LEAGUE OF NATIONS

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XXIII, Issue 75, 10 March 1933, Page 4

LEAGUE OF NATIONS

OUTLINE OF ITS WORK ADDRESS BY REV. DR GIBB I BRANCH 01' UNION FOR NAPIER Uiiderl tho auspices of the League of Nations Union, the Rev. Dr Gibb lectured in. the Trinity Methodist Hall, Napier, last night upon tho subject of " International Remedies for National Evils.” Mr WI E. Barnard, member for Napier, was to have taken the chair, but he was unable to attend. He wired: ‘ ‘ Sorry unable to be present to-night. Trust definite result will follow from the meeting. There is most urgent need to-day to strengthen the forces of peace in a world which tends towards hate, dissension! and war.” Apology for absence was received also from the Rev. E. T. Olds. Mr L. M. Graham was in 'the cihair. In introducing his subject Dr Gibb said that tho League of Nations had I been born from a recoil of the slaughter 'and the horror of the Great War. A league was essential in the post-war world, otherwise degeneration would b e inevitable. It was a safeguard against 1 the nationalism of the war, and coun-ter-acted the species of patriotism that sprang from that specious maxim of a hectic patriotism—"My country, right or wrong.” Nationalism sprang from the deep wells of emotionalism, and he did not decry nationalism, as it meant unity, but we had now got past the nationalism of the pre-war period to a world unity. Internationalism was being forced on the world, whether it wanted it or not. LEAGUE CONSTITUTION. Dr Gibfc briefly summarised the constitution of the League of Nations, and mentioned tho interesting development which was now taking place, whereby the Council—the Upper Chamber—of the League, was to a large extent being supplanted in importance by the Assemby, the popular and more representative Chamber. Had the League of Nations succeeded? he asked. Several wars had already been presented by it. In three cases, wars had been stopped after the guns had actually commenced firing. The health department of the League had prevented a typhus epidemic overwhelming Europe. Repatriation of prisoners of war, the white plague, the traffic in opium and drugs, the abolition of slavery, the rehabilitation of bankrupt exchequers—all came within the ambit of the League, and in all these spheres wonderful work had been doue. Some people were of opinion that the recent Sino-Japanese dispute had seen the failure of the League, but in his opinion the League’s actions during this crisis had shown its power, and proved its success. THE LYTTON REPORT. There were many who feared that the Assembly of the League would not have the courage to support the Lytton report and the findings of the Committee of Nineteen when Japan was blamed for the trouble in Manchuria. To its everlasting credit the League, by a unanimous vote, with the exception of Japan, upheld the reports, and by the decision of 41 nations tho responsibility of Japan was affirmed. Although hostilities had not yet ceased, he was confident that no nation could stand out against the moral compulsion of the rest of the world. The subject of disarmament was, he said, the most important one facing the world. Disarmament had not been a success, and upon the decision of this question rested the future security of the world. The primary object of the League of Nations was to prevent war, and the League regarded disarmament as the most effective means of securing this. The old maxim "If you want peace, prepare for war,” was an insult to the intelligence of the people of today. Lord Grey, one of Britain’s wartime Cabinet Ministers, said that great armaments lead inevitably to war. "Armaments do not produce R consciousness of strength, but a fear, that leads to suspicion, and inevitably leads to hostilities.” With the rest of New Zealand, said Dr. Gibb, he believed that Germany was solely responsible for the last war, and during the War “I was as good as a recruiting sergeant, but my eyes have since been opened. Athough Germany threw the torch she did not alone build the huge pile of explosives that was then ignited. All nations had to shoulder their share of the responsibility. If we don’t get disarmament, war is inevitable. The ‘Round Tabic,’ perhaps the most famous of Britain’s quarterlies, predicted 18 months ago that if America and Britain had not come more into alignment, and a measure of disarmament achieved by 1935, a cataclysm would be inevitable.” WORK FOR DISARMAMENT. The League of Nations had continually been working for disarmament. He traced the history of these efforts from the treaty of mutual guarantees to the Disarmament Conference, which is at present in session at Geneva. This conference met on February 2, 1932. and during its 13 months of discussions had largely been a long series of disappointments, This largely arose owing to the conflicting ideas of what disarmament was. The definition of disarmament by the League of Rations implied firstly a cessation of the construction of new armaments, and then a gradual and mutual reduction in armaments. Tn his view the only practical issue was general disarmament. It was not practical politics to talk of one nation disregarding the actions of the rest of , the world in this respect. Before it. met the Disarmament Conference hoped i to achieve a general reduction in j armaments to the level that was im t

posed on Germany by the Treaty of Versailles. The preparatory commission, however, recommended an allround 25 per cent reduction. The conference opened with a flourish of trumpets, but was struck with sterility when the discussions were handed over to the military and naval experts, who were more interested in the effectiveness of arms than in their reduction.

In June a new message of hope came with President Hoover’s demand for a 33 1-3 per cent reduction and the abolition of the more deadly instruments of war. Italy was the only nation to give its whole-hearted support, and little further progress had been made. At present the conference had adjourned, and the discussions were being carried on by the Disarmament Conference Bureau. There were, however, two rays of hope —namely, that the conference had been adjourned only and would meet, and that Germany had demanded equality in arms with the rest of the world. Germany’s eternal subjugation was au impossibility, and the Germans now demanded either the reduction in the arms of the other nations to their own level or the increase in their armaments to a level of equality with the rest of the world. Ramsay MacDonald was to go to Geneva shortly, and from his great qualities for conciliation success might yet come. NOT WITHOUT HOPE. The. state of world finance and trade should compel disarmament. Ho was convinced that till disarmament was reached there would be no return of confidence, which was essential to lift the slump at present enveloping the world. If another war resulted the horrors of the last war would pale into insignificance. The instruments of war had improved a thousand-fold, but he considered that the times were not without hope. By a calmness and determination on the part of the British peoples in insisting that their delegates should secure a thorough measure of disarmament he was sure the holocaust would be averted. Ho asked for the wholehearted support of public opinion. The King and the Prince of Wales had said it was only by this means that the success of the League could be assured. The only alternative was the destruction of all the higher things that separate men from the beasts. At the close of the meeting the speaker was accorded a hearty vote of thanks. The following motion was passed: “That immediate steps be taken to form a branch of the League of Nations Union in Napier.’’