NOTE OF THE DAY.

Gisborne Times, Volume LXXXIV, Issue 12904, 3 July 1936, Page 4

NOTE OF THE DAY.

WII-A'J, 1 ANSWER YVILL. HAILE SELASSIE .GET--FROM THE LEAGUE? Am interesting point that lias arisen during the past few weeks is whether tlio League can justifiably continue to. “punish” Italy. It would seem that .there is nothing in the Covenant which provides for the punishment of a nation after it lias condueled a successful war of aggression. True it is, of course, that indi-

vidual nations might refuse to recognise Ethiopia, as being Italian territory.. They might also, if they chose, decide not to resume trading relations with Italy.- Meantime what requires, to}..be .settled is - the point as to whether the Italo-Abyssinian war is really over. The League members as a whole have not decided that such is the case. It might, indeed, be assumed that most of them prefer to hold that it is not yet proven that, a.s a whole, Ethiopia has submitted, and the kingdom of IJailc Selassie still persists if in only a very attenuated extent. In any event, t is significant that, at Geneva this week. Abyssinia was permitted to retain her seat on the League and that Haile Selassie was allowed to' be the chief spokesman on its behalf. There cannot be two Abyssinias with two Emperors! If Italy had wished to test the matter out, she might have sent her delegates to the session and Instructed them to claim that the) represented Abyssinia as ; well as Italy. Instead, a hand of Italian journalists disgraced their profession by hooliganism during the proceedings. What will have been noted also is that Haile Selassie is now more insistent than at least portion -i Ethiopia has remained loyal to him. He goes further and claims that the army in Western Ethiopia, which is based on Gore, is being re-organised and that he intends to return to lead it Let it not be overlooked that ho has proved himself one of the most astute statesmen of the present day! It is not unlikely that, whilst at Geneva, Haile Selassie learned that there was no hope of sanctions being retained against Italy unless Jt could be shown that Ethiopia was continuing to display substantial opposition to the Italian invader. At present the section of the Ethiopian army which has not submitted to Italy is, only sporadically active. But what if there should now occur guerilla warfare that would have-the effect of keeping large Italian forces V, the field in Ethiopia? In such circumstances. will the League decline to lift the sanctions against Italyr Even now. another very awkward situation may confront the two major League nations, Britain and France, which are ' prepared to remove the embargoes. -