THE LEAGUE OF NATIONS. REPORT OF THE REPRESENTATIVES OF THE DOMINION OF NEW ZEALAND ON THE SEVENTH ASSEMBLY OF THE LEAGUE OF NATIONS, HELD AT GENEVA, IN THE YEAR 1926.

Appendix to the Journals of the House of Representatives, 1927 Session I, A-05

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1927. NEW ZEALAND.

THE LEAGUE OF NATIONS. REPORT OF THE REPRESENTATIVES OF THE DOMINION OF NEW ZEALAND ON THE SEVENTH ASSEMBLY OF THE LEAGUE OF NATIONS, HELD AT GENEVA, IN THE YEAR 1926.

Presented to both Houses of the General Assembly by Command of His Excellency.

SEVENTH ASSEMBLY OF THE LEAGUE OF NATIONS. New Zealand Government Offices, Sir, — 415 Strand, London W.C. 2, 25th October, 1926. We have the honour to advise that on Monday, the 30th August, we arrived in Geneva in order to take part in the deliberations of the Conference of the representatives of the Powers which have adopted the protocol and statute establishing the Permanent Court of International Justice, convened to consider the proposal of the United States of America to adhere, with certain reservations, to that protocol and statute, and to attend, on behalf of New Zealand, the Seventh Assembly of the League of Nations. We were accompanied by our private secretaries, Mr. J. S. Hunter and Mr. C. A. Knowles, and two stenographers. The Conference convened to consider the proposed adhesion of the United States to the Permanent Court of International Justice began to sit on the morning of the Ist September at the International Labour Office. There were two sittings on that and on each of the two following days. The discussion, which was a very full one, gave the delegates an opportunity to express their views, and at the conclusion of the debate a committee was nominated to draw up a report for consideration later by the Conference. When the Assembly was due to open, the committee began to sit. The Conference was independent of the Assembly, to which its report was not submitted. Opening op Proceedings and Election op President. The Assembly was opened on Monday, the 6th September, by Dr. Benes, Minister of Foreign Affairs for Czecho-Slovakia, and Acting-President of the Council of the League, which was then in session. His speech in the original French and in an English translation will be found in.No. 2of the Journal. In accordance with the usual procedure, a small committee was appointed to examine the credentials ■of the delegates, and after its report had been made the Assembly elected its President. Its choice was Dr. Nintchitch, Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of the Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes. Arrangements por the Conduct op Business. Under the well-established and convenient arrangement already in force for dealing with the items of the agenda, the delegates were asked to form themselves into six committees : — No. 1. To consider juridical questions. No. 2. To consider the work of the technical organizations of the League. No. 3. To consider questions of security and disarmament. No. 4., To consider the Budget and questions pertaining thereto. No. 5. To consider social questions. No. 6. To consider political questions, including mandates and slavery. Representation op New Zealand. The constitution of the Assembly provides that each country may be represented by three delegates, and, on the assumption that three delegates will be available, these committees meet on alternate days in groups of three. This year, New Zealand being represented by two delegates only, it was not possible for the Dominion to have on each committee a delegate with full powers. In the circumstances other arrangements had to be made. Sir Francis Bell decided to sit on Committees Nos. 1 and 4, and Sir James Parr on Committees Nos. 2, 3, and 5. For Committee No. 6 both' delegates nominated themselves —each to attend as convenience dictated. As, however, it would have been impossible under this arrangement to do full justice to the work, it was decided that Mr. Hunter should act as deputy on Committee No. 4, and Mr. Knowles in a similar capacity on Committees Nos. 2 and 5.

