LEAGUE OF NATIONS.

Grey River Argus, 15 June 1927, Page 5

LEAGUE OF NATIONS.

COUNCIL MEETS. Russia’s Position. (Australian and N.Z. Cable Assn.) GENEVA, June 14. Tho session of tho Council of the Lea guo of Nations opened to-day. Sir Austen Chamberlain presided. lie was the first to arrive at the Palais de Nations and was quickly followed by M. Briand Herr Stresemann, M. Ishii, AL Vander voldc. Tho number of Foreign Secretaries present was seven. Giving points as to the first subject broached, namely the question raised by Sir Austen Cham berlain hist session as to whether tho vearly sessions of the Council should be reduced from four to three, Sir Drummound reported that there "was no administration difficulty. He suggested January, May, and September being as the most convenient months.

Sir A. Chamberlain thought that a? were agreed that the presence of the Foreign Ministers enhanced tho League Council’s prestige and enabled its decisions to be reached more rapidly; but ho and his colleagues found its difficult to leave their posts four times a year His suggestion appeared to have aroused needlessly foolish anxiety and suspicion. He would never make any propo sal calculated to impar the authority and usefulness of tho Council. He suggested that a decision be deferred until September, because they must have the support of both the Council and the Assembly. This was agreed to. Sitting privately, the Council considered the cost of the recent Economic Conference, upon which, it is understood about half a million gold francs was spent. No donation has yet been received from the United States or the Soviet Governments.

AL Briand spent an hour with Herr Stresemann, discussing the evacuation of the French troops from Germany. AL Zaleski (Poland) in conference with the press, said that tho Soviet Note appeared to offer a basis for a peaceful situation with Poland. The Polish Government already had accepted the throe demands, which were in full conformity with the Polish laws. The Daily Telegraph’s Diplomatic correspondent says the question has arisen whether the New Zealand Council should not consider the attitude of the Geneva Conference to the Soviet in the light of Moscow’s latest deeds. The Soviet, though a non-member, has been encouraged to send representatives to the League Conferences, but in the present conditions the League owes it to itself to decide whether participation can continue to be pressed upon a noninember which has so clearly shown that it does not recognise the practice of nor mal statehood. The correspondent learns that the accentuated coolness in Italian-Russian relations is likely to lead to developments at no distant date.