PEACE OF THE WORLD

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LV, Issue 17502, 26 February 1931, Page 8

PEACE OF THE WORLD

A FURTHER ADVANCE GENERAL ACT OF ARBITRATION (British Official Wireless.) Roc. 2 p.rn. RUGBY, Feb. 25. A memorandum is issued regarding the proposed accession of the Government of the United Kingdom to the general act of arbitration.

It is recalled that the optional clause related only to justiciable disputes, and it was to cover the field of non-justici-able disputes so that all international disputes of whatever character should bo capable of a pacific solution that in 1928 the. League Assembly produced the socalled general act. Its importance lies in the fact that it completes the organised system of “all in arbitration.’’ Its initial currency is five years from the first accessions.

In 1930 a White Paper pointed out that the Pact of Paris provided no machinery for the pacific solution of disputes. The signature of the optional clause and the accession to the general act arc a logical sequence to the acceptance of the pact. The Government, however, could only accede to the general act on conditions corresponding closely to those made regarding the optional clause. These reservations are, firstly, to disputes arising prior to the accession to general act or relating to situations or facts prior to the, accession; secondly, disputes regarding winch the parties to the dispute have agreed, or shall agree, to have recourse to some other method of peaceful settlement; thirdly, disputes between the Government. of the United Kingdom and the government of any other member of tile, League which is a member of tho British commonwealth, all of which disputes shall he settled in such manner as the parties have, agreed, or shall agree; fourthly, disputes concerning questions which by international law are solely within the domestic jurisdiction of states; and; fifthly, disputes with any party to tho general act who is not a memhei; of the League. Tho White Paper recalls that at last year’s Imperial Conference the opinion was emphatically in favor of the principle of the act, and the Government of the United Kingdom will invite the House of Commons to approve accession in the knowledge that the governments in Hie Dominions and Hie Government of India are in ‘agreement with the action, in Hie belief that such action will make n. further contribution to the peace and security of the world.