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Election op Officers of the Assembly. On the 7th September the committees met to elect their chairmen. The result, not unexpected, of the elections was as follows : Chairman of Committee No. I—M. Motta (Switzerland) ; Chairman of Committee No. 2 —Mr. Fitzgerald (Irish Free State) ; Chairman of Committee No. 3 —M. Villegas (Chile) ; Chairman of Committee No. 4 —M. Titulesco (Roumania) ; Chairman of Committee No. 5 — Count Mensdorff (Austria); Chairman of Committee No. 6 —M. Brouckere (Belgium). Immediately after these elections the full Assembly met in order to elect the six Vice-Presidents provided for in the rules of procedure, who, with the chairmen of committees, form the Bureau of the Assembly. The Vice-Presidents elected were : Sir Austen Chamberlain (Great Britain), M. Briand (France), M. Scialoja (Italy), Viscount Ishii (Japan) M. Figueroa (Guatemala), Baron Rodolphe Lehman (Liberia). With one exception, it had been expected that these delegates would be elected Vice-Presidents. The exception was the last-mentioned, and he obtained twenty-four votes. The Admission op Germany to Membership of the League, with a Permanent Seat on the Council and the increase in the Number of Non-permanent Members of the Council. On the Bth September there came before the Assembly for consideration the application of Germany for admission to membership of the League, with a permanent seat on the Council—a decision on which had been postponed by the Extraordinary Assembly in March last —and the question of increasing the number of non-permanent members of the Council, a question indissolubly bound up with Germany's application. It will be remembered that, owing to the veto of Brazil, unanimity of the Council was impossible in March, and therefore Germany was not elected ; and that, pending a decision by the Seventh Assembly, it was decided to set up a special committee to make a study of problems connected with the composition of the Council, and the principle and method of election of its members. This committee held two sessions—one in May, and the other at the end of August and beginning of September—and the final report to the Council (see Annexe B to Document A 48) recommends that the non-permanent members be increased to nine in number, and makes other recommendations regarding tenure of office and method of election. This report was considered by the Council on the 4th September, when a resolution was passed approving of it, and recommending the Assembly to approve (1) the appointment of Germany as a permanent member of the Council upon her entry into the League - of Nations, and (2) the increase in the number of non-permanent seats to nine, and commending to the favourable consideration of the Assembly the proposals made in the report regarding the method of election and the tenure of the non-permanent seats. It was, no doubt, a wise proceeding on the part of the officers of the Seventh Assembly to obtain the Assembly's opinion at the earliest possible date, and thus to settle questions which were not only pressing for settlement, but which, without immediate settlement, might give rise to further considerable difficulties. A suspension of the rule of procedure providing that the Assembly should not decide on an item of the agenda until a report of one of its committees upon that item was before it was suggested in so far as the application for admission by Germany and her nomination as a permanent member of the Council, and the increase of the number of non-permanent seats, were concerned. It will be remembered that the application for admission by Germany on condition that she was elected to permanent membership of the Council—a matter quite simple in itself—gave birth to many complications, for no sooner had the application been made than other States, some holding nonpermanent seats and others with aspirations to seats, gave voice to their claims to permanent membership of that body. We refer particularly to Spain and Brazil, but also to Poland and China. The Spanish member of the Committee on the Composition of the Council abstained from voting when that committee's report was under consideration, and Brazil, having given notice of her intention to withdraw from the League, was not represented on the Council during the September session ; whilst the recommendations- of the committee, together with other circumstances, were apparently sufficient to convince the Poles and the Chinese that the time was not suitable to press the claim for ■permanent seats. The question of admitting Germany to membership of the League was, of course, left to free decision by the Assembly, but that of her permanent membership of the Council was brought before the Assembly in such a way that it could not be divorced from the proposed increase to nine of the non-permanent seats. Dr. Nansen, first delegate of Norway, was amongst those who protested against this method of introduction. Whilst he did not follow his protest by a proposal to amend the resolution, or by a threat to vote against it, he did question whether Article 4 of the Covenant had not been violated by the method of presentation, and he was very anxious lest a precedent should be created. The first delegate of the Netherlands took the opportunity of pointing out that the Dutch Delegation in 1922 had protested against the increase of the non-permanent members from four to six—a protest which was based on the fear that further increases would be proposed. The delegates as a whole, however, were probably of the opinion that the advantages of accepting the Council's suggestions outweighed any disadvantages there might be in the method of presenting those suggestions, and consequently the Assembly unanimously voted (1) the admission of Germany as a member of the League, (2) the nomination of Germany as a permanent member of the Council, and (3) the increase to nine of the number of non-permanent seats on the Council. Germany was therefore admitted a full member of the League, with a permanent seat on the Council, on the Bth September. The suspension of the rule of procedure referred to above was not applied to the consideration of the proposals made by the Committee on the Composition of the Council regarding the method of election and the tenure of the non-permanent seats. That question was therefore referred to the First Committee, with a direction that a report on the subject be presented to the full Assembly at the earliest possible date. (See Documents A. 21, A. 48, A. 49, A. 50, and A 51.)

