LEAGUE COUNCIL

Evening Star, Issue 20118, 7 March 1929, Page 10

LEAGUE COUNCIL

PETITIONS FM MINORITIES ALTERATION IN PROCEDURE ADVOCATED (Brifcieh Official Wireless.) Press Association —By Tolegrapn—Copyrigfci. RUGBY, March 6. (Received March 7, at 11 a.m.) A proposal by Senator Dandurand, of Canada, to modify the procedure regarding petitions from minorities, was discussed by the League of .Nations Council to-day. Senator Bandurand proposed that in future petitions should be dealt with by the League Council instead of by the present committee of three. Dr Stresemann (German .foreign Minister) approved of the proposal. Sir Austen Chamberlain defended the committee of three. He said the committee had always dealt with the various eases according to the rights they had under the treaties, and could not go outside them. It had always taken 11JV all cases which might produce ill-will between nations, and had undertaken an examination of the petitions brought before it. One thing which showed that the work it had done had not been so bad after ah was that any member of the council could at any time bring up a question regarding minorities, even alter a dccision had been given by the committee of three. Hitherto no one had ever p,j pealed to the council alter the committee had given its decision. He was sure that any impartial person, when shown the documents and the work which the committee had done, would bo '" perfectly satisfied that it had achieved in a large measure the purpose for which the system had been initiated. He suggested that in future greater publicity should be given to the work of the committee so as to remove misapprehension and uneasiness The main defect of the present procedure was delay. He Imped that they would be able to devise means of expediting the system. The question of minorities should not Ire a source ol oppression or menace to the peace ol the world. In conclusion, Sir Austen Chamberlain agreed with the otbei members of the council that the question was too large and too detailed to bo bandied in one session of the council. He agree dthat a reporter should be appointed, with one or two membeis of the council as assistants, to conduct a thorough inquiry into the entire question, and obtain the 1 idlest information us to the procedure which had been in force mp to now and as to the obligations and duties of minorities, and to make recommendations as to what changes in method were in their opinion necessary. The council adjourned until to-mor-row, when Mr Adatchi (reporter on the general question of minorities) wall present a draft resolution providing lor an examination and report on the advisability of changing the councils procedure regarding minority petitions.