“GREEDY ITALY”

Gisborne Times, Volume LXXXIV, Issue 12903, 2 July 1936, Page 5

“GREEDY ITALY”

HAILE SELASSIE’S ATTACK AT LEAGUE. ACCUSATION AGAINST FRANCE. DEMONSTRATION IN HALL. ROMAN JOURNALISTS ARRESTED. VOLUNTARY MANDATE PLANNED OVER ABYSSINIA. REJECTION REPORTED. (U.P.A. by Elec. Tel. Cooyrighl). LONDON, June 20. Tho Foreign ‘Secretary,. Mr Antlm--115 Eden, presided at the Assembly of tho League of Nations, until the president was elected, ’the new president at Geheva is the Belgian Prime Minister; M. Paul Van Zeeland. The Australian, Mr S. M. Bruce, did not stand ow iug to iiis duties as president of the Iviontreux confereiic. M. Van Zeeland was elected’ as president, of the Assembly by 47 U, threo . votes, after which the Italian Note was handed to him. It, expresses the conviction that the League requires feroin and Italy is willing to co-operate in it and witii tlib League's work as soon as the present situation is cleared up. The. Emperor of Abyssinia, Haile Selassie, spoke as the head of the Ah vssinian delegation. Tho committee is reported to have rejected the Italian proposal that the League should recognise a voluntary Italian mandate over Abyssinia. A large cheering crowd watch-id the arrival of Haile Selassie at the meeting of the Assembly. The bureau bad earlier decided that the Emperor hud every right to address the League. Mr E. De Valera (Irish Free State) said the question could not even .* e discussed, and the Swiss and Hungarian representatives raised objections. Haile Selassie tried to make himself as inconspicuous as possible as k' slipped into the ball, while Mr Eden was reading a letter .from M. Bfenes. resigning the presidency of the Assembly. The Emperor sat i.i the place reserved for the Abyssinian delegates, the official list of which included 11 from Abyssinia headed by “His Majesty the Emperor. Haile Helassio i.” Tho public and press galleries were crowded and a. battery of film cameras faced the president’s rostrum. This was the first time] that any Sovereign lias participated at a League session. Tho Emperor listened attentively as Mr Eden praised the work of A!. Bcnes and asked the Assembly to telegraph thanks to the Czech President. When the Negus ascended the tribune whistling and shouts of “Viva Mussolini!’’ broke out and drowned the cheering from the delegates. The session suspended in the hubbub while tho officials searched for the interrupters and discovered that they were a group of a dozen Italian journalists, whom the police seized and bundled into taxi-cabs and took to the police station. Haile Selassie, unperturbed, stood calmly by the tribune. bis eyes fixed on the delegates, and awaiting silence. He created a sensation by accusing France of violating the covenant, in delivering Abyssinia over to “greedy Italy” bv agreeing to the Hoare-Laval peace plan.