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The German Delegation arrived in Geneva on the evening of the 9th. September, and its members, headed by Dr. Stresemann, Minister for Foreign Affairs, took their seats in the Assembly on the morning of the following day, when they were warmly welcomed by the President of the Assembly. Both Dr. Stresemann and M. Briand (chief delegate of France) delivered important speeches, which will be found reported in the Journal of the 11th September. It is of interest to note that Germany's reception into the League coincided with Spain's resignation, for in a letter addressed to the SecretaryGeneral by the Spanish Minister of Foreign Affairs, dated the 11th September, Spain gave the two years' notice required by the Covenant. Discussion on Secretary-General's Report. On the Bth September the Assembly began the discussion on the report on the work of the Council, the work of the Secretariat, and on the measures taken to execute the decisions of the Assembly. (See Documents A. 6, A. 6a, and A. 6b.) As is usual in these discussions, a number of motions were proposed— (1) Referring to the Third Committee all portions of the report and of the supplementary report on the past year's work, which deal with the reduction of armaments. (2) Inviting the Council to examine the possibility of appointing a committee to consider whether any general understanding could be promoted that would secure rapid and, if possible, simultaneous action by the signatories of conventions and agreements, with a view to their coming into force without undue delay. (3) Asking the Council to appoint a committee to consider and report what questions are and are not within the sphere of action of the League, within the meaning of the preamble and Articles 3 and 4 of the Covenant. (4) Asking the First Committee to consider and report to the Assembly on the desirability of numbering the paragraphs of the articles of the covenant published by the League. (5) Referring to the First Committee the section of the Secretary-General's report (Document A. 6) dealing with the work of the committee of experts for the progressive codification of international law. (6) Proposing to include in the programme of the work of the League of Nations the question of alcoholism, and asking the Council to take measures to this effect. Certain aspects of this question (6) were considered by the Traffic in Women and Children Committee and the Child Welfare Committee at their session in March last, and the matter was referred to in the discussions of the Fifth Committee. On the 15th September the debate on the Secretary-General's report was interrupted in order to permit of the Assembly considering the First Committee's detailed report on the decision to increase the number of non-permanent members of the Council to nine. This question will be referred to in that part of this report which deals with the work of the First Committee ; but it is of interest to note here that the question of the utilization of the single transferable vote, and the principle of proportional representation, in general in the election of non-permanent members of the Council, was raised by one of the Norwegian delegates immediately the debate on the Secretary-General's report was resumed. He explained that he had deferred the introduction of his motion until after the rules for electing the non-permanent members of the Council had been adopted by the Assembly, because he did not wish to complicate the position. The debate on the Secretary-General's report was concluded on the afternoon of the 15th September. No formal resolution was passed. The debate was of interest, and a provisional report of it will be found in the numbers of the Journal issued between the 9th and the 16th September. There is no need to deal with it here at length, but it may be mentioned that Sir George Foster, in a speech delivered on the last day of the debate, referred to the constitutional position of the overseas Dominions in relation to the Empire as a whole, and stressed the point that each of the Dominions belonging to the League had the right of free exercise of its vote. He also put in an indirect plea for representation on the Council of the views of the English-speaking peoples in America, India, and the Pacific. Election op Non-permanent Members op the Council. On the morning of the 16th September the Assembly met to elect the non-permanent members of the Council, which by previous decision had been increased to nine. As already noted, the rules recommended by the First Committee for the election had received the Assembly's assent the day before. Under these rules, three countries were to be elected for three years, three for two years, and the remaining three for one year. The procedure to be followed was indicated by the President: the Assembly would be asked, in the first instance, to vote for the nine seats, and, the election having been held, further ballots would be necessary in order to determine which countries elected should have a three-years mandate, and which a two-years mandate, the remaining three countries necessarily having a mandate for one year only. The result of the first ballot was as follows : Colombia, 46 votes ; Poland, 45 votes ; Chile, 43 votes ; Salvador, 42 votes ; Belgium, 41 votes ; Roumania, 41 votes ; The Netherlands, 37 votes ; China, 29 votes. Twenty-three votes had been cast for Czecho-Slovakia, and there had been votes for other countries : but, as forty-nine States had voted, and a majority of twenty-five was necessary for election, the Assembly had to proceed to a second ballot to elect the ninth non-permanent member of the Council. Its choice fell on Czecho-Slovakia, which received twenty-seven votes. Finland received eleven votes ; Portugal, seven ; and the Irish Free State, four.

