LEAGUE OF NATIONS

Hawera Star, Volume XLVII, 29 September 1928, Page 5

LEAGUE OF NATIONS

THE BRITISH ATTITUDE. MAIN SUBJECTS DISCUSSED. REVIEW BY “THE TIMES.” (British Official Wireless.; RUGBY, ept. 27. In an article entitled “Great Britain and the League,” “The Times ’ reviews the work of the league session and deals with the criticisms levelled at the attitude adopted by the British Government on current international questions. , , “Tllre Times” comments on the busi-.ness-like nature of the league session, on the absence of set oratical displays, on the great attention paid to organisation and personnel, on the atmosphere of quiet confidence in the League -s stability and of the growing realisation of the immense advantage of the form of international co-operation it provides. “The league lias, in fact, taken root in the world and i.s indispensable.” As to the British attitude towards tlie league “The Times’.’ declares: “Not merely is Grea't Britain in every sense its strongest supporter, but under its present administration league. worK has become an integral element of British foreign policy, and the Foreign Secretary has taken an active part m every meeting of the council and the assembly until liis illness this month.' Regarding the Anglo-French naval compromise “The Times” thinks the British Government’s motives may be defended, but not their tactics. Thenreal mistake lay, not in thinking boo little of the League, but in thinking too narrowly in terms of the league Preparatory Commission on Disarmament, -and not sufficiently of the stake of American opinion. The deadlocks in the disarmament commission was the occasion for the conversations that -ied to the compromise. Its object was to provide a near -basis for discussion between the chief naval powers, and _so to make it pos-ible for the commission to go on with its work. If that basis is not accepted, and if no alternative is offered, the preparatory commission will ha-ve to look to the United States for further light on its difficult prob--1P Dealing with the Rhineland the paper says few people in England pretend io like its ocupanoy. 'The general reelling is that it is unnecessary and einbar-rass-ino and that- it ha® served its purpose. 'That is not the -feeling in T rance, which has special relations with Germany that.are by no means all unfriendly. Great Britain has assisted a* various stages in promoting better relations ' between France and ■ Germany, and is thoroughly friendly with both. The sudden withdrawal of the British troops from the Rhineland corild only be a perfectly useless and harm.m demonstration leading to confusion. It would not have helped- Germany and it wauldi have offended- France, and would almost certainly have caused further irritating delay in the evacuation of French troops. “Lord Oushenden has helped m fine only possible way by taking account of the mealihies and- bringing France and Germany to the -point of practical negotiations,” continues ‘ The Times. “There i® reason to hope that the Proposed committee of experts will find a solution possible of certain reparations difficulties that will benefit both I ranee and Germany, and will remove the last barrier to -an early joint evacuation of all the foreign troops from German soil. It -ha® -been laid down that the settlement shall be such as will not involve any additional burden on British taxpayers In ‘these circumstances the action taken by Lord Oushenden advances the cause of European peace and dots credit both to Great Britain and to the, league, under whose auspices the conversations widre carried on.”