INTERNATIONAL “GATE CRASHING.”

Manawatu Standard, Volume LIII, Issue 256, 26 September 1933, Page 8

INTERNATIONAL “GATE CRASHING.”

(By Hebe Spaull.) “Gate crashing” amongst the nations seems to be on the upgrade just now. The Nazis of Germany are, of course, the chief offenders although there are others. Austria, the Saar and Switzerland have all had cause to complain of the gate crashing activities of Nazis. It is not certain that any appeal will be made to the League of Nations in regard the Nazi activities in Austria and Switzerland, bur the case of the Saar is already before the League. For one thing, of course, the Saar is under League control and so in any case the League is involved. But, apart from this, the Council is being kept informed of the developments in the negotiations which are taking place between the League of Nations Commission which governs the Saar and the German Government. There are two separate cases. One, known as the Tenholt ease, occurred in May when German officers entered the Saar without authorisation. The other case is more recent and concerns the kidnapping of a Saar citizen and two French subjects by German Nazis. Another instance of “gate crashing” has led to the Government of Iraq appealing to the League against the French Government as the mandatory Power for Syria. In this case the trouble has arisen as a result of armed Assyrian bands from Iraq crossing into Syria. The Iraqi Government requested the French authorities to disarm the bands. This was done, but, according to the Iraqi Government, five hundred rifles were afterwards returned to the insurgents who thereupon crossed the frontier and attacked the camp of the Iraqi Army. The fighting which ensued resulted in considerable casualties on both sides. Let us hope that the League is able to deal successfully with this international menace of “gate crashing.”