THE LEAGUE COUNCIL

Evening Post, Volume CXI, Issue 104, 3 May 1926, Page 3

THE LEAGUE COUNCIL

INCREASE OF MEMBERSHIP

STATEMENT BY SIR A. CHAMBERLAIN

DEMAND FOR A FBEE HAND.

(From Our Own Correspondent.) LONDON, 4th March.

The Foreign Secretary, Sir Austen Chamberlain, addressed a crowded meeting of the League of Nations Parliamentary Committee at the House of Commons. on the proposal to increase the permanent membership of the League of Nations Council. The Committee consists, of members of all three political parties, and precautions were taken to see that none but members of Parliament who are also members of the Committee were present, and the Foreign Secretary asked his hearers on more than one occasion to disclose nothing of the proceedings beyond the official statement which wa3 issued during the evening. Sir Austen Chamberlain spoke for an hour and a quarter. While most of the Conservative members present were agreed that Sir Auaten 's speech had done a good deal towards clearing the atmosphere, Labour members expressed the view that the main result "had been to make a Parliamentary discussion inevitable before the Foreign Secretary leaves for Geneva. NEED FOB PERSUASION. Sir Austen Chamberlain said that the differences, which existed regarding this matter were differences not of principle but as to the method by which the ends common to all supporters of the League of Nations should be attained. He appealed for some latitude for the man who must conduct the negotiations and who, by the nature of his office, was in closer touch with all- the Governments concerned than men outside the Cabinet could be. .. It was out of the question for him, as a member of tho League Council, to adopt the attitude of a dictator. If he was to secure the adoption of tho course he believed to be best, he must secure it by persuasion. Having repeated that the Government had not yet decided their course, and that ha had taken no decision on this or any question when passing through Paris at the end of January, the Forr^-n Minister traced the development or." the Council up to this point, recalling previous discussions at the Counciland in the Assembly. There was no question of the proposal having been sprung upon the world. SOUND AEGUMENT FOR LARGER COUNCIL. Tliere was, moreover, a real case for consideration of the composition of the Council. The demand that the practice of re-electing the non-permanent members year after year should be abandoned was growing. He himself would have been glad to avoid discussion of tho question at .the present time, and particularly regretted the turn which it had taken. Ho though much of the argument, whether for or ' against the claim, was.bar.qd on wrong grounds and false premises. To the suggestion that any State should be brought on to the Council as a counterpoise to Germany, Sir Austoh declared himself immovably opposed. But he contended that there was sound argument for increasing the permanent membership, seeing that under the Locarno Agreement it was possible that Germany herself and all the present permanent members, except Japan, would be regarded as interested parties, therefore unable to vote, if a dispute under the Locarno Treaty came before the Council. THE REAL QUESTION. The real/question was how could the Council bo made most effective for the maintenance of peace and best pursue its task of conciliation. This was the test which ought.to bo applied, and not any counting of-votes in.a body where, unless there was unanimity, there could bo no decision. In an allusion to Poland, Sir Austen paid a warm tribute to the attitude of her Prime Minister, Count Skrzynski. at Locarno, and to the courage, statesmanship, and moderation of the speech he made last week. Observing that nothing had impressed him more since lie had gone to the Foreign office than.the immenso part personal relations and influences played in the conduct of international affairs, the Foreign Minister contended that if ou great questions- the British representative were required to define his attitude unequivocably beforehand, delegates of other Governments would bo forced into the same position and paralysis would result from the casting of votes by one State against one solution and another against the opposite one. AVOIDANCE OF COMMITMENTS. The only .way to. keep the door open for conciliatory negotiations was to avoid irrevocable commitments on the part of any delegate in advance. As for the present situation, Sir Austen hoped that complete harmony might be achieved through preliminary conversations conducted in the Locarno manner with the German delegates at Geneva. A variety of possible solutions suggested themselves, and all he asked was that ho might not be expected to go to Geneva with his hands so tied that he could put nothing into the common stock of thought and action, and contribute nothing to a solution. AN ANXIOUS SITUATION. There is considerable anxiety expressed through tho columns of newspapers on'the eve. of the important meetings of the. League Council. Most of tho countries of Europe are defining their position on tho much-debated question. Speaking in the French, Chamber in the course of the debate on the Locarno T'-eaty, for the ratification, of which a considerable majority was secured, M. ■Briand'declared that the French Government were in favour of the extension of tho Council because of the extension of its business, and that if the Council was enlarged he would see Poland in it with very keen pleasure. He added that this was in tho. interest of Germany, since the Council was not a closed field of combat but an organ of conciliation, taking its decisions unanimously. Ilcrr Luther, the German Chancellor, declared, in a speech at Hamburg, that any.alteration.in the composition of the Council or the organisation of the League would put Germany in an impossible position, and he intimated that the attitude of Germany towards various applications for a permanent seat in tho Council could only be determined after she herself had become a member. It is noteworthy that the Chancellor emphasised ' his approval of a phrase'used this week by M. Briand: At Locarno we spoke a new language, the language of Europe." POSITION OF THE DOMINIONS. At question time in tho House of Commons on Monday, Mr. Aniery was asked "Whether communications had been received from any of.tho Dominions expressing their views on tho proposed increase in the permanent membership of tho Council?" Mr. Amery replied that it was not possible for him tti make any statement on this matter, as the communications wero "of a confidential. character.'' This phaso of the question is discussed by tho "Daily Telegraph." "It is in the last degree unlikely," says the writer, "that the Dominion Governments have felt able to commit themselves at short notice to a fullyconsidered opinion on a question of this magnitude. . . . Without preju-

