LEAGUE OF NATIONS.

Waikato Times, Volume 105, Issue 17654, 7 March 1929, Page 8

LEAGUE OF NATIONS.

MINORITY PETITIONS. METHOD OF CONSIDERATION. IS A CHANGE DESIRABLE? rßy Telegraph —Pres* Assn.— Copyright.) ' lUffloial Wrdess.l (Received March 7, 12.30 p.m.) RUGBY, March 6. A proposal by Senator Dandurand, Of Canada, to modify the Procedure regarding petitions from mmorU.es vvas discussed by the League of Nations C °Senato t i° Dmulurand proposed that m future such petitions be dealt with by the League Council instead of by th nresent committee of three. llerr Stresemann (German foreign Minister) approved of the P*'°P°| al .' y h Sir Austen Chamberlain (Bntisn Foreign Minister), defended the committee which he said had always dealt with the various cases according t the rights the parties had under treaties and they could not go outside them They had always taken up all cases which might produce ill will between nations and had undertaken the examination of petitions fought before them. One thing which showed that the work they had done had not been so bad after all was that any member of the Council could at any time bring up a question regarding minorities even after the decision had been given by the committee of three. Hitherto no one had ever appealed to the Council after the committee had given its decision. He was sure that any ijnpaitiul person when siiown the documents and work which the committee had done would be perfectly satisfied that they had achieved in a large measure the purpose for which the svs tern had been initiated. He suggested that in future greater publicity should be given to the works of the committee so as to remove any misapprehension and uneasiness. The main defect of the present procedure, was delay and lie hoped they would be able to devise means of expediting the system. The question of minorities should not be a source of oppression or menace to the peace of the world. In conclusion Sir Austen Chamberlain agreed with the other members that the question was too large and too detailed to be handled in one session of the Council. He agreed that a reporter should be appointed, with one or two members of the Council as assistants, to conduct a thorough enquiry into the entire question, obtain the fullest information as to the procedure which had been in force up to now and as to the obligations and duties of minorities, and to make recommendations as to what changes in the method adopted by the League were in their opinion necessary.

The Council adjourned until tomorrow when Mr Adatchi, the reporter on the general question of minorities, will present a draft resolution providing for an examination and report as to the advisability of changing the Council’s procedure regarding minority petitions.