THE LEAGUE ASSEMBLY.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LVII, Issue 17622, 8 November 1920, Page 7

THE LEAGUE ASSEMBLY.

EMPIRE DELEGATION. PRELIMINARY CONFERENCE. GERMANY'S ADMISSION. By Telegraph Press Association Copyright. (Received 10.30 p.m.) A. and N.Z. LONDON. Nov. 5. The British delegate* to the League of Nations Assembly met at the House of Commons this morning for the purpose of conferring on the subjects on the agenda of the Geneva Conference and arriving at a, general understanding. There were present: Mr. Lloyd George, presiding, Mr. Bonar Law, Lord Curzon, Mr. Austin Chamberlain, and the following delegates:—Britain, Mr. H. A. L. Fisher, Minister for Education, and Mr. G. N. Barnes. M-P. ; Canada, Mr. N. W. Rowell : South Africa, Lord Robert Cecil and Mr. R. A. Blankenberg; India, Sir William Meyer and the Jam of Nawanagar (Prince Ranjitsinhji). Two Canadian delegates, Sir George Foster and Mr. C. J. Doherty, have not yet I arrived. Mr. A. J. Balfour was also absent on account of illness.

Mr. Lloyd George spoke for three-quar-ters of an hour. He dealt with German reparations. The surrender of arms, warships, and shipping, he said, had all been satisfactory except in respect of rifles, the requisite number of which had not been delivered because they were scattered over the country. The Prime Minister conveyed the impression that Germany was doing her best to comply with the treaty. Grave difficulties, he added, were developing among the smaller nations notably in conjunction with the limitation of frontiers. A desultory discussion, followed, and the conference adjourned till Monday. The Australian Press Association learns that the discussion revealed strong efforts in certain quarters to invite Germany to participate in the Geneva Conference. It is understood that France and Australia are opposing the suggestion. The attitude of other members is uncertain. PERILS OF EXCLUSION. COUNTER-LEAGUE POSSIBLE. Australian, and N.Z. Cable Association. (Eecd. 11.5 p.m.) LONDON. Nov. 5.

Lord Robert Cecil, in a speech in London, said that unless it were realised at the earliest possible moment that the League of Nations meant a confederation of all the nations of the world, there would be a great danger of a counterleague implying a revival of the old system of alliances and balance of power, and nothing would be done to rescue the world from the perils threatening it.