LEAGUE OF NATIONS

Hawera Star, Volume XLVI, 27 September 1926, Page 5

LEAGUE OF NATIONS

CLOSING OF SESSION. ITS INTERNATIONAL WORK THORNY SUBJECT SHELVED. ax GABLE—BRESS ASSOCIATION—COPYRIGHT. Received 11 a.m. to-day. UENEY r -A, Sept. 26. A huge agenda paper confronted; the League of -Nations on its closing day, traversing a wide range of subjects from child welfare to defining how far the League’s international activities might go without offending national touchiness. The official reporter on the latter subject, the French professor Barthelemy, wrongly concluded that Britain wished to tie down- the League to rigid lines, permitted himself to half an hour’s raillery at Britain’s expense, to the obvious enjoyment of the Latin representatives, but Viscount Cecil, with a characteristic mixture of sharp logic and tact-fid compliments, quite disarmed M. Barthelemy and canned the Assembly with him for a postponement of a thorny problem till next year. There was a suggestion of warmth in Viscount Cecil’s protests that, no matter how carefully Britain Worded her English texts, France persistently managed to. misunderstand them. Viscount Cecil added as a solatium that the converse was perhaps as true. Another resolution hailed the Locarno Pact as a model on which the nations might fashion, treaties of securities and arbitration, not necessarily to limited areas, but to different parts of the world. Tlie anti-slavery convention was adopted. Mr Latham signing subject to ratification-, but New Zealand is awaiting an adjustment of minor technicalities. - The mandates debate was of the briefest and was colourless. There is no sign that Germany will at present seek representation on the Mandates Commission.