LEAGUE OF NATIONS UNION

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXI, 22 May 1928, Page 7

LEAGUE OF NATIONS UNION

NELSON BRANCH FORMED

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There was an attendance of ahnul 'lO

at the Institute rooms last night In discuss a proposed Nelson branch of the League of Nations Union. The Mayor (Mr W. J. Moffat t) presided. After outlining the objects of the Union, the Mayor said he thought that everyone realised Ibis was a national movement and was supported by all shades of opinion throughout the world today. Rigid throughout New Zealand every Mayor had a good deal to do with the unemployment, and this was largely the iftermath of the Great War. (hie young man who came to the speaker the other day ventured the opinion Hint a good solution for unemployment would h" another war. That was an indication of what, was moving in some men's minds. The League of Nations was the remedy to such a position and deserved all the support that could be given it.

Mr 11. Afmore, M.P.. was called upon to address the meeting, and he spoke as follows:-

The Great War brought home to *ll a sense of (be stern necessity For finding some method other than force for the settlement of international disputes. The stupendous costs of modern war both in

men and general wealth are appalling. A lew figures may help to show this fact to my audience ' this evening. War might possibly be tolerated when Wellington could defeat Napoleon and settle Hi", fate of Europe with only 30,000 Rril ish and 40.000 allied troops, but when the Great War killed 900.000 British soldiers and sailors and caused 30.000. 000 casualties altogether, with-10,000,000 killed at a cost of £SOOO per man. and a total of £50.000.000.000 up to November, 1918, and since then increased tremendously by pension payments- then it became clear thai war between nations like private fighting between individuals must cease or civilisation itself mustperish. An. effective contrast in costs of battleships may he made by comparing the cost of building and equipping .Nelson's flagship Victory in the lcitii century with (hat of fho'Tfood launched a few years ago. The Victory cost about. £BB,OOO. and her whole broadside could be fired at a cost of 10 shillings. Her largest projectile cost Is, and weighed 32lbs. The Hood cost 6,',- millions, and her largest shell weighed 18cwl and cost £2OO. The Rritish bill for munitions alone during the war amounted to £l.829,000.000, or nearly three times Hie sum of the National Debt in 1914.

I These appalling costs in men and j money have made Hie thinking men and | women of the world ponder over the | possibility of organising some wider i authority for world management, than |is afforded by Hie sovereign States. Some such wider authority is now indispensable. Tl. is believed that at one stage, of prehistoric life, a, man and his family represented the largest aggregation of human beings. Two or more families joining together made the nucleus of the tribe which represented a further advance towards our present divisions of the human race, and when two or more tribes joined together in the course of time they formed the nucleus of the nation, and the next step in logical sequence towards a World Federation for dealing with world affairs has been In ken in the formation of a League of Nations. Even before this war, human affairs had overstepped state boundaries in all directions, and it is interesting to note that while in 1815 there, was no public, international organisation—not a single authority through which Governments could join in looking after world affairs —no less than 33 public international organisations bad been forced into existence by 1913. The. Universal Postal Union is the best known. Until 50 years ago each country arranged its own postal affairs with the aim of making others pay. The result was hopeless confusion. A letter from America lo Australia might cost anything from 5 to 102 cents, according to the way it went. J.'lio common sense of the world could bear it no longer, and the nations joined in the Universal Postal Union tn regulate international posts from an office at Heme.

