LEAGUE OF NATIONS

Southland Times, Issue 19655, 4 October 1922, Page 5

LEAGUE OF NATIONS

VALUABLE achievements AUSTRALIAN DELEGATES OPTIMISTIC ■ \ (By Telegraph.—Press Assn. —Copyright). (AustralMh and N.Z. Cable Association.) LONDON, October 2. Mr Justice Rich, of the.. High Court of Australia, is most optimistic regarding the future of the League of Nations, which he confessed at first he regarded as an unaccomplishable ideal, but recent sittings had many solid achievements placed to their credit, such as the advance towards disarmament and the admission of Hungary because the more countries admitted the belter for the League, the assistance given to Austria and lastly the indication of how the League intended to intervene where possible in international disputes in connection with the action they took in the present Turkish trouble. Mr Justice Rich paid a warm tribute to the enthusiasm and sincerity of Lord Robert Cecil which, combined with his complete legal training, set him among the most prominent figures at the conference. He was also impressed with the grasp of public diplomatic and political subjects shown by Prince Ranjishinjhi. Mr Justice Rich said Germany should certainly be admitted to the League. Then if America joined, the League would have sufficient moral influence without armed force to sit heavily on the head of any nation kicking over the traces. As judicial questions frequently cropped up he recommended that legal advisers should accompany future Australasian delegations. He said the Mandates Commission had not thoroughly grasped the conditions under which Australia and New Zealand were administering the Islands. Sir Joseph Cook, interviewed, said he was of opinion that the was already proving itself increasingly valuable. Though it was formed ostensibly to maintain a peace already made at Versailles, it had had to devote itself actually to making jieace where none existed. ’ The League had won its spurs already by its intervention in Upper Silesia. He believed

the recent Assembly had been well worth while if only for the steps taken for the rehabilitation of Austria. Without the League the various Powers would have haggled for an opportunity of helping Austria financially, but a? payment, therefor would practically take control which would have tended to international discord and possibly war. The League could hardly take over the Near East situation at the present juncture. No peace had i been made with Turkey and the League maintained that there could not be two sets of negotiations operating simultaneously. He hoped eventually the contending nations would accept the British view and favour handing over the control of the straits to the League. Sir Janies Allen interviewed, comparing the first and second years of the League of Nations working said he noticed this year some recrudescence of the superstate idea, though in a modified form. An example of this was the suggestion that the League should control the Dardanelles, which was clearly impossible unless the League had some of the functions of a state. The League was without an army or navy and if an attempt were made to force the Dardanelles it would be obliged to appeal to some Powers to assist it to carry out the suggested responsibility in connection with keeping the straits open. In its technical organisation the League was tending to expand rather too rapidly. Many schemes were good in themselves but the expense seemed more than the finances of the League at present justified. The League also seemed to be the coming receptacle for all problems which |he Powers could not usefully tackle. This tendency gave the League plenty of opportunities and if it could manage to settle some of these difficulties it would certainly be a feather in the League’s cap. LOAN TO AUSTRIA LAST OBSTACLE REMOVED ROME, October 3. (Received October 3, 8.40 p.m.) The Cabinet authorised acceptance of the modified proposal before the League of Nations regarding a loan to Austria, thus removing the last obstacle.