TREATY MAKING AND BREAKING.

Manawatu Standard, Volume LIV, Issue 287, 1 November 1934, Page 8

TREATY MAKING AND BREAKING.

(By Colonel Maurice Spencer, C.M.G., J.P.)

The disease is catching. It ivas easy enough to launch the League of Nations in 1920 with high ideals and aspirations. But, when it comes to making the collective system effective, far too many Powers prefer to take the line of least resistance. When, in 1931, they allowed Japan to tear up three treaties in the course of wresting the eastern provinces from China, they could hardly have realised how much trouble they were laying up for themselves in the future. We know better to-day. The South American wars, the provocative tactics of Germany in Europe —all can be traced to the apparent success of Japan in “getting away” with her Manchurian adventure. Now we have Poland trj'ing to play the same game.

Poland’s threat to denounce the 1919 Treaty has rightly been frowned upon by Great Britain, France and Italy. Yet we ought to be able to see clearly why Poiand is becoming restive under her grievance. The basis of the constitution of the League of Nations is the equality of its members, a principle which has unhappily been seriously weakened in late years. Poland and a number of small Powers are bound by treaty to respect the culture and the liberty of the minorities that live within their borders. Italy has a large Austrian minority in the Tyrol. She refused to sign a minorities treaty but gave her word that she would treat the Tyrolese as if such a treaty had been signed. Her dignity as a great Power would not permit of her doing more. We know too well how she behaved to the Austrians whom she ruthlessly annexed after the war. It was only recently when her interest dictated a policy of conciliation towards Austria that she allowed German to be taught in the Tyrolese schools. Poland has grown in influence very greatly since the war, but her record, too, is far from good. The other powers feebly acquiesced in the seizure of Vilna from Lithuania. Poland now considers herself a great Power and so claims freedom from restrictions that are only admissible in the case of smaller Powers. She would scrap her minorities treaty. This would be a very retrograde step. The solution lies in the acceptance of the principle of the treaties by all the Powers. We ought . not to fall below the standard set in the treaties. Civilisation requires that much. It has been urged in a seemingly inspired quarter that “there are great and probably insuperable obstacles to a general acceptance by all countries of legal obligations towards minority populations.” This is the old feeble attitude which was displayed towards Japan. W r e take pride in having abolished slavery a hundred years ago. Let us not be deterred from the lesser task of rescue from practical slavery.