HAGUE CONVENTION.

Hawera Star, Volume XLIX, 6 September 1929, Page 5

HAGUE CONVENTION.

THE OPTIONAL CLAUSE

DOMINION DELEGATES! DIVIDED.

nited Press Ass*icuaUuu—By Xieoiriu I Copyngiil.j (Australian Press Association.)

LONDON, Sept. o. The lit. Hon. Kamsay MacDonald has endeavoured strenuously but unsuoessfully to convince his Dominion colleagues of the advisability of signing the optional clause of The Hague Convention without any but pure,y cai qualifications, that is, a reciprocity time limit of. sav live years, says thediplomatic correspondent of the ‘‘Daily Telegraph.” Mr MacDonald also suggested that the Jiimpire delegation should sign an agreement not to invoke the Hague Court’s intervention in any inter-Em-pire dispute, but he failed to win the Irish Free State and! the South African delegation to his view, though he is still 1 hopeful. The British- delegation also .contemplates the abandonment of any reservations concerning the- decisions of the British Prize Courts, though Mr MacDonald in 1924 strongly insisted on the need of this reservation. In the absence of an Anglo-American agreement on maritime law, such reservations) seem to be an elementary caution.

The “Morning Post” says that Mr MacDonald’s- excursions to Geneva- arc less popular than Mi- Snowden’s to The Hague. Britain ha-x not forgotten that the Navy saved her in the world war.

“Wo gather.” -adds the paper, “thatMr Mac Donald 1 also was premature in committing all the Dominions to the optional clause. We tare not surprised that the Free State agreed, since she hopes to bring Britain before the courtnoon the interpretation ol the Irish, Treaty.

“General Hertzog’s Government doubtless wPll agree to anything ex poet - ed to weaken the Empire, but Australia, with more fidelity. ibas more compunction. and Mr Bruce’s statement shows that Australia, is at least making rose rv at ions.”