WOULD PEACE

Waihi Daily Telegraph, Volume XX, Issue 6794, 19 December 1922, Page 3

WOULD PEACE

NATIONAL DIFFERENCES QUESTION OF ADJUSTMENT. LEAGUE OF NATIONS’ W ORK. Sir Francis .'Bell, JAttomey-Genoral, who attended the third plenary enco of the Assembly ot the Uty , ‘ j Nation, at Geneva, a 8 No ff Zealand representative made some statement* at the Ne.v Zealand Chb ilunchcon at Wellington t hc other day in regard to the great value of tlic-woiiv # already don e by the League and « j hopeful outlook of the work it may yet, do when several other nations now oat-, side the League arc admitted as mem-iKfrs—-work in the direction ot thOj settlement of national difleroua* which; will no doubt- go a long way m the dirco-, tion of attaining international justice and, peace. TREATY OF VERSAILLES. | Sir Francis Bell began by describing _ tbo document on which the ocaguo m j founded. “The Treaty of Versailles,’ | he said, “begins with the Covenant of; tho League, and also a inajoiit-y of the nations of 'the League; and one in-j toresting result is that tho attempts: made by Canada to amend those articles j of thc Covenant which impose duties on , the nations in case of war between any j members, of the League with the object j of removing tho objections of America.) failed because th e minor nation* will | not consent at aH to the modifications | of those articles which arc their guaran-, teo. CONSTITUTION. j “The Council of the League,” ho ex-' plained, “consists of representatives of the five great Powers, with four representatives' of the minor nations. Ibo Council has all the powers of tho League.- and sits throughout the year from time to time; and the Council consists of really great and representative statesmen. The Assembly sits only once a year, and has only had thvee meetings. 1

Every country which is a member of the League has a right to send throe representatives, and general ly avais itself of the right. There were 32 original members of tin; League. Thirteen were named in the original covenant a s entitled to join afterwards, and they did | join, and two or three have been -admitted since. The number is 47, which i makes a total number «f representatives at the Assembly of the League of 140'. j A REAL WORLD FORGE.” j "The League,” continued Sir Fran-j e-is, “cannot be a: real complete world i force until America, Germany, Russia,; and Turkey are members, but the impression that exists that the League of Nations, as now constituted as a bods j of persons who meet ?to discuss the re- , ' generation of the human race and utter j ‘ pious platitudes is entirely erroneous, What first strikes any'person who attends the Asscmb'y is the quality of the men who are sent there to repre- j sent their countries. Prime Ministers of many countries are members. Other j countries are represented by leading ■ statesmen. Others—for instance, China, 1 Japan, Denmark—arc represented by , the amba.ssa(Jor s of those countries 'to i either London or Paris. , Practically j every man present as a representative is a man of influence in thei Government; of his own country; and the result isthat all manner s of questions, arising’ between nations are. settled amicably j br the meeting of such men. and os- j pleiady by the discussions which take place in the axgreftt committees to which ■ the Assembly rofor* matters of importjSnt detail. results obtained. if ; “No diplomatic process,” remarked »• Sir Francis Bell with emphasis, “has. * ever been made to obtain the results j - that are almost daily attained at meet-. ings of the Assembly of the League of Nations at Geneva—of settlement of differences of boundaries, of money claims, which, but for the League, would rej-ult in quite possibly war. Such international agreements as were arrived at with relation to the joint loan for the re-establishmont of Austria, and provision for the starving people in the • East could practically only bo mad 0 at such a gathering of representative men ", from all countries as Geneva. “And, again,” added the speaker, the Council of the League is an existavailable and frequently used. / a: EVen such matters as the custody oi the shores of the Dardanelles are within the possibility of £ uch reference; and at the conferences at Paris and L;iu sanne the Council of the League is regarded as "a possible body to which tin ■ control cart be delegated.

grantor of mandates. “The position of the League as tho grantor of mandates, over territories surrendered by Germany and Turkey m 1 the Peace Treaty i s totally and ; not ad the most important of the functions of the League, but it is the particular function which bring New ZeaL 'I lan as mandatory of Samoa, into close ' ~ / and necessary relation with the Licagno. “The methods adopted by the League i at the fast Assembly at which I was \ ■ - present, which was the first Assembly at which the reports of mandatories had 1 f 1 been received, led to protest which wasj largely voiced by mysdf. If thane j methods are continued, it will. l bo almost impossible to avoid friction between the Longue as tho body to which the: ■ mandatory nations report and those i mandatory nations 'which (U’ei accustomed to govern without undue Interference. “I believe,” said Sir Francis; in conclusion, “that so soon a 8 reports arc re- • craved from Franca. Italy, and Belgium a s , mandatories of the territories respoe,v, . \ tively held by them, it will) at onev appear that the. method most be revised.” Sir Francis .Bell wa* loudly applauded at the concluwu of hitorcsting address.