LEAGUE OF NATIONS

Hawera Star, Volume XLIX, 6 September 1929, Page 9

LEAGUE OF NATIONS

M. BRIAND’S SPEECH. WORK FOR WORLD PEACE. GREAT ADVANCES MADE. (Australian Press Association—United Service.) Received 12.25 p.m., to-day. GENEVA, Sept. 5. M. Briand has concluded what has been described as one of the most remarkable speeches ever delivered in the Assembly, for which he tva-s freely applauded and finally given an ovation He said that The Hague settlement had established an -atmosphere of confidence enabling the settlemen of other problems. The League’s moral forcehad now been established. Since Locarno war had been taken -by -the throat and pilloried-. He was confident that an agreement would he reached on the- problem of security, and also on disarmament, as soon as the Anglo-American naval agreement had been reached. He was confident of an agreement between the naval Powers.

Referring to the optional clause-, he said- that the Rt. Hon. Ramsay MacDonald's announcement that Britain was ready to sign was a very great event, over which we could not rejoice t-oo much. The League, in addition to denouncing war as a hideous crime, must fulfil its obligations by abolishing it. The League should possess a secular arm in order to prevent the crime of war. He added that the optional chiase must fie followed by an arbitration treaty. France could sign such a treaty. He pledged himself to make every effort to secure ratification.