“FAIR PLAY ”WANTED.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 16847, 25 September 1922, Page 7

“FAIR PLAY ”WANTED.

LEAGUE OF NATIONS DEBATE. A LIVELY INCIDENT. AM AUSTRALIAN C-QM-PLAJMT, I By THeerabb—P cess A^woeSatiou—Obpyrtebt Australian aod N.Z. OaUf** Asaoolation. ’ (R-eoefwd September 25. 9.6 a.r0.3 GENEVA, September 33. There wax a sensational twenty orI thirty minutes at the meeting oi the Finance Committee on Friday, when the vote relating to the Permanent Mandates Commission came before the committee AN INADEQUATE REPORT. Sir Joseph Cook complained of tho misleading inadequacy of the summarised report of the Mandates Commission proceedings in Geneva last monto issued t.» tho public bv the sooretariiu.. In this official communique everything said in the way of criticism of the : administration of Nauru waa given in i full but everything said on the other : side was omitted. All lie and Sr James j said was summed up in the single statoi ment. ' 1 Sir Joseph Cook and Sir Janie*; j Allen replied-.” ! THE NAURU ADMINISTRATION j Sir Joseph Cook went on to say | that not one word of what they said was given and that official communique J had gone all over the world to be made I extensive use of bv interested parties, j particularly the Germans. He wanted (no more than fair play Jn the course j of his reply before the Mandates Corni mission he had completely justified tlie j administration and now that justifies - | tion had been suppressed in the sumi ruarised report issued a? an official j communique. He contended n false | impression could bo given just as easily j bv suppressing facie as by mis-stating them. His Government had furnished j to the commission an explanation which had been accepted by the commission j itself as a complete answer. AN EX PL AN A TION. I Sir Eric Drummond, Director-Gen- ! oral of the League, in reply, said the j secretariat dealing with these matters. of which this was only one out of many. ; had a certain definite duty cast upon it . which was when an expert commission such as the Permanent Mandates Comj mission made n report that the report j should be summQrieed find given to the press. The explanations by Australia in reply to criticism were not issued to the press officially because they were made at a public meeting at which newspaper re present ativee were present. He read an extract from a. communique dated August 7 which contained an assurenoe given by Sir Joseph Cook and Sir James Allen that the well being of the natives was the chief preoccupation of their respective governments. In any summary of the extended proceedings there would always be room for honest differences of opinion as to what would constitute a fair summary. He suggested the appointment- of a sub-committee to inquire into the report upon the case. A SUGGESTION REJECTED. Sir Joseph Cook refused to agree to j the proposal. His complaint was that j the minutes were not an accurate :re- ! cord of the proceedings They were too ] scanty. He added that, as far ns he i was concerned, the incident was closed. ) Colonel Ward member of the House i of Commons, said the matter affected ! others besides Australia. No State j would be satisfied to pay a large annual j contribution to the League only to find J one-sided reports issued in regard to | matters in which it was vitally concern - 1 The matter then dropped.