LEAGUE SESSION

Southland Times, Issue 22131, 27 September 1933, Page 5

LEAGUE SESSION

MEETING OF ASSEMBLY SOUTH AFRICAN ELECTED PRESIDENT SURPRISE DECISION (British Official Wireless.) Rugby, September 25. The fourteenth meeting of the League Assembly opened at Geneva under the presidency of the Norwegian Premier, M. Ludwig Mowinckel. Mr Charles Theodore te Water, High Commissioner for the Union of South Africa in London, was elected president of the Assembly by 53 votes to 30. The election of Mr te Water to the presidency was the biggest surprise in the history of the Assembly openings. 'I he first time the voting went totally against all expectations. Mr te Water s election has nonplussed the Secretariat because despite the fact that English is the official language with the French, all the president’s instructions are in French, necessitating their immediate translation. The incoming president had no speech prepared, and his election means that South Africa no longer contemplates opposing Australia on the Council. . , Mr te Water’s election was mainly due to the Mexican candidate’s inability to speak English or French. Moreover the Mexicans threatened to leave the League if not elected, which annoyed several of the Powers. The Assembly opened listlessly ana all interest centres on the disarmament discussions. New President’s Remarks.

In a brief address the new president, Mr te Water, said South Africa had known war and had experienced all its bitterness, but in the later days of peace had obliterated the "ast and he offered her example to some of the greater nations. “I shall bring to my task the valuable experience of the young nations that comprise the British Commonwealth,” he said. There are no nations more determined to keep peace than that group.” ■ M. Mowinckel reviewed the world outlook and expressed his keen regret that since the Great War little progress had been made towards securing a better understanding between the people. On the contrary the fear oi the possibility of war was ever hanging as a constant menace over the future of the nations. It was natural but wholly unfair to blame the League, and it was the primary duty of League members to strengthen the credit ot the League in the eyes of the world. Referring to the World Economic Conference and the Disarmament Conference, he said that if the great nations came to such conferences with views that were difficult to reconcile it might be said in advance that a favourable result could not be reached, even it all the other Powers were agreed. He expressed hope in the Four-Power Pact as an instrument for appeasing Franco-’ German differences and possibly bunging an understanding, even friendship, in a torn and divided Europe. Dr Goebbels’ Stalwart Bodyguard. Apart from Dr Goebbels’ arrival with a bodyguard of fifteen stalwarts, the opening of the Assembly was devoid ot incident. The Germans and the Austrians occupy the front row. Japan tor the first time since the League was formed has not sent a delegation, but is represented by a single observer. With the object of being removed from the centre of things the Germans have changed their hotel and are staying at the far end of Geneva. Their hotel is guarded day and night by Swiss police in addition to the delegations own plain-clothes bodyguard. Dr Dolliuss is also strongly guarded. The formation of his new Ministry necessitates his return to Vienna on Thursday. Sir John Simon and Captain K. A. Eden had a long meeting with the dominion delegates which was almost entirely devoted to disarmament. The Sun Service learns that Sir John Simon declared himself as being more optimistic than for a considerable time and that the French were prepared for a much greater advance than was ever expected. They had informed him that any convention was better than none because failure would loosen a flood of rearmament. Sir John Simon pointed out that Germany wanted a. convention, but Baron von Neurath insisted that it must be a convention to which Germany could subscribe because she wanted to honestly fulfil it. Sir John Simon told the dominion delegates that the improved French and Italian situation was an important augury. . _ Britain has invited the dominion delegates to a meeting to .discuss League costs with a view to raising the Budget Commission and the question of added costs of subscriptions from countries otf the gold standard.

ARGENTINA’S DECISION PARTICIPATION IN LEAGUE. (United Press Assn.—Telegraph Copyright.) (Rec. 10.30 p.m.) . c Buenos Aires, September 2b. The Government plans immediate participation in the League of Nations following approval by the Senate of Argentine membership with the proviso that the Munroe Doctrine be regarded as unilateral and not multilateral.