LEAGUE UNION

Southland Times, Issue 22008, 6 May 1933, Page 2

LEAGUE UNION

ANNUAL MEETING. The annual meeting of the Invercargill branch of the League of Nations Union was held last night, the president (Mr W. Macalister) being in the chair. The annual report stated: “During the last year the council has not made the usual efforts to increase the membership roll. The depressing times have largely accounted for this and the total shows a drop from 125 to 118. Of that decline of seven, some have left the district and two are deceased. The actual resignations are therefore very few and the subscriptions have been paid up remarkably well. The council believes, in view of that, that efforts made to enrol hew members during the coming year would meet with success. One public meeting has been held during the year. On that occasion the audience was addressed by Dr. Gibb, the Dominion president, who was on a lecturing tour throughout New Zealand. Owing to very bad weather the attendance was only fair. On the suggestion of the Headmasters’ Association, the council altered its usual procedure of holding an examination in the city and country schools and of issuing certificates to those who did satisfactory papers. Mr Griffiths drew up a syllabus of work on the League and this, with booklets and copies of Headway, was distributed. How successful the change has been is not known and the position will be reviewed again in conjunction with the headmasters in September. The secondary schools of the city wrote essays on the subject of ‘Disarmament.’ There were some 350 essays reviewed by Mr Barrett and his report stated that though there was a little similarity amongst the essays there were many fine efforts, many showing original thought. A prize will be given to the writer of the best essay in each school. During the last winter a class of 40 boys at the Borstal received instructions from Mr Dunlop in the aims and work of the League. Good results were achieved and the superintendent is again anxious to have a class formed this winter. An institution this year was a column of League News published from time to time in the Southland Times with paragraphs on recent events. The union is indebted to the Press of the city for generous treatment. The president has placed his office rooms always at the disposal of the council and they have proved most convenient. The thanks of the union are owing also to the headmasters and to the churches who have allowed the council to carry out its plans in educating the younger folk. The year has not been a particularly happy one for those anxious to assist the League and to win popular support for it. The postponement of the _ Disarmament Conference before achieving effective results, the defiance of the League by Japan and the widespread unrest throughout the world have lowered the prestige of the League and made the winning of popular support difficult. The council believes that better economic conditions will evoke better international feeling. It therefore looks forward to the future with confidence. The winning of public support and the education of the young must not be relaxed because the League came to a world intellectually unready for it. ’ Chairman’s Review. In moving the adoption of the report and balance-sheet (the latter showing a credit balance of £2B 10/3), Mr Macalister paid a tribute to the work of Mr C. R. S. Barrett (treasurer) to whom, he said, was due a large measure of the satisfactory financial position of the branch. As the report mentioned, the branch had had a rather quiet financial year duo to the difficulty in enrolling new members in the present time ot stress. The union, however, had been doing its utmost to carry on its mam work, namely, the education of public opinion. The report referred to the work that had been undertaken in the secondary and primary schools, rhe Headmasters’ Association thought it would be a wise plan for the branch to supply literature and to let the children educate themselves. This plan was adopted, but the actual results were not yet definitely known. 4 1 wish to express regret that we are to suffer the impending departure from Invercargill- of our treasurer, Mr Barrett, who has always been one .of our main stalwarts,” said Mr Macalister. “Then our secretary, Mr A. J. Deaker, has proved a host in himself and the branch owes a great deal to his enthusiasm. (Applause.) There’s no need, to be down-hearted about the Union, ’ he concluded. “We’re passing through strenuous times, but fortunately a great deal of our work costs us nothing.” The report and balance-she were adopted. The following office-bearers were elected for the ensuing year:—President, Mr C. A. Stewart; vice-president, the Rev. C. J. Tocker; council, Mesdames F. M. Corkill and R. R. MacGregor and Miss A. A. Eastwood; the Rev. J. A. Lush and Messrs W. Macalister, A. R. Dunlop, J. L. Cameron and A. E. Featherstone; treasurer, Mr George Featherstone; secretary, Mr A. J. Deaker; auditor, Mr R. N. Todd. Tribute to Mr Macalister. On the motion of the Rev. C. J. Tocker, a special vote of appreciation for services rendered by the retiring president, Mr W. Macalister,. who did not seek re-election, was carried unanimously by acclamation. “I am sure that every member will agree that the council and branch are under a very great debt to Mr W. Macalister for the way in which he has discharged the duties of his office.” said Mr Tocker. “The branch owes almost everything to Mr Macalister’s initiative and to the very influential way in which he has thrown himself so enthusiastically into the work that has had to be done.” (Applause.) . At the conclusion of the business portion of the meeting, Messrs A. K. Dunlop and C. A. Stewart gave most interesting addresses on the Sino-Jap-anese question, a general discussion on the subject then taking place. Mr Dunlop dealt chiefly with the psychological difficulties that had arisen. Japan, he said, had existed entirely in isolation and not until 1600 was there any contact with the outside —even with China. The reawakening came as late as 1900 and during all those years was developed an exclusive mind. There were vital barriers between the western countries and Japan that had given rise to the mutual distrust. The solution of such an attitude seemed to be the inculcation of greater intimacy and understanding between Japan and Europe. “The main tragedy of Japan is that the development has been rapid, but too rapid to be sound,” said Mr Dunlop. China appealed to the Japanese as the country best able to satisfy their nationalism. That country seemed to be chaotic and Japan wished to take advantage of such chaos. “What connection with the League of Nations has all this?” asked the speaker. “It seems to me essential for the League to bear well in mind in endeavouring to solve the problem these psychological difficulties I have mentioned. The solution must be left in the good care of time. I fail to see what else the League could have done but to have sent the commission it did to the East. I have definitely come to the conclusion that Japan’s development within recent times has been entirely superficial.”

In his address, Mr Stewart said that although the League might have somewhat disappointed its members at not having achieved everything desired, it could not be gainsaid that but lor the

League the problem would not have been treated as successfully as was the case. The steps taken by the League were those provided in its Covenant to be set in motion when approached by one of the parties to the dispute, namely, China. A strictly impartial, international commission went out to the spot, sifted out all the evidence and then came to a unanimous finding on every point of its voluminous report presented to the League. The 42 nations, in their turn, unanimously approved of the findings—all that was a wonderful achievement in itself. It had been complained that the League had been insufferably slow, but Lord Lytton had answered that by emphasizing that, any judicial proceeding was necessarily slower than lynch law, while Japan had actually protested that the League was too hasty. ' (