LEAGUE OF NATIONS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LIX, Issue 18275, 16 December 1922, Page 10

LEAGUE OF NATIONS.

DELEGATE'S IMPRESSION,

"A'N INSTRUMENT FOR. PEACE."

The relation of the League of Nations to the trouble in the Near East was explained yesterday by Mr. Justice G. E. Rich of the High Goujrt of Australia, who arrived by the Niagara, on his wav home to Australia after attending the Assembly of the League of Nations at Geneva as one of the Commonwealth delegates. Ho said that, when the trouble looked serious the Norwegian delegates proposed that the question of a settlement- be referred to the League, but when the matter was under discussion, it was learned that the Allies had arrived at a decision and the League came to the conclusion that as negotiations were then in progress between the parties it would not be wise to interfere. The League howover, offered'to place all its resources at the disposal of the parties in the effort to arrive at a peaceful settlement. Judge Rich said that he went to the gathering in a rather sceptical mood feeling that the Assembly wag a place where well-meaning people met and discussed questions without arriving at any practical results, but ho came away with the conviction that the League was an instrument for securing international goodwill and peace. He felt that the League would become morebiseful as time went on and as other nations such as the United States, the Irish Free State, Germany, Russia and Turkey joined it I n expressing the hope that the United States would find her way into the Jjeague he said that that, country's interests in Europe and the Near East would play their part in bringing her in, and that when the Irish Free State and Germany became members some of the hostile cntidsm m America would diminish or altogether cease. f T i e * T o ra u ica i int ? r€si tak€n h V many of the* South American Republics in the League was referred to by the visitor, who said that at the conclusion of the session the delegates from the States represented at Geneva met and decided that there should be a closer relation between the League of Nations and the Pan-American Congress which meets this year at Santiago.