THE Wairarapa Age THURSDAY, JULY 2, 1936. AN EMPEROR’S APPEAL.

Wairarapa Age, 2 July 1936, Page 4

THE Wairarapa Age THURSDAY, JULY 2, 1936. AN EMPEROR’S APPEAL.

Asserting, in his address to the League of Nations Assembly at Geneva, that his country had been betrayed and that the raising of sanctions meant the abandonment of Ethiopia to the aggressor, the Emperor Haile Selassie made out a case to which there is no complete answer. The League plainly has failed to uphold its own principles or to afford to Abyssinia the protection to which she was entitled under the Covenant. It is necessary, however, to go further than this and to place where it belongs responsibility for the admitted failure of the League. There is, in particular, a sharp distinction to be drawn between Britain, which throughout has been ready and willing to do all that the Covenant demanded, and other nations which have repudiated or evaded their obligations to the League. It was as members of the League, and only in that capacity, that Britain and the Dominions were pledged to uphold the independence of Abyssinia. There has never been any question of the countries of the Empire protecting Abyssinia save in co-operation with other members of the League. Blame for the betrayal of Abyssinia plainly rests on those nations, particularly France, which refused their co-operation and made united League action impossible. With reference to statements that Britain and France had decided to give up sanctions, Haile Selassie said, in his address to the Assembly:— I come to this Assembly to assert that this problem cannot be settled in this manner. It is not merely a settlement of the Italo-Ethiopian dispute that is at stake, it is the future of all those little countries who place trust in the sanctity of treaties. It is the principle of collective security and international morality

that is at stake. Even if the Negus were right in implying that the withdrawal of sanctions against Italy would wreck the League—a matter that has yet to be put to the test—it would still be necessary to face the realities of the existing situation. The first and greatest of these realities is that there is not the slightest chance of organising the members of the League in a war against Italy to rescue Abysrinia. Not only is there no reason to believe that France is any more ready now than she was some months ago to take military action against Italy on behalf of Ethiopia, but even the little nations to whom Haile Selassie referred are apparently of much the same mind as France on this subject. It is reported to-day, for example, that a meeting of representatives of Balkan and Little Entente countries decided not to recognise the annexation of Abyssinia,; though, it agreed to the dropping of sanctions. All the evidence in sight goes to show that there is not the slightest prospect or possibility of mobilising the forces of the League in positive action against Italy on behalf of Abyssinia. Humiliating, and even menacing as this state of affairs may be, the countries of the British Empire evidently are not called upon to attempt to do on their own account what the members of the League as a body obviously are not prepared to undertake.

OUB OVERSEA DEBT. If in his impending mission to the Old Country the Minister of Finance is able to secure some easing of the terms on which this country meets the charges on its debts domiciled in Britain, he will have definite claims to the title of tl Wizard of Finance.A statement made by the Prime Minister in Wellington yesterday suggests that some attempt of the kind is to be made. An opinion may be ventured that the task implied is as difficult as any that Mr. Nash could be asked to undertake. On the other hand, it is beyond all question that Britain has had very much the best of the deal in her financial relations with New Zealand. On account of low prices for our ex- i port primary produce, particularly in I

the depression period from which have by no means yet completely erirerged, the amounts paid annually to Britain in interest and other debt charges have in effect been very greatly increased. On top of that, British shipping companies have been paid at high rates for the conveyance of our imports and exports, and at all times the prices paid for imports from Britain have been high in relatioji to those received for our primary expects. An obvious difficulty in seeking any adjustment of course is that as a country we are responsible, not to the British Government, but to individual holders in Britain of New Zealand securities. Mr. Nash will be entitled to gratitude if he can link up with a trade agreement arrangements under which the Dominion would be granted some relief in debt payments. Part of the arrangement might very well be the cessation of borrowing from Britain and the progressive repayment of our existing debt. To believe that adjustment on these lines is practicable might, however, be rather optimistic.