LEAGUE OF NATIONS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 17726, 10 September 1919, Page 5

LEAGUE OF NATIONS

SOUTH AFRICAN MANDATES. GENERAL SMUTS ON GERMAN COLONIES. " THEY WILL NEVER GO BACK." CAPETOWN, September 8. In the Union Legislative Assembly the Premier (General Smuts) moved'the introduction of the Bill to give effect to the mandate. The Nationalists opposed, it, on the ground that it _ would involVe legislation tor States outside the Union, and therefore was contrary to the Constitution of the Union. Mr Speaker decided to give his ruling on the subject at that stage m favour of constitutionality, and the motion "was carried. General Smuts then moved the ratifica tion of the Peace Treaty. He said the League of Nations -was to him the Peace Treaty. All else might vanish, bat this would stand for ever. The Covenant of the League was the real soul of the treaty, and -would remain when much of the treaty itself /(with which he disagreed owing _ to its many blots and hlemishes) ha-d disappeared. Referring to the dominion's status, General Smuts said he could well understand that in other parts of the world the enormous preponderance of the British Empire was not looked upon with any gre.it favour. Fears had been expressed in Soutn Africa that trhe ultimate tendency of the League of Nations would be to break up the British Empire. This was entirely wrong. On the contrary, he could imagine great dominions arising, which in the nest generation might be as great as Britain. There might have been a danger of a break-away, but the league had provided against it. The day -would come ■when the league would be recognised, and that would be the most important epoch in British history. Ivef erring to the mandate, General Smuts declared that, whatever happened, the German colonies would never go back to Germany. If the Union did not take up its mandate i'b -would revert to the Great Powers, who would entrust it to some other authority.

Dealing with the qnestion of penalties, he contradicted the statement that General Botha had favoured the trial of the exKaiser. It was due to his (Botha's) memory to say that lie was a great opponent of vindictiveness, and was against any such Draconian provision. Dealing with the reparation clauses, General Smuts said they were far from satisfactory, and would have to be revised in the future. The Premier concluded with an earnest appeal for the unity of the British and Dutch. .During his absence he had seen human suffering on so colossal a scale that he did not wish to see any repetition of it here. All bitterness had gone from his heart, and his only wish was to see a real union.—A. and N.Z. Gable. DE WET'S MANIFESTO. OPPOSITION TO THE MANDATE. CAPETOWN, September 6. In a manifesto published in the Nationalist paper at Bloemfontein, Christian De Wet, ono of the leaders of the rebellion in 1914, declares that he will no longerkeep silence regnriing the illegal conquest of German Sout.h-v.-est and South-east Africa. This unjustifiable attack on German territory was the cause of tho rebellion, wherefore he intends to make a strong appeal to people who retain a ri<rht feeling to force the Government to restore these German territories to their rio-htful and original owners. He would have 3 done this had not Generals Botha and Smuts immediately on their return from Europe] announced an amnesty, which promise! liowever, had not yet been fulfilled. Although still in bonds, he declares plainlv ,that he will not again ask leave of the Government if ho wishes tp leave his district.—A. and N.Z. Oable.