The Pahiatua Herald. PUBLISHED EVERY EVENING. WEDNESDAY, JUNE 16, 1920. THE LEAGUE OF NATIONS.

Pahiatua Herald, Volume XXV, Issue 2501, 16 June 1920, Page 4

The Pahiatua Herald. PUBLISHED EVERY EVENING. WEDNESDAY, JUNE 16, 1920. THE LEAGUE OF NATIONS.

if we were to take a cue from tlie space given to its affairs in the cablegrams, remarks the “Otago Daily ’Junes,” in a recent issue, we should not have much ground for concluding

that the League ot Nations is exert*, f—mg a very taifgible influence upon the activities of the nations The League does occasionally provide material for

a column or two in the papers at Home, though even there a tendency

'seems to obtain in some quarters “to write tlie League off and look round land see how far we can get on witlij out it.” Hut everyone who makes such : a survey in a candid ami humanitar-

ian spirit must in tin* end reach the conclusion Unit, whatever the position *>i the present League may be. the need for such ail organisation seem*

to grow more and more impiessive. Pessimism "ill certainly not help the League to make g<«xl. Mr <*. H. lVrjiis. wilting recently in an encouraging strain in the “Daih Chronicle, credits the League ol Nations wr.'li hat ing made a good strong start. “It has.” he says. “begun the ndminisj tration of the Sane Valley torritoiy lietwcen Germany and T ranee, and ol * the free port ol Dazig. lietwcen Geri many and Poland. ll lias taken the iirs! ste]>s toward tin o-t;. blishment ol a Permanent. Court of International Justice, an International Health Itu- ! rim. and a Transit Committee. and | toward tlie holding of an Internai national Financial Ginfermi'f ami ;an inquiry into the condition i< I R itssi.i. And now it has I* ‘tote it i tints- subjects of the most utmost <little 11 11 y tin- reduction ot the mandates under which conquered or dcrchet countries art* to he ruled m general, end the destiny ot Armenia in particular." But ihe fact that tic* I .*. a io ~s m its infancy and pecularK exposed to the dangers attemling that living tx'void is suit icient 1\ hrought mtf in the influential appeal which was recently launched in Great Bittain for a national fund of t 1 .000.000 for its su p| x n't. The appeal Ix'ars the signatures of Lot tl Grey ot tallodon. ATr

Lloyd George, Earl Beatty. Mr As quitli. Lord Kohi'rt (Veil, and Mr .T K. ('lyuos. It expresses tin* case toi

tin* League in terms that are eloquent and should lx* convincing. Lest anyone should consider that the fund which is asked for is needlessly large

it is pointed out that it represents hut the bare otxsf ot tour hours ot the late war. The appeal reiterates arguments which have certainly not lost their cogency. “ I he League ol Nations was called into being,” it is pointed out. “m the flood ot idealism and self-denial caused by tin* agony of the later stages ol tin* war. it. was created in the heartfelt desire ol < very soul who fought to have dene for all time with t ho abomination of modern war. Whatever selfieli, nationalism may have crept into the lito of t ho world since the armistice. it wa.s those higher ideals, which transcend selfish nationalism, that inspired the League; and those are the ideals which must gixe it lito The point is justly emphasised that the League of Nations can onlv lx* what the people of Hu* world choose to make it. As tin* Power which, to its credit, took the foremost part in the foundation of the Tleague Great Britain in particular, as Lord Solborne indicated in his speech at the annual dinner ot the Royal 00l onial Institute, must he expected to assume the burden ot establishing it. ujxm an effective basis. Lord Grey* and his colleagues are tiank in stating their belie! that “if Groat Britain does not. support tin* League with all her might and resources -and this dejxmds solely upon the will of the pimple— tin* League itself will assuredly wither and die.” Nor will they he accused of insincerity when they add: “And if the Is ague should die, God help oat children ; for no human agency can save them from calamities to which the lato war will ap|xar as the nicnx-t

trifle.” W T ar tends to become Dior* and more frighftul as new discoveries are made in respect to the machinery of destruction. A French inventor is said to have designed a gun with a. range of 150 miles—a weapon which would enable London to lie bomtiarded from Ctetend. It is for the nations U» realise wlmt the future may have in store for them if they are not careful. And it is to educate the minds of the people and enlist their goodwill that the League of Nations Union at Home is asking for financial support.