LEAGUE OF NATIONS.

Hutt News, Volume 3, Issue 46, 23 April 1931, Page 7

LEAGUE OF NATIONS.

HUTT BRANCH FORMED

There were aibout 45 people present

at a mooting held in the Lyceum Hall last week for the purpose" of forming a local branch of the League of Nations Union. The Mayor (Sir Alex. Roberts) presided. The meeting was addressed by Mr W. J. MeEMowney (president of the Wellington Branch),, and Rev. Dr. G-ibb (president of the Dominion Executive).

Mr. • McEld'owney spoke of the instances in which the action of the League had prevented disputes between nations from developing into war, and told how the League was carrying on the work of reconstruction it had taken up'"-after waT. It was now the centre of a gre^work of international cooperation th&t was constantly increasing in scope amd in intensity. The cost of the League to-day was one million two hundred thousand pounds per annum -which was about one-fifth of the co,st of a modern, battleship and was infinitesimal in comparison with.- rthe work it was aiccom-plishing fox the nations of the world.

' Dr, Gibb pointed out that according to the estimate of a German mathematician the war was" directly responsible for the loss of twenty-six million lives, and cost over one hundred thousand million pounds. It was small won der'that with such, a destruction- of lives and. capital^ financial depression stalked the world to-day.. Progressive disarmament was the crux of- the League's future prestige. A draft convention had been compiled! by representatives of the League, which seemed to provide a satisfactory formula, and thif wa-a to be considered at-the Disarmament Conference, which was to be held next February. _ The success of this Conference depended entirely'upon the degree to which the peoples of the Vorld desired its success, and it was with a view to* enlisting -public opinion in support of these efforts that the League of Nations Union existed. It was unanimously decided to set up a bi-anch of the League in Lower Hutrt, and a provisional committee, com prising Mrs Sherwin, Messr9 J. R. Salt, Kempthorne and Reddington, and the Revs. MeCaw and Lopdell (convenor), was set up to devise rules and set the local branch going.