ORGANISED POWER

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 74, Issue 115, 18 May 1931, Page 6

ORGANISED POWER

LEAGUE OF NATIONS ITS INFLUENCE FOR GOOD ADDRESS AT FORDELL I WHAT PUBLIC OPINION MEANS The fundamentals of the. League ot Nations formed the subject of an address delivered by Mr H. C. Jenkins, editor of the “Chronicle,” in the Eordell Hall on Friday to a meeting arranged by the Eordell branch of the Fanners’ Union in conjunction with the Fordcll Women's Division. Air A. P. Melville presided over an attendance which was augmented by the presence of several members of the Women's Division from the city. Intro ducing the speaker, Air Alelville said that the public was not generally aware of the great good the League of Nations was doing for humanity. He (Mr Alelville), had been greatly impressed with an address on the subject given by Air Jenkins to the executive of the Union in Wanganui, and had asked him to come to Eordell. 4 ‘The League of Nations 1 not some thing that will draw a football crowd, ” said Air Jenkins in opening. “It has no emotional appeal, but it appeals to the intellectual sense. When you have to forces lined up to hate each other you have an appeal to the emotional, but there is no clash with the League, there arc no opposing forces.” The speaker pointed out that it was a case, therefore, of battling against indifference to maintain the League in its rightful capacity. The League had been born of necessity, he said, and to illustrate the causes which led up to its creation reminded his hearers of the state of Europe in 187(1, of the coming to life of the German Empire under the political capacity of Prince Bismarck and under the military capacity of the Prussian Army.

Air Jenkins dealt in detail with the very apparent gulf which existed between France on the one hand and Germany on the other —France minus Alsace and Lorraine, which had been torn from her by the enemy to the north. Germany, fearing the day when France would return, piled up armament upon armament. France, looking forward to the day of revenge, did likewise. Under the influence of Bismarck, however. Germany always said she could never fight the British Navy, but when Tirpitz came, his influence with the Kaiser brought a. change. In the past Germany had said that the flag would follow trade, but under Tirpitz that was reversed and Germany was awake with a new idea of trade following the flag. It was obvious. Air Jenkins continued, that with armaments piled up in two opposing sides in Europe, pgaee could not last. Sooner or later there was bound to be a conflagration. In the past the ambassadors of the major countries of Europe had invariably come together to discuss political problems. and their influence had been such that peace was preserved between 1870 and 1914. But when the assassination of the Archduke Franz Ferdinand, of Austria, occurred at Serajcvo, Serbia, their power was not sufficient to prevent the clash of arms. The speaker spoke in detail on the actual assassination and led up to that memorable moment in history when the Kaiser said: “This is a matter of honour, and one does not consult one s friends in an affair of honour.” Power of Public Opinion Air Jenkins said that it may not have occurred to his listeners how great was the power of public opinion. He instanced the fact that lynchings continued in South America for a considerable time after the rest of the world had come to look upon that form of punishment as abhorrent. South Americans would say to-day that it was because of the weight of public opinion from outside countries that lynching had been discarded. It was to help sway public opinion towards the League of Nations that he was delivering his address. It was believed that with a tremendous weight of public opinion behind the League would become that force which its promoters intended it to be

“The League was formed at the Versailles Peace Congress and its main object was and still is the securing of peace by limiting armaments,” Mr Jenkins proceeded. “Austria and Germany were disarmed by the peace treaties with the Allies, but disarmament in other directions has been somewhat disappointing. The reasons for the slow movement toward disarmament are many but the two principal barriers thereto are provided by Franpe and Russia. Russia's attitude and purpose is hard to divine as Is also the truth concerning her activities, but she is said to be perfecting her knowledge of poison gas warfare and also to be bringing her military airforce up to abnormal strength. France still clings to her large metropolitan army and this is disappointing but it must be remembered that her capital was occupied in 1870 and shelled in 1917. What would our mentality be Lad New Zealand been devastated by invaders twice in fifty years'! Tariffs, Gold and the Depression “In approaching the problem of disarmament, however, the League found that at base the causes of war were most frequently economic and it set itself to study these problems. It is hero that you, as farmers, will find most interest. The war generated strong nationalist feeling in most countries which found depression in the desire of countries to become as economically self contained as possible ami to this end tariffs were raised higher, creating barriers to international trade. A re suit of this was that, the United States of America and France, because they exported more goods than tncy imported. accumulated large stocks of gold. When a country has more gold than it needs to sustain its credit structure, the excess gold serves no purpose. It is the same as destroying gold temporarily. This results in denuding other countries of their gold and, in consequence, there is a contraction of credit. A contraction of credit brings down price levels and falling price levels have occasioned the present, depression. Notice that the effect of tariffs is the disturbing of the distribution of gold and prices decline be cause of it. The League has tried and is still trying to contrive a means of redistributing the world's gold supplies bringing about larger credits and a return to a higher price level. It has also suggested a reduction of tariffs

