MONDAY, DECEMBER 13, 1920. THE "LEAGUE OF NATIONS.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume XLI, Issue XLI, 13 December 1920, Page 4

MONDA V, DECEMBER 13, 1920. THE "LEAGUE OF NATIONS.

The conference of the ..Council of, the League of Nations. af Geneva is making slow, but steady progress in the very intricate and difficult work of building up -a satisfactory system for maintaining the^ peace .of the world. It is clear thaC each.-.delegate of the nations represented at the conference is sifting and weighing every proposal most carefully, not only because the delegates desire that their several countries should not be prejudiced by any law or..principle laid down, -but because they are all imbued with tne spirit of sincerity that warfare shall as far as possible be "made unattractive^ When one thinks of the interdependence of nations and the variety of interests which demand recognition and consideration in the grand attempt to develop the scheme which the world recognises as its future hope for escaping from, the' horrors of war, one ,can- appreciate the" innumerable difficulties which must. arise. To British people it is perhaps difficult to understand why some of the, nations take views so widely separated, from those which British people take, but we have to remember <that there are so many racial differences, so many temperaments, among the representatives or the nations gathered together at Geneva, that unanimity upon all subjects would be miraculous, could it be obtained. Principles which appear to be so natural to the British mind are. often quite foreign to oth#r nations, and it is with great difficulty that' they can be brought to see eye to eye with us. Yet it is a very important fact that there is unanimity among at least forty nations concerning the need for the League. That is the starting point. The world wants a real lasting peace; .the majority of the people feel that the League of Nations is the only means by which peace can be secured and maintained. But to build the League upon sound and lasting foun- j dations. is another matter. There must be found » common basis which will be acceptable to all parties to the undertaking, for obviously the proposals of only the Great Powers would not necessarily make adequate provision for the small States, while the small nations probably find, it hard to understand the aim and purpose of some of the. Great Powers' proposals. However, there are very encouraging signs^ that the delegates ,„ are determined, as far as is "humanly possible, to find the basis upon which the future safety of f mankind depends so much The discussions on such an '^important matter as the economic blockade have shown that the conference recognises that there may arise occasions when to-^maintain peace drastic action will have to be taken. The system of an economic blockade Avas even referred to as cruel. So it is,, but as Lord Robert Cecil, one of the most respected men in Europe to-day, pointed out it is far less cruel than warfare, and its cruelty only • becomes acute if the blockaded State in its resistance to the League refuses, to accept the dcciBion of the Powers. BiebVis stronger

than Might, but it must not be supposed that Right would necessarily win without the employment of force. The League made a very. important decision when it adopted plans for dealing with, the awful ravages which disease is making in Eastern Europe. In the face of typhus and other deadly "nations cannot afford to look on unmoved at the havoc wrought in other lands! Each has, of course, a prior duty to itself, but all have a collective duty to others. The response to the League's decision for succouring Poland and Eastern Europe was practical evidence of the delegates' recognition that the work should be undertaken by all the nations. The Conference has so far done some very good work, and but for the attitude of Argentina—her delegate's action has apparently caused considerable commotion in the Republic—there has so far been shown harmony among the delegates, which speaks well for the future. There is much to be hoped for now that the League has made a good beginning.