THE H.B. TRIBUNE MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 1935 WITH ONE VOICE.

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XXV, Issue 231, 16 September 1935, Page 6

THE H.B. TRIBUNE MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 1935 WITH ONE VOICE.

In no uncertain way M. Litvinoff, representing Soviet Russia, has fully confirmed before the League Assembly the stand which, a few days back, he took before the League Council. He has spoken even more emphatically and more plainly than did M. Laval for France of his Government’s determination to support the League. “Russia,” he has said, “will pass its judgment with an impartiality and courage that will not be shaken by intimidation or abuse. . . . For us there is only the one question—defence of the League’s Covenant as an instrument of peace for use in all cases of aggression. The Soviet will be second to none in loyally discharging its obligations.” The three Great Powers, Britain, France and Russia, who, with Italy, are the only active permanent members of the League Council have thus definitely committed themselves to maintain the authority of the League, which Signor Mussolini has practically flouted. Certainly. Germany may perhaps be still nominally regarded as a permanent member of the Council, but, as her notice of withdrawal from the League expires in a month’s time and since giving it she has taken no part in its proceedings, she may be counted out.

The statements made by the representatives of these three nations have also met with a full chorus of approval from lesser Continental Powers whose collective weight even Signor Mussolini can scarcely treat with contempt. Beyond this the Government of the United States has given as strong intimation as may be expected from it of its disapproval of Italy’s virtual violation of her pledges as a member of the League and a subscriber to the Kellogg Pact. Thus, if the world’s moral condemnation might be hoped to influence him, we might hope also that he would stay his hand at least until matters had been further considered by both Council and Assembly. For it must not be overlooked that these bodies Eave yet to deliberate judicially upon the cases that have been presented to the Council by Ihe disputants. So far all discussions and declarations have merely gone in the direction of assuring support for the League when the Council or the Assembly makes its final report. Tn this connection it may be as well to recall that neither the economic nor the military sanctions contemplated by the Covenant will come automatically into operation unless the members of the Council arc unanimous in their report. Even should the matter be remitted to the Assembly for final decision Uiere must be unanimity among the Council members sitting in it along with

a majority vote of the other members of the Assembly. Thus in either bo'dy a single dissentient member of the Council would spoil the effectiveness of the report, which will, of course, be, very much of the nature of a judgment. It is thus very easy to see that Signor Mussolini will spare no effort to win at least one member of the Council to his side. Leaving Germany out of the question, the nations at present represented on the Council are Argentina, Australia, Chile, Czecho Slovakia, Denmark, France, Italy (who, as a disputant, has of course no vote in the present case), Mexico, Portugal, Poland, Russia, Spain, Turkey and the United Kingdom. From this body three of the non-permanent members arc now due to retire and it will be for the Assembly to elect three others to take their places, but whether this will be before the Italo-Abyssinian dispute is finally considered by the Council cannot at the moment be said.

"What may be said is that if only one member of the Council refuses to concur in the report the League, as a body, will not be bound, under the relevant Artacles, to apply the sanctions and, in the words of the Covenant, it will be left to “members of the League to take such action as they shall consider necessary for the maintenance of right and justice.” There still stands, however, Article 12, under which members of the League have undertaken in no case to “resort to war” until three months after the report of the Council. A breach of this Article by any member would at once commit all other members to a united application of the sanctions. Some suggestion has been made that Italy might hope it. dodge this Article by following Japan’s example in Manchuria and carrying on military operations without making any formal declaration of war. There arc, however, marked differences in the situation that should preclude the possibility of any such evasion counting with the League. It would, of course, suit Signor Mussolini well could Abyssinia be provoked or tricked into opening hostilities and thus be falsely placed in’the position of aggressor, as was France by Bismarck sixty-odd years ago.