So with epidemics against which each country tried to protect itself by its own quarantine regulations, until failures forced the nations to take international action which they did at the International Sanitary Conference of 1892. So Iheve grew up tin? beginnings of international government for the control of post and telegraph, wireless and public health matters, in which conflicting national interests have been forced to give way befo'e the interests oE the world as a whole. The Great War has taken international action still further, for as nation after nation was drawn in, people saw that war is one. of those scourges (like cholera or plague) which (he, means for rapid transport and the inventions of more terrible engines and weapons of destruction, had made more devastating and which must be got rid of by international action. Towards this desirablo consummation Hie nations have gathered together in such an approach to unanimity that there are now 56 countries in the' League of Nations, representing more than four-fifths of the population of the world. Those outside the League are the United States, the Union of Russian Soviet Republics, Mexico and Turkey. The .League, has already stopped three wirs and prevented serious danger of w.iv in three, other cases, and it repatriated 027,000 war prisoners to and from Russia and .Central Europe at a cost, of iH per head. II is lighting social evils, such as slavery, the traffic in women and children, and the. opium (radio all over the world. It saved Austria, and Hungary from economic, ruin. The League 'and the International Labour Organisation are studying from the. standpoint of humanity Ihe economic, pro-lU-iii--, of the world, such as labour conditions, migration, unemployment, housing, transport, customs and passports, an I it is interesting to note that the cost of the League, the Labour Organisation, and the World Court cost the world less than £1.000,000 a Year. The (Ileal War cost i trita in alone.';C1.000.000 per day. and a battleship costs £500,000 ! a Vi hv to maintain.

The-.e facts and figures must convince everyone of Ihe necessity for international act! a in coping with world-wide evils and as civilised nations now forbid duelling for set I line; private quarrels so in Hie near future it is hoped that, in the words of Tennyson, "the common sense of most, shall hold the fretful realm in awe.' - and disputes will he placed before an international tribunal. Mr Atmore also dealt fully with (he Allied indebtedness to America, and mentioned the organisation that has

i grown up in that country to emphasise '"'America's moral obligation" to cancel ! tbe Allies' debts to her. When that [ was accomplished the speaker was sure :i great, step would have been taken fo- | wards international cooperation for the ! peace of the world. A short udtlress was then Uvered by Che Hon. \V. W Snodgiviss, ' M.L.G. Ha recalled Lb» fortr..-..tioT) of the league of Nation* e.'gbl ypM.ii «go ■'••V '•• time whe» tsach a p.'C-:>r.s.>! was looked upor. as v'isicwarj. Hut' up to the present the League bud : already showed practical results which I proved beyond doubt that its influence for the good of the world was as great as it was real. The speaker dealt with ; ihe development of another international j body -the Red Cross League. If was cue time proposed that such an organ | isation should be formed to be immune ; from attack during war time. This suggestion was looked upon as little short of madness, and yet the Red Cross | League grew until ii extended over the i whole civilised world. Further it Sill' ! rived the wi.r to become a great peace organisation still working for the good of mankind. So did the speaker hope the League of Nations would grow in ! power and influence until it was hound 1 in with the fabric of every civilisation j under the sun.

Mr Snodgrass referred to the agenda paper of the 1929 sessions of the League. Amongst, the business lo be dealt with were proposals to better the conditions of maritime workers. Communication by sea was of tremendous importance to the trade of the world, and the League would he applauded in its efforts to impiove the work of those engaged upon the sea. The main object of the League, of Nations was to do away with war. and the speaker felt sure that- no one would withhold his support from the League in its great aim.

Several short speeches were made by others present. The Mayor read an extract from a newspaper report, of .the Labour Socialist International Conference which showed that sane Labour, too, realised that some armed force was necessary to police Ihe world. ELECTION Oh' OFFICERS After it. had been duly resolved that a "Nelson Branch" of'the League of Nations Union be formed, the election of officers proceeded. It resulted as fob lows:—i

Patron, Mr 11. Afmore: president Mr IJroad ; vice-presidents, Messrs 11. R Duncan and .1. G. MeKnv; lion, secre lary. Mr C. W. Hay: assistant sere tar.y ami treasurer, Mr A. G. Rurrell committee, Mesdames E. Ilollnwav, Davis, \V. Lock. Miss C. R. Mills Messrs T. L'igg. 11. 11. Horner, I'. I! Parker and A. Fast.

Before Hie. meeting closed all those present were enrolled as members of Ihe branch.