THE COLOUR BAR.

Hawera Star, Volume XLVIII, 29 September 1924, Page 7

THE COLOUR BAR.

JAPAN THE STUMBLING BLOCK

BY CABLE—PRESS ASSOCIATION—COPYRIGHT

LONDON, Sept. 27. At a meeting of the first; committee of; the League at Geneva, Baron Adatchi (Japanese, delegate); proposed that the council should continue its conciliatory efforts even in ' the- event of; a dispute being declared by the International Court of Justice to he soljely within domestic jurisdiction. Several delegates opposed this, whereupon Baron Adatchi announced that if the request was refused Japan would vote against the whole protocol. The incident caused considerable ex-. citoment, but before the adjournment' Baron Adatchi withdrew the proposal,: at the same time declaring that liewould make a reservation regarding the two articles upon which it was based. Baron Adatchi undertook to consider an amendment suggested.

The Daily Telegraph’s correspondent, commenting on the incident, says the point is' vitally important, resulting in the virtual -suspension for the present of the whole work of the conference. It is obvious that the Japanese have in mind principally the immigration laws of America and Australia, upon which they are not prepared merely to accept a decision of the International Court oij Justice, which would inevitably favour America and Australia. Japanese interest also possibly extends to disputes with and concerning China. Baron Adatchi. moving his amendment to enlarge the scope of the council in its dealings with questions stipulated in the covenant as of purely a domestic character, pointed nut that under the protocol Japan would be entitled to appeal to the council regarding questions like emigration, whilst it was conceivable that a matter such as “white Australia” would be dragged in.

The other articles of the draft protocol were adopted. The fc committee has thus completed its labours, though it meets again to-morrow for the purpose of passing the final draft. The Assembly adopted a scheme for an international federation for mutual assistance and relief for peoples overtaken by disaster. It suggested the appointment of a committee to study preliminary questions. The Assembly also adopted the report on the protection of children.