IN THE PACIFIC

Evening Post, Volume CXI, Issue 69, 23 March 1931, Page 11

IN THE PACIFIC

THE LEAGUE OF NATIONS

THE LEAGUE OF NATIONS

EXTENDED OPERATIONS

lln an addre.ss to-the Wellington branch of. the Institute of Pacific Relations, Mr. J. V. Wilson, of the staff of the League of Nations, said that every year the frontiers of the League were widening. Tho proportion of subjects external to Europe dealt with by it were gradually becoming greater. In Mr. .Wilson's opinion, tho suggested League of .Pacific Nations would be inadvisable. The present status of-the Institute of Pacific Relations, however, opened up a vista of possibilities of cooperation with the League. The former's method of research by expert students with open minds, its bringing together different peoples, with interests that ciashedj for a frank discussion round the table with one another and neutral parties, at which each sought for truth rather than to score off the other, and at which each had presented to it the other's point of view, the bringing into personal touch, and sympathy of representatives of different nations—all these would facilitate the preliminaiy work of the League and give it a better chance of succeeding in its task qf mediation, if the ground work were properly laid. Both bodies were powerful factors in the promotion of peace. OUTLINE OF WORK. Mr. WJljon gave an outhno of the woi-k done by the League in Pacific! Ocean countries. Tho public health or-1 ganisation of China, including a plan I for the improvement of the quarantine system and the development of Chinese health services, was being carried on under the supervision of the Health Department of the League, which . had t a bureau _at Singapore for information on tropical diseases and diseases specially affecting the personnel ~of ships. The League's economic, financial, and, transit work had not long begun, but tho heads "of all throe of its technical sections were at presort in China, at the request of the Chinese Government, helping it in reorganisation. Then there was the supervision by the League of the" administration_ of tho mandated territories in the Pacific. The reports and documents published by the League contained much valuable i ethnological and scientific information. The work of the Labour branch of the League was,, ho said, of special interest to; white communities in the Pacific,.and to the Institute, which was i seeking to discover some means of, raising the standard of living in the now partly industrialised communities of the East. 1 Mr. Wilson.attributed the -universality of the League's area and opera-1 tions, instead of being confined to Eur-' ope, as being largely due to the supI port of the League given by Japan, | which set great storo by its permanent membership of the League. After Mr. Wilson had answered a number of questions evoked by his stimulating address, a hearty vote of thanks, moved by tho chairman,"' Professor F. P. Wilson, was carried by acclamation.

The secretary of the local branch of the League of Nations Union recently received a letter from. Mr. Albert Thomas, Director of the . .International Labour Office,-in connection with the visit of Mr. E. J. Riches last year. "I wish to express to you my cordial thanks for the valuable assistance which the League of Nations Union gave to Mr. K. J. Riches on the occasion of his visit to New Zealand, on behalf of the office," writes Mr. Thomas. "Mr, Riches has informed me that local branches of the union in many cases_ assumed full responsibility for arranging and "organising meetings to be addressed by him, and discharged their task with- commendable thoroughness. I was gratified to see tho attention devoted by the New Zealand Press to Mr. Richest addresses at these meetings, and I am confident that they" were of great value in spreading a knowledge of the work-of the International Labour Organisation. Allow me, in'conclusion, to express my sincere appreciation of the valuable work being done in New Zealand by your union."