LEAGUE OF NATIONS.

Hawera Star, Volume XLIX, 5 September 1929, Page 5

LEAGUE OF NATIONS.

PRIME MINISTER’S SPEECH.

PASSAGES WHICH WON CHEERS

(United Press Association—By Electric Telegraph Copyright.) (Australian Press Association.)

LONDON, Sept. 4,

It is recognised throughout. Europe that the, outstanding feature of the lit. Hon. Ramsay MacDonald's speech at Geneva was "the declaration that Great. Britain was signing the optional clause of the Hague Convention. Mr MacDonald spoke with fire and enthusiasm which, some foreign commentators say, has not been shown by a British delegate since the days of Mr Lloyd George or an occasional impassioned utterance by Lord Robert Cecil. The speech may be summed up as elaborating that in every way possible the present Government is anxious to co-operate with other nations in working for jjeacc and disarmament. As the speech was delivered in English the great majority of the delegates had to wait for its translation, in which many passages lost the fervour of the original delivery. The passages which won the warmest cheers were references to the vastly improved situation, since he last addressed the Assembly; gratitude for the successful termination of the Hague conference, resulting in the evacuation of the Rhineland five years before evacuation had been expected; announcements of Anglo-American naval accord which already covered 17 out of probably 20 articles; and, above all, the declaration that the British Government had decided to sign the optional clause of the arbitration treaty during the pre- { sent Assembly. In this passage of his speech he in no wise referred to the | subject of reservations. i

THE OPTIONAL CLAUSE. ACCEPTED BY CANADA. GENEVA, Sept. 4. The Hon. 11. Dandurnad. speaking in the Senate, announced _ that Canada would adhere to the option! clause during the present assembly. Canada was prepared to accept compulsory jui isdiction of the permanent court in justi fiabl'e disputes.