LEAGUE OF NATIONS

Evening Post, Volume CVII, Issue 67, 19 March 1924, Page 5

LEAGUE OF NATIONS

JAPANESE ADMIRAL'S ADVOCACY.

In the current issue of "The Young Citizen," the monthly journal of the Young Citizens' League, appears a contribution by Vice-Admiral Saito, who was in charge_ of the Japanese Training Squadron which recently visited this port. The Admiral's views on the League of Nations are fairly widely known, bufc they are set out clearly "in this short article, and may be worth repeating. Admiral Saito writes:— ■

I would ask the young citizens of New Zealand to take a great interest in the League of Nations.

The League of Nations was formed, as you most'probably know, at Paris after the last Great War. Its object was to take advantage of what we learned during the last terrible war, that the natural way for nations to settle differences was not by a force of arras, but. liy discussions at a conference of all the nations of the world.

The object of the League of Nations is to do away with war for ever, and there is no higher ideal than that! As the present young citizens will in the future become "full citizens" and the legislators and administrators of the country, it i:; clearly your duty to assist the League of Nations to the utmost. To do this you must be in sympathy with it, and as sympathy will come" only after studying the League, and understanding it, I would ask you first of all to read all you can of the reason for its formation. and of its work. It is hoped that by the influence of the League the nations will grow to knowone another much better, and that with mutual undertsanding, distrust, one of the greatest causes of war, will disappear.

As a Japanese citizen, and as an ardent 'supporter of the League of Nations I would ask young citizens to read of my native country, Japan. I feel sure that if you read "our history, or of our famous men, or of our people, that you will understand us as we try to understand other people. The Japanese people are peaceful. They dislike the thought of war, and fervently desire to co-oparate through the League of Nations for t.he peace of the world.

In conclusion, I would say that it is the duly of every citizen to take an interest in public affairs. It is also very necessary that you should never think of yourself only, for you cannot live alone, but also think of the other members of your family, think of the interests of your own city, and not yourself, and in doing so you will be serving your country. It is then also necessary that the various countries of- the world should not be selfish, and they should consider the needs and interests of other .countries—then we shall achieve everlasting peace—the ideal of the League o* Nations.