A LEAGUE FAILURE.

Evening Star, Issue 22818, 29 November 1937, Page 10

A LEAGUE FAILURE.

The failures of the League of Nations have been few in comparison with its successes. Unfortunately the failures have related to the greatest matters, those where national ambitions have seemed to have most to gain by defying the principles of the League. The humiliations which the Geneva body has suffered on such occasions have been evidence not of any defect in its ideals or constitution, but simply of the extent to which • the world is unready yet for its ideals. In one smaller matter, where these considerations should not apply, the League’s endeavours to achieve a humane object have been completely unsuccessful. A recent meeting of its council had to express regret that “ despite all efforts of the past four years it has been found impossible to provide for a settlement of Assyrians outside of Iraq.” There has been no remissness in the efforts, so far as can be judged. There have been times when they promised a better outcome, which was certainly deserved by the cause. It will be remembered that the Assyrians rebelled against Turkey during the World War and threw in their lot on the side of the Allies. After the collapse of llussia they made an epic march through hostile country, and the few that survived were taken under British protection in Iraq. While Great Britain held her mandate over Iraq fhe Assyrian levies were most useful in keeping order, which did not commend them to their neighbours when Iraq became independent and joined the .League of Nations. The Kurds of Iraq and the Assyrians were old enemies. A Christian race had been settled among Mohammedans. Concentrated in a single community they would have been a danger to the Arabs, so they were dispersed in separate communities, lyhich made them helpless against attack. The Government of Iraq gave the usual assurance guaranteeing protection to minorities. That did not prevent an Iraqui commander, in the absence of King Felsal four years ago, letting loose on certain Assyrian villages a force

of Kurdish irregulars, who wiped out (ICO of their inhabitants by gunfire. Since then a League Council committee has been trying to find a new home for the Assyrians. Brazil was suggested first, then British Guiana, but both projects fell through. Next an expensive plan for settling them in tho Ghab region of Syria was adopted. The Archbishop of Canterbury launched an appeal for supplementing funds contributed to by the League of Nations. Great Britain, France, and Iraq to put the scheme through. Then new difficulties arose, which were partly financial, partly that the • district was found to be malarial, and partly that it was close to Homs, a centre of strong Arab nationalism. With France about to terminate her mandate over Syria it seemed asking for trouble to put the Assyrians in so exposed a situation where the prospect of outside help was remote if there should be trouble with tho Arabs, as was considered far from unlikely. Meanwhile, some 9,000 Assyrians, constituting about one-quarter of what remains of the nation, have managed, to find provisional homes in another part of Syria on the Khabbur lliver. Here, however, they are rather close to the Turkish frontier, which is contrary to a Franco-Turkish agreement. There is also the fact that the Syrian Arabs who are about to become independent do not want them there, and the further difficulty that there is not room for the other three-quarters of the Assyrian nation who are still in the refugee camps round Mosul, in north Iraq. There has been some talk of finding a home for a remnant in South Africa. The Assyrians themselves have long since ceased to hope that anything will be done for them. Viscount Cranborno had reason to say, at the League Council’s meeting, that “ political and economic conditions of tho modern world have created almost insuperable obstacles to the mass emigration of Assyrians.” It is to be hoped, however, that difficulties in this case will yet be an incentive, and not a discouragement, to the League.

The mayor (llev. E. T. Cox) has received a cheque for £SO from Mr Edwin Jobbins towards the lar East relief fund. Mr P.. Neilson, M.P., has received the following intimation from the Minister of Labour: Following receipt of your recent representations on behalf of ex-service men, 1 have given earnest and careful consideration to the question of ignoring for relief purposes the value of any monetary or other assistance received by the men from the Returned Soldiers’ Association. I have pleasure in advising, therefore, that it has been decided that in future any assistance received by soldier relief recipients, from the Returned Soldiers’ Association by way of cash or in kind, or employment, from funds raised by the association for that purpose, will not be taken into account when assessing a soldier’s relief allocation. I trust that the additional asisstance thus afforded will -ameliorate somewhat the difficulties which are at present being experienced by unemployed exservicemen who, in many cases, are severely handicapped in their search, for employment by their war service. An outbreak of fire in the lupines adjacent to the tip at St. Kilda was ; extinguished by the City Fire Brigade shortly after 2.30 p.m. yesterday. This morning, at 10.27, the Iloslyn Brigade was called to the Roslyn Mills by an automatic false alarm. The sixty-first animal exhibition of the Otago Art Society, which covers the whole range of the activities of the society, and which includes exhibits from artists from all parts of New Zealand as well as from members, has been well attended during the past two weeks, and only another week remains for those who have not yet viewed the display. The exhibition is certainly one which will rdpay the most careful inspection. Transformed as it is into a most colourful gallery, the Pioneer Hal! affords as pleasing a retreat as could be suggested in which to spend a restful and instructive hour. It is a representative display of New Zealand art; that is provided, and the educational value of the exhibition should be realised. This morning the sale of two more pictures was reported, these being the oil painting ‘ Reflections, Shotover River,’ by E. C. Seelye, and the water colour ‘ Avenue, Arrowtown,’ by A. Cutten. The exhibition will be open during the day and evening this week, and will be closed at 5.30 on Saturday. In the Magistrate’s Court, Greymouth, William M'Neill was fined £1 and ordered to make restitution of £l2 8s sd, the excess received from the Employment Promotion Fund by means of false declarations regarding a dependent. Defendant declared that he was maintaining his daughter, who was working elsewhere for £1 a week.— Press Association.

