LEAGUE OF NATIONS.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 21221, 30 December 1930, Page 6

LEAGUE OF NATIONS.

WORK OF THE- ASSEMBLY. >' : , ’ r-' ECONOMIC QUESTIONS DISCUSSED. (Special to Dailt Times.) ■AUCKLAND, December 29. After seven 'years’ service with, the Secretariat of the League of Nations'during which he acted as One of the personal assistants, of Sir Erie; Drummond! Sec-retary-general of the League, Mr J. V. Wilson, of Christchurch; arrived by the Niagara on furlough. He is one of three New Zealanders attached to-.the Secretariat, ‘the others being Messrs J. IL Cbapman, of Wellington, and TS. Harston, of -Hawke’s Bav. •

, Speaking, of the league’s work, Mr Wilson said it had to be remembered that the Assembly met tinder the shadow of wbrld economic depression.. That circumstance materially cut short some of the finer flowers of dilatory, blit on the whole it resulted in *a greater appreciation of the realities than ever before; and 1 the economic questions were in the, foreground of the discus-' sious. Representatives of all the British Dominions played a prominent part, and on the suggestion of the Indian Government the: league was now carrying out an inquiry, into the present economic crisis. A noteworthy achievement on the political side was the signing after, many years of preparation of the conventkm giving financial assistance to any State which might be declared by. the council of'the league to be the victim of aggression. ' ' .

Mr Wilson said that M. Briand’s pro- ' posal for a European federation had excited great interest in league circles.' This scheme was being kept well within the framework of the league, but further than that it was hard to say anything,, as the proposal was still in the preparatory , stage, and it was impossible to predict what the issue would be. The League Committee, which was v to meet in January, would study the question further.

“Public opinion on the Continent,is very divided on M. Briand’s proposal,” said Mr Wilson. “ Some of the Central European States, are particularly interested in it, while some of-the overseas States seem to prefer to see how the -.scheme develops before expressing an. opinion.

“The Mandates Commission was still in session when I left Geneva,” said Mr Wilson, “and hiad just.heard the reports of representatives of the New Zealand Government, Sir Thomas Wilford (High' CommissioneV) and Mr C. A. TBerendsen,, of the External Affairs Department, Wellington, with regard to the annual report on Samoa. The conclusions of the commission had not been published when I left.” \ Mr Wilson said the Preparatory Commission on Disarmament dealt with what was perhaps the most important league problem of the moment. It had now concluded its task, which was to prepare a draft convention to be considered-, .at .the World Disarmament Conference. ’ That draft did not give anything like; satisfaction to the. States which had been forcibly disarmed, but as Lord Cecil , recently said: “It probably represents, the best compromise possible under th» existing political conditions.” The United States was taking a prominent part in the disarmament work of> the league as in the greater part of its l other work.