THE New Zealand Herald AND DAILY SOUTHERN CROSS FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 21, 1936 AMENDING THE LEAGUE

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXIII, Issue 22349, 21 February 1936, Page 10

THE New Zealand Herald AND DAILY SOUTHERN CROSS FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 21, 1936 AMENDING THE LEAGUE

A debate in the Lords on the League of Nations has been remarkable for the fact that no one there seems to have thought aloud that the League should be ended. Perhaps the memory of the Peace Ballot last 3 r ear, when by a convincing majority the country avowed its approval of the national policy of standing by the League, damped the powder of any secret critic so utterly hostile ; perhaps no such critic is to be found in that company. The omission is to be noted as a tribute to the League. With all its faults, Britain loves it still. And the criticism, by its comprehensive nature short of argument for the ending of an institution so allegedly bad, can be taken to mean that no one in that august body could think of any acceptable reason for getting along without it. The utmost that Lord Rennell could say was that it had "weaknesses," and he named them—equal privilege of voice for nations unequal in social and ethical standards, its predominantly European character owing to disparity of distribution of the nations, and unrestricted national liberty to enter into alliances that might operate against others in membership. He accordingly suggested a regional division of its constituent units, with a World Court empowered to pronounce on issues the regional executives could not successfully .handle. Lord Ponsonby, not often impressively practical, was for "drastic revision" although sensing complications in Lord Rennell's remedy; Earl Pe?l looked to reconstitution on the basis of purely friendly suasion to keep the peace; and the Marquess of Lothian was content to blame League members for reluctance; because of fears for their economic security, to apply the Covenant principles with determination. These criticisms, as far as they go, cover all that can be said against the League, either as originr ally planned or as worked in the present crisis; yet Earl Stanhope, speaking for the Government, had no difficulty in showing that its attitude of co-operation at Geneva in accordance with the Covenant as it exists was the only one feasible and of present value.

Signs of a wish to amend the structure and procedure of the League aro to be welcomed. They betoken interest and earnestness, without which no nation can be of much service to it; they point away from deupair and thus manifest a realisation that it is worth retaining as an instrument of international amity and partnership. From time to time there are girding 3 against the League —not in Britain but elsewhere—as an engine of destruction of the very things it was fashioned to conserve. Japan has scarcely gone so far as that, for her complaint is that the League has merely although vitally failed to appreciate her needful policy. Germany, under Nazi assumption of 'apokesmanship, has gone the whole length of such condemnation. Italy, while still in nominal association,/takes the same view. Brazil, withdrawing unrepentantly when a place of honour was yielded to Germany, nurses a memory of ambition disappointed. Some of the smaller nations in Europe have frankly feared an inimical ascendancy of the Great Powers, even when events, as in these days of testing, have demonstrated that they have more to gain than to lose by the leadership of the nations with the largest interests in the world. One of the outstanding merits of the League, indeed, is that equality of voice, in the Assembly, to which Lord Rennell has pointed as a weakness—an equality complete save for the accepted anomaly, justified whenever it is the subject of complaint, in the case of the British Empire's multiple vote on account of its peculiar composition. Amendment will come. Circumstances dictate revision, sooner or later. From the present 'strain to which the machinery of the League is put must be learned ways of safeguarding its influence ; but obviously, so long as it is holding together and doing work that cannot wait for more efficient means to be patiently contrived, it tvould be foolish to scrap or even to rebuild it. There have been changes in the constitution of the Council—because they could he made while the machine was running—and some standing committees, for the same reason, have been remodelled with advantage. Nevertheless. main amendments must wait until the pressing issue of the Italo-Abys , sinian war is settled. The equal status that exists apart from membership of the Council should remain as fundamentally essential ; the predominantly European character will not vanish until Lord Rennell or someone else has persuaded the United States to join ; and the stipulation now applying to alliances —their coming within the ambit of the League—should be honoured. Sanctions may be abandoned and much else be changed ; yet with its world-wide aim the League offers the best solution to date of the problems of war and peace.