LEAGUE OF NATIONS UNION

Evening Star, Issue 22684, 25 June 1937, Page 2

LEAGUE OF NATIONS UNION

OTAGO BRANCH I'Jio meeting of the Otago branch of tho League of Nations Union was held immediately prior to the lecture on ‘ Ilaw Material as a Problem of World Peace ’ given by Or G. O. Billing. In the unavoidable absence of Dr E. N. Merrington. the chair was taken by Mr H. P. Kidson (vice-president), who congratulated Miss L. S. Morton on the honour conferred on her by His Majesty as a recipient of a Coronation medal. The following protest was submitted to the meeting The Otago council expresses horror at the atrocities perpetrated at Guernica and Almeria, and requests the Dominion Executive _to convey such expression to the New Zealand Government.” Tho Loudon League of Nations Union expressed the hope that every branch would make this protest, in order to show that the conscience of the world was not prepared to accept such atrocities as part of normal warfare. It was reported that last September the International Peace Congress was held at Brussels, an 'outcome of which had been the International Peace Campaign inaugurated in 26 countries. Its programme was the co-ordination into one united body of all peace societies, irrespective of their individual policies, in order that the governmental authorities might be made to recognise that the peoples of all countries wanted peace and would respond to leadership. General Smuts was reported to have stated: “A supreme effort is necessary to bring together all the resources of goodwill to save the situation._ Geneva is not enough. Statesmanship must be supported, and stirred, in its task by the united peoples of the world.” The International Peace Campaign was known as the 1.P.C., and had four points;—_ 1. llecognition of tho sanctity of treaty obligations. 2. Reduction and limitation of armaments by international agreement and the suppression of profit from the manufacture and trade in arms. d. Strengthening the League of Nations for the prevention and stopping of war by the organisation of collective security and mutual assistance.. 4. The establishment within the framework of the League of Nations of effective machinery for the remedying of international conditions which might lead to war. This statement was heard with interest.