PEACE OF THE WORLD

Evening Post, Volume CX, Issue 51, 28 August 1930, Page 7

PEACE OF THE WORLD

THE KELLOGG PACT

SECOND ANNIVERSARY

Tlie^secdnd anniversary of the signing of .'the Kellogg Pact was celebrated yesterday vby the Wellington branch of the English-Speaking Union, ,in common,, with, other branches throughout the.,world,■;,at a luncheon held at• the Eitz, at which Sir James Allen was the principal speaker. Mr... H. P.. Johnston-.presided,- and among, those present were Sir Stanley Fisher, late Chief 'Justice of Ceylon, arid Lady Fisher.;- ■ . . Sir-James Allen said that heremembered: when the Union was formed that suspicions arose in: his mind as to what it ..was ; f or. Experience ba.d led him to the.conclusion 'that although the Americans might when, the movement was inaugurated have,had a deeper interest in it than the British Commonwealth; of Nations, he had no feeling to-day-that they had any ulterior motive in"joining.- So far as those British countries; which had joined were concerned, .there was >a tremendous amount to' do-in the future. The relationship of .the various Dominions to the Mother Country'was passing through a stage the,result: of which', it was, difficult to foresee. He hoped that the influence of the.union might be exercised-in the direction of removing not all, perhaps, but a'number of the existing barriers to trade. The influence of the English, tongue; was far-reaching. It was one of the two .official languages of the League of, Nations, and it had been adopted'^ by the. Institute of Pacific Relation's: • ■ • ■ :

'Keferring :to -the Kellogg , Pact, Sir James Allen, said that the United 'States ' had never .joined the ■ League' of Nations, but apparently.1 they were conscience-stric-ken and. sought for some method- of showing 4hat they embraced the ideals of tKe union, and so the Peace Pact was ■; devised. Although it was devised as a Peace Pact, Mr. Kellogg and others in the United. States interested in it had;never"lost sight-of the-fact that it was "impossible to conceive of a nation 'so trusting -that it would not make preparations to def esd , itself if the necessity arose. Befbre the Pact was,!signed the .United States issued a memorandum declaring that the right of preparation for self-defence belonged to every Sovereign State, and was inherent' in every' t/eaty. Although they were anxious to abide by the principles of peace,-the world was such that they could 'not-ignore the necessity for making preparations for self-defence. Most-of those countries which had joiiied the League of Nations had signed the Pact,- continued Sir Janies, but

it was a. curious thing that nearly all the South, American States had .abstained from signing. Six of them who, belonged to the League of Nations had not signed, and, Brazil, a former member of the League, had also refrained from signing the Pact. It would ;be interesting to know why those countries had not gone in with the others. There were nine non-members of the League who:were signatories to the Pact., There had been a movement by the League to bring the Covenant, into line with the Peace Pact, and it would'be .very interesting to see the result; when the- report of the committee ', appointed to deal with the matter presented its report to the Assembly next month. His own feeling was that all the work that was going on was of extraordinary value to the peace of the; world. The Pact was simply an expression, the con6*stcd of material things, arid it was of immense value that the two should be brought into line, if possible. Sir ; James Allen was accorded a hearty vote of thanks.