League of Nations Covenant

Dominion, Volume 29, Issue 203, 25 May 1936, Page 8

League of Nations Covenant

Sir, —On page 13 of your issue of May 22, Mr. H. Duncan Hall, of the League of Nations Secretariat, admits that the League of Nations has failed in the ItaloAbyssinian crisis, but contends that the failure does not lie at the door of the Covenant. Mr. Hall talks as if the present crisis was the first in which the League had failed—if that is his opinion then I venture to say that a very large section of Australians and New Zealanders would entirely disagree with him. The aggression of Italy in Abyssinia docs distress many of us; but does the aggression of Japan in Manchuria and China distress the European members of the League to the same extent that it alarms us? I would suggest that it does not—they are so far away. Apparently Mr. Hall thinks that the only cause for the failure of the League is that "certain members of the League were unable to carry out the policies agreed upon.” I presume that he means that France was unwilling to send men and ships to join with Great Britain in fighting Italy, and to prevent her conquering the Ethiopians. If this is what he means then it seems to me he is talking nonsense. But if that is not what he means then he should take an early opportunity to let us know exactly what he would have the other nations do. And no opportunity can be too early. I would refer Mr. Hall to Newfang’s masterly treatise entitled "The United States of the World,” and although I would not go so far as to say we cannot have peace until every nation joins the League of Nations, I would say that to adopt coercive measures, such as sane; tions and armed force, until at least 75 or SO per cent, of the armed forces, of the world have thrown in their lot with the League, would be the height of folly. It would be war and nothing else. Such a policy should not be pursued until all nations which are willing to support the League of Nations have agreed on a common policy and are prepared to pool all their resources in furtherance of that policv.—l am, etc., LOOK FACTS IN THE FACE. ■Wellington, May 22.