N.Z.'S PLAN

Stratford Evening Post, Volume IV, Issue 225, 3 September 1936, Page 7

N.Z.'S PLAN

LEAGUE REFORM.

STRENGTHENING ~ AUTHORITY ■:l'te'si bnk -_ Sanctions Will Always _ Be Ineffective Unless Immediate.

SUPPORT OF COVENANT.

Press Association-Copyright Wellington, September 2

The New Zealand Government had forwarded to the Secretary-General of the League of Nations a memorandum ctting out the Government's views on reform of the League in compliance with a resolution of the League Assembly inviting members of the League to make m-oDosals with the object of. strengthSe authority of the League, stated Se Prime Minister, the Rt. Hon. M. J. Savage, to-day. The Government in forwarding its reply indicated that if New Zealand spronosals were not considered immediately practicable it would not demur to consideration of progress by stages or of altrnative proposals. The New Zealand Government's memorandum read as iollTn''7ccordance with the result of the resolution of the Assembly of the League on July 4 1906, and anticipating a formal request from the Council (as is necessary in the circumstances of New Zealand if the proposals of the New Zealand Government are to be received by the secretary-general of the League before September 1 next) I have the honour to forward herewith an expression of the views of the New Zealand Government on the Covenant of the League of Nations. (1) We believe in the first place that there is no material fault in the existing provisions of the Covenant and that the difficulties that have arisen and that may arise in the future are due to the method and extent of its operation. Application of Covenant. (2) We believe that the Covenant has never yet been fully applied and that it cannot be characterised as an ineffective instrument until it has been so applied. (3) We are prepared to reaffirm with the utmost solemnity our continued acceptance of the Covenant as it stands. (4) We believe, nevertheless, that the Covenant is capable of amendment, which should take the,form of strengthening rather than weakening its provisions. (5) We are prepared to accept in principle the provisions proposed for the Geneva protocol of 1924 as one method of strengthening the. Covenant as' it exists. (6) We are prepared to take our collective share in the application against any future aggressor of the full economic sanctions contemplated by Article 16, and we are prepared to the extent of our power to join in collective application of force against any future aggressor.

(7) We believe that the sanctions contemplated by the present Covenant will be as ineffective in the future as they have been in the past 01) unless they are made immediate and automatic; (2) unless economic sanctions take the form of the complete boycott contemplated by Article 16; (3) unless any sactions that may be applied are supported by the certainty that the members of the League applying the sanctions are able, and, if necessary, prepared to use force against war. (8) It is our belief that the Covenant as it is or in a strengthened form would in itself be sufficient to prevent war if the world realised that the nations undertaking to apply the Covenant actually would do so in fact.

International Force. (9) We are prepared to agree to the institution of an international force under the control of the League or to the allocation to the League of a deof the whole of those forces, land, sea of its members to the extent, if desired, of the whole of those forces, land, sea and air.

(10) We consider that there can be no certainty of the complete and automatic operation of the Covenant unless the Governments of all members of the League are supported in their determination to apply it by the declared approval of their peoples. (11) We propose therefore that all the members of the League and as many non-members as may be persuaded to adopt this course should hold immediately a national plebiscite with the object of taking the opinion of their peoples on the following points:— (a) Whether they are prepared to join automatically and immediately in the sanctions contemplated by Article 16 of the Covenant against any aggressor nation nominated as such by the council or the Assembly. (b) Whether, in such case, the armed forces of their country (or such proportion as may previously have been fixed by the League) should be immediately' and automatically placed at the complete disposal of the League for that purpose.

Other sections summarised advocate the seperation of the covenant from all peace treaties; request a/

world survey' of economic conditions and denounces a collective peace sys-

stem as unsatisfactory unti it is universal.