dice to the case that can be made out for an enlargement of the Council, it must be urged that upon auch a point as this, if upon any point, careful consultation between the Dominions and tho British Government is necessary, i Sir Austen Chamberlain's desire to | deal with the matter by the 'method of Locarno' is understandable; but this, it may be pointed put, is not Locarno. It is not a matter of a Treaty of European pacification, in regard to which it is open to the Dominions to divest themselves, as some of them havn already done, of responsibility. This is a matter of the constitution of the League; and the Dominions could not 'contract out' of any alteration in the character of the League Council unless they cut themselves off from the League altogether. THE FINANCIAL ASPECT. "If States are to be admitted to permanent membership which do not come within the category of Great Powers, it is impossible that the representation of the Empire should be left as it is. Judged by the test of their proportionate contribution to the finances of the League, there is not one of the Dominions which is not aa much entitled to permanent representation as any of the States upon which it is now proposed to confer it. . . • "Should the Council be enlarged in accordance with the more serious of the claims now being pressed, the position would bo that the British Empire, which provides more than one-fourtiTl>f the income of the League, •would enjoy no more, than one-twelfth or one-four-teenth of the representation on the Council. The Dominions, contributing amongst them 143 of the financial units into which the budget of the League is divided, would have no representation on the Council, while three States whose aggregate contribution, amounts to 101 units would have permanent seats. This is but one aspect of the vast and manysided problems of statesmanship', involved in the proposal to increase the Council's permanent membership; but it is an aspect demanding more than any other the close consideration of the British Government and the opportunity for full and unhurried consultation with the Governments of the Dominions." "SIMPLY CANNOT BE DONE." The main point of, the whole subject, according to "The Times," is: "Since Germany is coming in, it is not fair play to make sudden and important changes in the League without consulting her, particularly since the proposed changes may be interpreted, and have been' interpreted, as an effort to create, hastily,and nervously, a counterpoise against Germany. .This is what strikes the ordinary British mind as an attempt to ' queer the pitch.' >It simply cannot be done. '' Since for over four ■ months it has been recognised that she is an equal partner in the discussion of the most important issues in Europe, it is only right that she should have her say when very important changes are proposed in the League of Nations, the recognised centre of all such discussions. She was not consulted in regard to the proposal suddenly to make Poland, Spain, and Brazil permanent members of the Council of the League concurrently with her. own entry. She ought to have been consulted. Whatever the merits or demerits of each individual claim may be, the grave tactical error was that they were all hurriedly thrust forward together without e-nsulting Germany, the most sensitively interested party." ■ • "We are entitled," says Lord Gfey of Falloclou, "to expert the Government to.say clearly that the British representatives will go to Geneva free from any commitments to any other Government that will prevent them from.advocating there what is ' the clearly expressed view of this country. If the Government say more than this, is it not.possible that they will prejudice their influence of promoting the agreement that we all desire." .... A PLAIN NAME. Professor Philip Noel Baker, in another letter, mentions that it has been freely rumoured, "though happily Sir Austen did not confirm it, that if other claims to permanent seats are refusedone or more members of the Council will veto the German application. In view of the Locarno negotiations, where no such possibility was mentioned, the plain name for such a threat is blackmail; to give way to blackmail on such a question, under such pressure to grant constitutional powers which can never be- taken back, would surely be gravely to imperil the whole future of the League. If such a threat is really being used, is not the only possible course to force the wholo issue into public on the floor of the Assembly, where the matter can be thrashed out, as M. Briarid says, 'freely and objectively,' and on the true merits of the case."* LEAGUE OF NATIONS UNION. The Executive Committee of the League of Nations Union unanimously re-affirms its earnest hope that the March meeting of the Council of the League will admit Germany as a permanent member of the Council, but make no other change in the constitution of that body; and that no pledge will be given which might bind His Mar jesty's Government with regard to'further arrangements. The executive considers that some matters in the present constitution of the Council require improvement, but points out that there are other and better ways of securing that improvement than by increasing the number of permanent members. The Executive urges that this problem should be carefully considered by a special Commission. 85, Fleet street.