GENEVA’S URGENT TASK

Taranaki Daily News, 17 February 1933, Page 7

GENEVA’S URGENT TASK

RELATION TO REPARATIONS WORLD POLITICS REVIEWED LEAGUE’S STATUS IN EAST SIR J. SIMON SHOWS DUTY By Telegraph—Press Assn. —Copyright. British Wireless. Rugby, Feb. 15. International affairs were surveyed by Sir John Simon, Secretary for Foreign Affairs, in a speech at Southampton tonight. He showed the relation between the work at Lausanne and that at Geneva and explained the status of the League of Nations in connection with the Sino-Japanese dispute. Referring to disarmament, Sir John regretted that the Geneva conference had been unable to make more rapid 'progress in its most difficult but most essential and urgent task. “The British policy not only aims at giving a lead for the international adoption of practical methods of disarmament, but also seeks by every means in its power to establish a sense of confidence and mutual understanding between the nations, upon which the effective measure of agreed international disarmament must rest,” Sir John said. “This is the real relation between our work at Lausanne and our work at Geneva. Ever since the peace treaties the question of reparations has been a menace to European stability and even to European peace. “The achievement at Lausanne consisted in the agreements reached between Germany and the European creditors, which showed how they might arrive at a final settlement of all claims and disputes about reparations and which at once brought about a marked improvement in the prospects of more peaceful co-operation. That is most important, and we should not now disturb that prospect. The Lausanne agreement still awaits final ratification, and we simply cannot afford to do anything which would render ratification impossible. If the reparations question were to be reopened, confidence throughout the world must be further undermined and the fall in prices and economic distress of the world accentuated.” “The situation in the Far East gives the greatest concern to every supporter of the League, not only because of the seriousness and extent of the conflict between two members of the League, but also because the future of the League may be vitally affected by the outcome.” continued Sir John. “Here again the British policy has been perfectly consistent throughout. We seek to act as a good member of the League and the firm friend of both sides. “The League is not a super-State exercising an overriding physical compulsion over its members. It is an international organisation which seeks to substitute co-operation for force and conciliation for conflict, and if conciliation for the moment fails the League has a duty in making its report and recommendations with firmness and fairness, in order to influence world opinion, and that it may make its full contribution to a solution and settlement.” LEAGUE’S FAILURE FEARED 1 ‘ MAY WRECK CONFERENCE ’ ’ GRAVITY OF REPERCUSSION London, Feb. 15. The world outlook is causing grave apprehension, says the Sun. It is feared that the League’s failure to achieve conciliation in the Manchurian dispute may wreck the Disarmament Conference, which would nullify the war debts discussions and the World Economic Conference. There is anxiety that Europe may resume the armaments race, rendering a European war possible. Britain will have no alternative but re-arming, and there is already disquiet owing to Britain’s greatly, reduced navy, air forces and army, relegating Britain to a third-rate. Power. Re-arming would inevitably lead to financial crashes throughout Europe. FEELING IN UNITED STATES. DELICACY OF THE SITUATION. Rec. 10 p.m. New York, Feb. 16. The announcement a week ago that the combined American fleet would be kept in the Pacific until 1934, ostensibly to reduce expenditure in returning the Atlantic division to the Atlantic, was very sceptically commented upon by-»a Tokyo Foreign Office spokesman. His remarks, cabled to the Press of the United States, compelled the American public to realise the delicacy of the relations between the two countries.

Reports ib-night state that if Japan issues an ultimatum demanding the withdrawal of the Chinese troops from Jehol the Naiiking Government will construe it as a declaration of war. This opens up an unpleasant vista of further complications. Such hostilities, it is believed here, would increase the danger of involving one or more of the Western Powers. American sentiment generally approves the Lytton statement that the League of Nations needs no force for the enactment of its decrees. The hope is strong here that the situation will be cleared up by the Japanese realisation of the exact nature of the predominate part of world’ sentiment.

It is pointed out that the Japanese mandated areas in the Pacific cut right across the United States’ lines of communication, and it expected the British Empire and America will be more closely drawn together in dealing with a situation that affects them so closely. It is felt that the question is no longer simply Manchuria but rather the wider one of the entire Pacific policy which must be settled on the broadest grounds conducive to world peace. ADVICE OF LORD LYTTON. “AGAINST GOING TO WAR.” London, Feb. 15. Lord Lytton, the guest of Japanese students in London, said»he was opposed to going to ■ war to enforce peace. He thought that the League’s only course was to define the limits wherein a SinoJapanese settlement could be achieved within the obligations of the Covenant, and then offer a chance of using the machinery of the League for the purpose of settling the dispute. If China and Japan would not take advantage of it the League could only wait until the day when they did so. Personally he believed that the interests of China and Japan were reconciliable. JAPANESE DELEGATE TO LEAVE. FIRST STEP IN QUITTANCE. Geneva, Feb. 15. It is understood that Mr. Matsuoka ftas been instructed to leave Geneva on February 28. This is interpreted as the first step in Japan’s quittance of the League.