Under the will of the late Mrs Jennie Duncan Christie, of Mosgiel. whose estate has been valued for probate purposes at under £15,000, there is a bequest of £SOO to the East Taieri Presbyterian Church at Mosgiel (£4OO for the general purposes of the church and £IOO for choir work). After a considerable number of private bequests have been met, the residue of the estate is to be divided equally between the 'Salvation Army for its activities in Dunedin, P.ort Chalmers, and Mosgiel, and the Empire Cancer Campaign Society, for research work in Dunedin. I’he possibility of employers having to pay factory workers for two King’s Birthdays this year was pointed out by the secretary of the Amalgamated Society of Carpenters and Joiners, Mr E. C. Sutcliffe, to-day. This is because the King’s Birthday is observed on June 9 but no validating legislation has yet been passed and factory workers employed on the actual date, December 13, will be entitled to treble pay.—Christchurch Press Association. “ A great improvement in the Government tourist services and in general hotel services in the last two years ” has been noticed by a tourist, Mr A. M. Shaw, of Glasgow, who has returned to the Dominion for a second tour because of the favourable impressions created when he visited New Zealand in 1935. Mr Shaw, who is visiting Christchurch (says the ‘ Press ’) was reluctant to comment yesterday on the changes; but he did not support claims made by a number of tourists that officials in the North Island were prejudiced against the South Island. “There is a definite change there,” he added. “ People in the north still say: ‘ Oh, we never think of going to the South Island,’ but as far as the Government Tourist Service is concerned, officials openly' say that it is worth coming to the south. There is no doubt that the South Island is much better advertised now than it was two years ago.” Mr Shaw said his own opinion was that the south was definitely worth visiting, for there was no question that the scenery of the south far surpassed that of' the north.

The Fqrbury School was broken into over the week-end, and a cupboard in the head master’s room broken open. The key of the safe, which was hanging there, Was taken, the safe being opened. The sum of £2O was found to be missing. More than one ; uneasy conscience has apparently found relief by the payment of money. One of the interesting features of the New Zealand ‘ Gazette ' of November 25 is the acknowledgment by the Secretary to the Treasury (Mr G. 0. Rodda) of amounts sent by unknown persons as conscience money to the Government. The conscience money is distributed: —5s and £2 to the Customs Department; 10s 6d, Is, 10s, and 5s to the Railways Department; 5s and £5 to the Land and Income Tax Department; and £1 to the Labour 'Department. A great deal has been seen in the news lately about the “ iron lung ” used for certain types of infantile paralysis cases. The Wellington Hospital is considering purchasing one. At a recent meeting of the board the superintendent (Dr A. R. Thorne) was asked to report on the cost of obtaining a special respirator—commonly referred'to as an “iron lung”—for anterior poliomyelitis cases. “ Although the recent epidemic has been mostly of a mild type, _ there have been cases of chest paralysis,” said Dr Thorne." “It lias been found necessary in other large centres to keep on hand a special respirator, commonly referred to as an ‘ iron lung.’ ■ Although expensive and infrequently used, such apparatus may mean the saving of a life at any' time.” The cost of the respirator is stated to be between £250 and £3OO. A tattered Union Jack, with the standard-bearer the president of the University Students’ Association, played a prominent part in an unofficial farewell function to a batch of students who left by the express this morning for the north after completing their examinations. As the train drew out the Union Jack was waved on high to the accompaniment of a mildly-rendered version of ‘ The Red Flag.’ Thomas William Sheahon, a motor mechanic, was fined £25 in the Wanganui Court for being intoxicated while in charge of a motor car. A pedestrian had been struck and injured by the defendant’s car, but not seriously. Tlie magistrate (Mr Salmon) said it was a case of whether or not he should impose imprisonment, but on account of the defendant’s previous good character he would refrain from doing so. —Press Association. The Conciliation Council sat this morning to hear an application brought by the Otago and Southland Coach Workers and Wheelwrights’ Industrial Union of Workers for a new award. The application was opposed by employers throughout the two provinces, who submitted as their counter-proposals the Wellington-Canterbury award. The commissioner (Mr S. Ritchie) presided, the applicants’ assessors being Messrs C. O’Brien, S. Mills, and J. Robinson (secretary), and the respondents’ assessors Messrs G. T. Anderson,.H. G. Calvert, J. W. Scurr, and A. S. Cookson (secretary). The award was being discussed when the council adjourned till the afternoon. Eye strain—for eye comfort, for better vision, consult Slurmer and Watson Ltd., opticians, 2 Octagon, Dunedin.—fAdvt.l Owing to numerous requests, a further dance will be held in the South Dunedin Town Hall on Thursday, Stewart’s Imperial Danes Band will be in attendance, and there will bo a fox trot competition, to be judged by Mr D. Duff,