THE LEAGUE ASSEMBLY

Otago Witness, Issue 3890, 2 October 1928, Page 51

THE LEAGUE ASSEMBLY

RESOLUTION ON ARMAMENTS. GENEVA, September 24. The Third Committee has been forwarded the resolution of the Assembly affirming the necessity for the limitation and reduction of armaments. Costa Rica has announced that she is resuming membership of the League. OPIUM SMOKING AND SMUGGLING. RUGBY, September 24. The British proposal for an inquiry by the League of Nations in the Far 'East on opium smoking and smuggling was adopted in the Fourth Committee by a majority, after being warmly supported by the British delegates, Dam e Edith Lyttelton and Sir Malcolm Delevingne, and by representatives of India, the B’ritish dominions, and Siam. As the expenses of the inquiry may exceed 200,000 francs, the British Government has offered to contribute 50,000 francs. The Finance Bill was approved on the British proposal by 17 votes against five, with 11 abstentions. NEW LEAGUE BUILDINGS. GENEVA, September 24. The' Budget Committee' adopted a report authorising a change of site and the necessary work on the new League buildings, and also a report on the League budget, asking the assembly to pass a grant of £1,081,052. OPIUM SMOKING INQUIRY. RUGBY, September 25. The League Assembly yesterday adonted the report of Danae Edith Lyttelton (British woman delegate) proposing a commission of inquiry into opium smoking in the Far East. She explained that many Governments, such as the British, French, and Dutch, found it impossible to control opium consumption in their Easteip territories on account of the enor mous volume *of smuggled prepared opium. The purpose of the inquiry was to establish facts on which action could be based. It was hoped that the United States Government would permit an inquiry in the'Philippines, which was the only place where complete opium smokine nrohibition was in force. TOLERANCE AND BROTHERHOOD. GENEVA, September 26. After voting the Budget the Assembly session closed. M. Zahle (president) expressed the opinion that the Assembly should learn to employ a language of tolerance and international brotherhood, so that the League’s workers might seriously build the walls of an edifice, the pinnacles of which would pierce the clouds which hung over the world.

Lord Lytton, on behalf of India, strongly deprecated the increasing budgets, especially - of the International Labour Office. -He urged its officers to exercise greater care in the expenditure,

otherwise India might be compelled to vote against the budget. The League Council passed a resolution urging all Governments to negotiate privately with a view to reaching an understanding, and thus permit a successful meeting of the Preparatory Commission on Disarmament. The council instructel the secretary to convene a meeting of the committee for the supervision of the private manufacture of war material prior to the next session of the Council, with a view to submission to a special conference to be held simultaneously with the General Disarmament Conference. REVIEW BY LONDON TIMES. GOOD WORK ACCOMPLISHED. RUGBY, September 27. In an article entitled “ Great Britain and the League,” The Times review’s the W’ork of the League session and deals with the criticisms levelled at the attitude adopted by the British Government on current international qu'estions. The Times comments on the businesslike nature of the League session, on the absence of set oratorical displays, on the great attention paid to organisation and personnel, on the atmosphere of quiet confidence in the League’s stability and on the growing realisation of the immense advantages of the form of international co-operation that it provides. The League has, in fact, taken root in the world and is indisjpensable. As to the British attitude towards the League, The Times declares: “Not merely is Great Britain in every sense its strongest supporter, but under the present administration the League work has become an integral element of the British foreign policy, and the foreign secretary has taken an active part in every meeting of the Council and the Assembly until his illness this month.” Regarding the Anglo-French naval compromise The Times thinks that “ the British Government’s motives may be defended but not its tactics. Its real mistake lay not in thinking too little of the League, but in thinking too narrowly in terms of the League preparatory commission on disarmament and not sufficiently of the state of American opinion. The deadlock in the disarmament commission was an occasion for conversations that led to the compromise, and its object was to provide a new basis for discussion between the chief naval Powers and so to make it possible for the commission to go on with its W’ork. If that basis is not accepted and if no alternative is offered the preparatory commission will have to look to the United States for further light on its difficult problem.” Dealing with the Rhineland, The Times says “few people in England pretend to like its ocupancy, and the general feeling is that it is unnecessary and embarrassing, and that it has served its purpose. That is not the feeling in France, which has special relations with Germany that are by no means all unfriendly. Great Britain has assisted at various stages in promoting better relations between France and Germany and is thoroughly friendly with both. A sudden withdrawal of British troops from the Rhineland could only be perfectly useless and a harmful demonstration leading to confusion. It would not have helped Germany, it would have offended France, and it would almost certainly have caused further irritating delay in the evacuation of French Lord Cushendun has helped in the only possible way by taking account of the realities and bringing France and Germany to the point of practical negotiations. There is reason to hope that the proposed committee of experts will find a . solution possible of certain reparations difficulties that will benefit both France and .Germany, and will remove the last barrier to an early joint evacuation of all foreign troops from German soil. It has been laid down that the settlement shall be such as will not involve any additional burden on the British taxpayers. In these circumstances the action taken by Lord Cushendun advances the cause of European peace, and does credit both to Great Britain and to the League, under whose auspices the conversations were carried on.