PEACE OF THE WORLD.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 17171, 15 October 1923, Page 10

PEACE OF THE WORLD.

SUPPORT FOR LEAGUE. By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright Reuter's Telegrams. LONDON, October 13. Dominion Prime Ministers’ general support of the League of Nations is shown in passages from their speeches at the Imperial Conference, which have now been issued. The extracts published are mainly expressions of sympathy with the League's objects, and appreciation of Lord Robert Cecil’s endeavours. Lord Robert Cecil reviewed the work of the League, and claimed that it had secured an immense amount of most valuable international co-operation with very great success and at wonderfully little expense. Dealing with the Italo-Greek dispute Lord Robert Cfcil contended that the League had carried out the duty of promoting a settlement. Its suggestions for a settlement were very valuable. aiyl quite sound, but, as Italy and Greece had agreed to settle the dispute otherwise than by resort to the Council, it was the duty of the Council to do everything it could to facilitate a settlement by these means. The British Empire’s foreign policy was to keep the peace and the League was an instrument more effective than anything that had ever existed before. “We ought to do our utmost to strengthen the League.” he added, and make it more the cornerstone of our policy.” Mr Bruce said that Australia stood behind the League and would take any action it could to promote the League’s authority and make it as great as possible. “ If the League goes,” he declared, “ there will be no hope of establishing anything of the sort until the nations have been through another world tragedy a hundredfold worse than the present generation has seen.” Mr Massey thought that too much had been expected from the League, lie had never thought it would prevent war. It was initiated to promote peace by arbitration, conciliation and public opinion. He believed that the League had done a great deal of good. General Smuts said he had been informed that the moral stock of the British Empire was very high in Geneva, where a most remarkable thing was the confidence, faith and reliance which representatives of all the small peoples ->f the world manifested in the British Empire’s stand for justice, fair play and international honesty. He strongly urged the Empire governments to keep their hands clean, support the League and support the smaller powers where their interests clashed with the larger 'powers. The League ideal seemed to be the only hope of the world against unrest and the break-up of Europe. Therefore, if there were any practical force likely to keep nations together, and offer protection against the complete reaction and brigandage which seemed now to be setting in, let them exploit it fully. Mr Mackenzie King, who appeared at first, to adopt a somewhat aloof policy towards European problems, now feels as strongly as his colleagues about the League’s work and the chief foreign issues before the Conference.