LEAGUE DEFENDED

Dominion, Volume 24, Issue 240, 7 July 1931, Page 9

LEAGUE DEFENDED

London Press Campaign Replied To

GENEVA’S GOOD WORK (By Leslie IL Aldous.) London, May 15. A campaign was started recently, in one of the most widely read London newspapers, with as its object Great Britain’s withdrawal from the League of Nations.

To many minds, undoubtedly, there is something attractive about the prospect of the British Government refusing to have anything more to do with European politics and concentrating upon the development of trade with the Dominions and colonies. Yet such a scheme breaks down as soon as it comes into contact with practical policies.

It has long been recognised that the British Empire can be a powerful ctor in the promotion of international peace. Nevertheless, without the cooperation of other nations, broadly speaking, it could maintain peace only within the Empire.

In a closely interdependent modem world, any European war, which may be allowed to break out in the future, could easily involve Britain. All the efforts of Sir Edward Grey, the then Foreign Secretary, failed to stop. the march of events in fateful 1914, which led to the ultimate sacrifice of over a million men from all corners of the British Commonwealth of Nations. In these circumstances, it was almost inevitable that Britain should take the lead in bringing about the creation of a League of Nations. The League is sometimes pilloried as a trap set by foreigners for the unwary Brit ish. As a matter of fact, the first drafts for the League Covenant were hammered out in the Foreign Office in London long before the conclusion of the Great War. In addition to wellknown British statesmen such as Lord Cecil, men like General Smuts of South Africa made valuable contributions to the final Covenant which was adopted as Part 1 of all the Peace Treaties. Serious Disputes Stopped.

Has the league already kept the Em nire out of another great wary it ■would be a rash man who would give a n<! When one thinks of all the little wars which have been either stopped or prevented by the league, one recollects also that the World War started, or least ■was set in motion, by a pistol shot in the obscure Balkan town of Sarajevo. The Permanent Court of International Justice at The Hague, set up by the league in 1921, in addition has peacefully solved quite a number of serious disputes between Great Britain and other countriM, for example, one with France over the conscription of British subjects liy ing in French territory, and another with Turkey over the boundary of Mosul. Attitude of Dominions. At the League Assembly every year, in addition to Great Britain, Australia, Canada, India, the Irish Free State, New Zealand, and South Africa, all have separate delegations and separate votes. Yet, on the broad issues of policy, all parts of the Empire are agreed. ,/ At the last Imperial Conference, the series of resolutions relating to the League of Nations, disarmament and the peaceful settlement of disputes, was passed without dissent —in striking contrast to other issues which came before the conference. Many an Empire leader, has gone doubting to a League of Nations conference and returned home converted.