ami when no success seemed likely, a tariff holiday wherein no tariff increases should occur, and when that suggestion failed then it encouraged bilateral tai iff treaties. Further, it sought and is seeking to have tariffs strictly enforced, and avoid prohibition of imports by the improper use of sanitary and veterinary precautions. Such activities arc of vital importance to New Zealand, where economy must become more spread as the years went on.” To Prevent War Air Jenkins dwelt upon the present rival factions in Europe—Germany, France, Russia, Italy and said that they formed a group presenting great possibilities for war. In such a continent something had to be done to prevent a conflagration and the only possible means of achieving anything in this direction was through the League of Nations. To President Woodrow Wilson, of the United States of America, must go th« credit for formation of the League on which there were six permanent seats occupied by England. France, Italy, Japan, Germany and Spain. The minor nations held temporary seats by repre sentation. The General Assembly of the League met twice a year at Geneva and there was an executive to earn through the work in between time? The speaker instanced two occasions ii which the League had been instrumen tai in preventing war—once when Greece nnd Bulgaria were actually armed against each other, and again in South America. Telegrams from Geneva and subsequent efforts by the League’s military advisers had saved the day. The countries were tcmlnded of the covenant which each member of tho League signed, not to take action until throe months after the date on which the dispute was referred to the League. AVithin three months a lot could happen, and it was hold that all the ardour for war would wear away. Tho pros and cons would be counted and people would sec things in a more reasonable ligh*. Slave Traffic Another avenue in which the League was to be a power for good was slave traffic. The speaker very forcibly brought home to his audience the fact, that white slave traffic was still going on. Every month or so a shin load of 500 or 600 women would reach Mexico and no nation, single handed, was fi f to cope with the trouble. It required an organised power, backed by the strength of public opinion to operate against the white slave traffic and bring it down. Taking of drugs and the enormous industry which hnd grown up to satisfy people’s cravings were also referred to. Here again it was impossible for one nation on its own to accomplish rctaliatorv measures. It was a cause of or ganisod international power, such as that the League of Nations could supply. There was a new drug manifesting itself in Australia and no one knew just when attention would be paid tn New Zealand. n What are we going to do?” Mr Jenkins asked. “If we stand un alone to try nnd fight this drug we will never do it. AVp have no other prospect but to cease holding ourscives immune and turn to the power of the League of Nations. ” AVhat had been done by thp League in the way of spreading news nf epidemics was touched on by tho speaker, who snid that at Singapore messages wore flashed to ships of outbreaks in anv of the eastern ports. Stressing what part New Zealand had to plnv in thp strengthening of the League, Air Jenkins came back to a valuation of public opinion. TTo said that poonle in this countrv lived vorv hannv lives compared with others in different parts of thp world. Now Zpaland was a small isolntpd country and it might wpII bp askPd what shp could do in the direction of avoiding conflict between one of thp plder countries and another. The speaker’s answer was to illustrate the effect of weighing articles on a scale. It would take just a feather weight, in many cases, to influence the result one way or the other. A feather could be the deciding factor. So it was with New Zealand. Perhaps a feather weight of public opinion would decide the momentous issue between two nations. Some form of national government was wanted, and AD Jenkins invited his hearers to contem plate the work of tho League and not judge it ns that of a few old gentlemen at Geneva who had good dinners and smoked their cigars. “Enlist yourselves for thp purpose of carrying on public opinion in New Zealnnd,’’ Air Jenkins concluded. The speaker was loudly applauded, in answer to Mrs A. H. AfcLean, president of the Fordell branch of the Women’s Division, he said that the six permanent seats on thp T.oague were hold by those countries which found the finance and the armaments to back the League’s authority. It was obvious that it would not be wise to give permanent scats to those countries which were not contributing tn the directions named. in reply to Mrs Wickham he said that it was the purpose of the League to bring about disarmament commensurate with each country’s requirements. Mrs McLean, voicing the thanks ot the Women’s Division, said that everyone present had been greatly interested in Air Jenkins’ address. They had come with great expectations and had had them exceeded. She thanked Mr and Mrs Jenkins for attending. Similar sentiments were expressed by Mr Alelville and further applause t tified to the good wishes of the aunt- ▼ cnee towards the speaker. A dainty afternoon tea •/as served by the ladies.