LEAGUE OF NATIONS

Wanganui Herald, Volume LIII, Issue 160811, 19 November 1920, Page 3

LEAGUE OF NATIONS

IMPORTANT TASKS. ■ ■ _ SPEECH BY LORD ROBERT CECIL,

/ v LONDON, Nov. 17. Lord Robert Cecil, criticising the opinion expressed,;- that the League was dead, said, ..the Council’s report gave the lie,; to this statement. The Council had done an immense amount of valuable international work, both in organisation and political' and constructive ’ work. ‘. It was necessary to get the-machinery in order before they could come to the cast problems confronting the League. He was hopeful the year’s work would be of such a nature as to appeal to the public of the world. Britain was anxious that there should be all possible economy in the League finances, but if half a million a >year was spent, that was a small premium to pay for the League, whose object was to prevent war, when we compared it with the daily cost of the late war. As the mandates had been referred to a commission, it would be improper to comment upon them at this stage, but he hoped there would be no further delay in establishing mandatory systems. Lord Cecil appealed to the League to take' prompt steps to relieve Armenia. He urged the Council- to inform the Assembly regarding the precise situation between Poland and Lithuania. Lord Cecil concluded by appealing to the Assembly to show timidity in ' its work. He reminded them that he represented General Smuts, against whom his father waged war. He felt specially that he represented the spirit of reconciliation. M. ' Puerredon (Argentina) considered that all sovereign States desiring to join should be permitted to do so. The exclusion , of certain States might, provoke the establishment ■of another League, also that the present League might be regarded as an alliance for the liquidation of war, rather than a powerful organisation to ensure peace.

A DELEGATE ATTACKED. ' /"LONDON, Nov. 17. , The Council received a telegram stating that robbers attacked Prince Arfad, the chief Persian delegate to the League of Nations, while journeying from Persia to Geneva. Prince Arfad’s secretary was killed. Prince Arfad resumed his .iourney.