LEAGUE OF NATIONS UNION

Otago Witness, Issue 4038, 4 August 1931, Page 72

LEAGUE OF NATIONS UNION

T The Otago Council of the League of Nations Union met on Tuesday evening. The chairman (the Rev. H. E. Bellhouse) welcomed the newly-appointed representative from the Chamber of Commerce. Ihe correspondence submitted included letters from the New Zealand Farmers’ Union, the Dunedin Manufacturers’ Association, the Amalgamated Engineering and Allied Trades Union, and from Mr W. Downie Stewart, consenting to be a vice-president of the Otago branch. Miss 13. MTntyre presented the report from the sub-committee on the proposed production of a model assembly. Considerable progress had been made. The principal speakers had been secured, and a number of prominent residents had consented to assume the character of wellknown international personages. The sub-committee was thanked and requested to proceed to the presentation for the month of September. The radio station 4YA has arranged to broadcast a series of talks in September during the session of the League of Nations Assembly. The following have consented to speak:—Dr Merriii"ton, Messrs W. R. Brugh, Lloyd Ross? E. Hayes, and the Rev. A. Astor. Mr Bellhouse referred to the importance attached in Great Britain to the Disarmament Conference and to the magnificent gathering in the Albert Hall, when the leaders of three political parties spoke from the same platform. The Foreign Secretary (Mr Arthur Henderson) had taken “ Disarmament ” for his subject for the Burns’ lecture. The council passed a resolution asking the New Zealand Dominion Executive to organise a public meeting in Wellington on the lines of the Albert Hall meeting, similar meetings to be held in other towns of the Dominion. Dr Merrington, as convener of the General Purposes Committee of the Presbyterian Church, consented to circulate in Otago the disarmament declaration, which was meeting with such enthusiasm in Britain, U.S.A., and 40 other countries. A committee was appointed, with Mr N. S._ Woods as convener, to consider the question of a school essay next year. The hon. treasurer (Mr Frank Taylor) presented the financial statement. The secretary’s report stated that during the past two months 10 addresses had been given in Otago by members of the council and two radio talks had been broadcast.