering trade and prepare the ground for international agreements, had been admirable, Senator McLachlan continued. Its action regarding divergencies of national laws on bills of exchange, anomalous Customs formalities, and differences in tariff nomenclature constituted a legitimate and safe field for international action. In raising the question of Customs tariffs, however, the Economic Committee was striking deep into .the heart of national policies, and it would be dangerous, even hazardous, for the League to concern itself actively wltli Customs tariffs. Apart from any direct approach to the question by the League, Australia was concerned with the possibility of the League calling international conferences to consider either the general question of the incidence of tariffs or the particular effect of tariffs ou given commodities. Different countries had reached essentially different stages of development. Some were interested in a certain commodity as producers; othf-rs as consumers. International conferences called to consider such a commodity might easily cause irritation instead of amity. Therefore he was unfelgnedly glad to see the Economic Commission’s cautious approach to the tariff problem, which was essentially national. The time had not arrived when the League could safely enter the field. It must tor the sake of its prestige be doubly, nay, trebly, careful before embarking on an economic adventure which, however desirable to some, might be a stumbling block, even a source of offence, to others. It must not be concluded, Senator McLachlan proceeded, that Australia did not desire to encourage the work of economic organisation. She unequivocally approved of its quest for clearer information on the progress of commerce, industry, and agriculture; also its campaign to persuade countries to adopt comparable statistics to permit all to discover how each could contribute its best to the material welfare of the world. “It is because of my desire to see the League prosper that I have sounded this note of warning. Let every effort be made to collect and disseminate data enabling each better to understand the results of its tariff, but it must be cautious how it approaches a general reduction of tariffs lest it antagonise some and weaken the League’s power to achieve international pence and security. SPEECH QUIETLY RECEIVED broadcasting plan (Australian Press Association.) London, September 6. The Australian Press Association representative at Geneva says that there was nothing in Senator McLachlan’s speech to arouse a blase Assembly. His big voice rolled from the cloth-screened" amplifiers, overcoming the usual undercurrent of polyglot conversation. He made his points effectively, but suffered the inevitable handicap of a read speech in an Assembly which revels in the high-pitched extempores in which the Latins indulge. Nevertheless, it was vigorously applauded at the finish. The broadcasting o the speech to Australia is part of the Leagues larger plan for more frequent broadcasts in consultation with the Australian Press Association in London. THE KELLOGG PACT SOVIET ANNOUNCES ADHESION (Australian Press Association.) Moscow, September 7. The Soviet Government has announced its ■adhesion to the Kellogg Pact. NC J-AGGRESSION PACT BETWEEN GREECE AND ITALY (Australian Press. Assn.—United Service.l (Hee. September 7, 5.5 p.m.) London, September 6. “The Times” that Greece and Italy have concluded a non-aggression pact.