AT GENEVA

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XX, Issue 240, 29 September 1930, Page 5

AT GENEVA

EUROPEAN PREFERENCE WIDER DISCUSSION PROPOSED. RUSSIAN PROPOSALS criticised. (United Press Association—By CableCopyright.) (Received 29, 8,30 a.m.) Geneva, Sept. 28. Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and India have proposed an amendment to the second committee's resolution, providing that all members of tho League shall be asked to participate in any discussion .n the subject of European preference. They point out that the proposals emanating from Warsaw for the differential treatment of cereals are in conflict with tho principles of economic equality between members of the League, also with the recomnienda tions of the economic committee about the application of the “most favoured nation” clause. FOREIGN SECRETARY’S COMMENT. THE OPTIONAL CLAUSE. IBritiah Official Wireless.! (Received 29, 12.30 p.m.) Rugby, September 28. The Hon. Arthur Henderson the Foreign Secretary, who returned to .London from Geneva yesterday, said that the meeting of the Assembly had been interesting and useful if, perhaps, less spectacular than last year. Referring to the discussion of the amendment to the covenant to bring it into line with the Kellogg I’nct, thus rendering private war impossible under it, as it was already under the Pact, be said he hoped that this might be adopted by tho League of Nations before the present meeting breaks up. Last year Britain announced her intention of ratifyig the optional clause, under which all international disputes of a justifiable nature have to be sent to arbitration. Since then Britain had ratified the clause, and many other countries, and it would soon be of universal application. “This," he said, “together with the effective entry into force of the general act of ai bitration—which I nope is not far distant—will usefully increase the scope of international arbitration and will go a long way towards setting up a practicable plan for the disposal of every form of international dispute by the same methods ot law and justice ns govern the relations of individuals In any civilised State. Measures such as those, together with projects like the treaty to provide financial assistance to States which are unjustly attacked—which we have also been discussing, and which will almost certainly lie adopted by the League during this Assembly—are, of course, intimately bound up with (they are. in fact, preparation for work of) disarmament. This will he taken up in Geneva in n few weeks’ time by the committee which is preparing for the General Disarmament Conference that we all hope will be held before very long.” \ TARIFF TRUCE. After referring to M. Briand’s project for a European union and tho steps taken by the Assembly regarding it, he said that with it goes the proposal for a tariff truce in Europe, to be followed by negotiations with a view to reducing Customs tariffs and dealing with other economic questions of common concern. “These,” he added, “are proposals to which Mr Graham has devoted so much time during tho past year, and if effect can he given to his hopes I dn not doubt that they will prove a valuable means for assisting the League in producing that feeling of stability and security which must so much facilitate agreement upon disarmament.

“The representatives of European nations have, on the suggestion of M. Briand instructed Sir Eric Drummond in preparing agenda for the next meeting of European Powers at Geneva in January to take due note of tho 1 ults of the Conference which is to be held in Geneva in November, in pursuance of the plan initiated by Mr Graham to give further consideration to the European tariff problem. This is particularly encouraging.”