PROTECTION OF MINORITIES

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXVI, 24 September 1934, Page 5

PROTECTION OF MINORITIES

INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE DISCUSSED BY LEAGUE (British Official Wireless) RUGBY,-21st September. At the conclusion, of the. discussion on minorities in the Political Ooinmission of the League of Nations Assembly, the Polish delegate withdrew a resolution calling for an international', conference to deal \yith the whole question and consider a convention for the bringing into force of a generally applicable and uniform system for the international protection of minorities. Mr Anthony Eden,, in opposing the proposal for the univcrsalisation of minority treaties, said it. had yet to be shown that univcrsalisation would yield better results. Tie treatment meted out to every section and creed among the citizens was one of the criteria by which every Government must expect to lie judged. Had any State any more valued possession than its good name for the just and impartial treatment of every section of its citizens, whatever their race, colour or creed? It was well known, he continued; that acute racial feeling had arisen in the past in connection with tlie Jews iu certain countries, and such minorities were accordingly quite rightly covered by treaties. Tins applied only to certain areas, for in the majority of the countries oi the world the so-called Jewish problem was unknown. There was no general world problem which would justify the worldwide extension of the arrangement. Signor Aloisi (Italy) and M. Massigli (France) also opposed the Polish proposal, and the debate revealed that the majority of the delegates shared this view. In announcing his withdrawal of the resolution, ciie Polish delegate, M. Rncznynski, said he recognised that unanimity would be necessary to obtain the change Poland desired..