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The result of the voting for the length of the mandate was : For three years —Poland, 44 votes Chile, 41 votes; Roumania, SO votes. For two years —Colombia, 47 votes ; The Netherlands, 47 votes; China, 34 votes. There was, of course, no need to proceed to a fourth ballot, and Belgium, Czecho-Slovakia, and Salvador were declared to have received a mandate for one year. Under Article 4 of the new rules for election, of the nine members elected, a maximum of three can be immediately declared re-eligible by the Assembly if it receives a majority of two-thirds of the number of votes cast. Only one country elected (Poland) applied to be considered as re-eligible. A vote was taken, and Poland was declared re-eligible for election, having received thirty-six votes. It will be seen that during this session of the Assembly the Council has been increased by four members, three of whom hold non-permanent seats. Time will show whether a body of fourteen people will be able to deal as expeditiously with important international questions as was the smaller body originally provided by the Covenant. On this point doubt may be expressed. The composition of the new Council shows that Asia is represented by two members, South America by three, and Europe by nine. The English-speaking peoples of the North American Continent and of the Pacific have at present no direct voice in the decisions of the Council, although, should the United States come into the League, it is assured of a permanent seat on the Council. Attention may be drawn to the fact that three adjoining European countries, two of which were created by the Treaty of Versailles, whilst the territory of the third was greatly augmented under that treaty, have seats on the Council: we refer to Poland, Czecho-Slovakia, and Roumania. On the 21st September it was announced that the Agenda Committee had suggested that the motion introduced by the delegates of Finland, Poland, and Sweden regarding alcoholism (page 13 of this report) should be deferred till the Eighth Assembly. This was agreed to. It was also on the 21st September that one of the Belgian delegates proposed a motion in the following terms : — " The Assembly invites the Council to request the High Commissioner for Refugees and the International Labour Organization to consider how far the measures taken to give protection to, to provide employment for, and to afford relief to Russian and Armenian refugees can be extended to other categories of refugees." This was ultimately referred to the Fifth Committee. The Seventh Assembly concluded its work on the evening of the 25th September, after a session of three weeks. On that day several of the delegates made reference to the hurried way in which several matters had been dealt with by the committees, and expressed the hope that, in future, time would be given for a more careful consideration of important questions. There is no doubt that hurry characterized the proceedings of the Assembly this year, and that the time allowed was not sufficient to givte to some points the consideration they merited. This year's Assembly lacked the interest which some other Assemblies, especially that of 1924, excited, and towards the end, in spite of two or three brilliant, speeches, the sittings were without animation. It should, however, be stated that no decision of moment was expected this year. The Preparatory Commission for the Disarmament Conference is in the midst of its labours, and consequently no definite step in the direction of disarmament in any form was taken by the Assembly. COMMITTEE No. 1. Numbering of Paragraphs or the Articles of the Covenant. This question, which was referred by the Assembly to the First Committee, was reported upon favourably, and the Assembly at its meeting on the 21st September gave directions that the SecretaryGeneral s iould cause the paragraphs of the articles of the Covenant to be numbered in all future editions published by the Secretariat. The effect of this direction will make for easy reference. Method of Election of Non-permanent Members of the Council. This has reference to the motion proposed by the Norwegian delegate at one of the early meetings of the Assembly, requesting the Council to appoint a committee to study the question of the single transferable vote and the principle of proportional representation in general, as regards the problem of the election of the non-permanent members of the Council. It was referred to the First Committee, and during discussion the committee proposed a resolution which was passed by the Assembly at its meeting on the 25th September. It is as follows (see Document A. 100) :— " The Assembly requests the Council to instruct the Secretariat to study the system of the single transferable vote, and of the principle of proportional representation in general, in connection with the problem of the election of the non-permanent members of the Council', in order that this question may be laid before the next ordinary session of the Assembly." Interpretation of the Preamble and Articles 3 and 4 of the Covenant. A motion by the British delegate, brought forward in the Assembly on the 14th September, asking the Council to appoint a committee to consider and report what questions are and what are not within the sphere of the action of the League within the meaning of the preamble and Articles 3 and 4 of the Covenant was referred to the First Committee. During the_ discussion the British delegate modified his motion to the extent of withdrawing the proposal that the Council should appoint a committee and he submitted a memorandum in support of the other part of the proposal. This memorandum together with a resolution (see Document A. 102), was brought up in the Assembly on the 25th September, and the Rapporteur—a member of the French delegation—made a long speech containing some criticism

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of the attitude of the British Delegation. He was followed by Dr. Benes, the chief delegate of Czechoslovakia, who prudently suggested that further consideration should be deferred to the next Assembly. Lord Cecil, who next spoke, in meeting the criticism which had been made, stated that there was some misconception, and that, in the circumstances, he would not oppose the suggestion for adjournment. It was therefore decided that the question should be placed on the agenda of the Eighth Assembly. Examination of the Section of the Report on the Work of the Committee of Experts on the Progressive Codification of International Law. The consideration of this question was the result of a motion introduced at one of the early meetings of the Assembly (see page 3of this report). At the meeting of the Assembly on the morning of the 25th September, M. Motta, the chairman of the First Committee, mounted the platform and stated that, as the subject had been entrusted to a committee of jurists, it was liot thought advisable for the Assembly to discuss it at the moment. He added that the minutes of the discussions in the First Committee would be forwarded to the committee of jurists. COMMITTEE No. 2. Greek Refugee Settlement Commission. This Commission was established by the Council of the League for the purpose of superintending the settlement in Greece of Greek refugees, principally from Asia Minor, who fled before tile Turkish Army during the last Greco-Turkish war. Some information on the work of the Commission wil be found on pages 15-17 of the report on the work of the Finance Committee of the League (Document A. 30). Committee No. 2 had the pleasure, at its meeting on the 10th September, of listening to an address by Mr. Howland, the President of the Greek Refugee Settlement Commission, which is reproduced in a typewritten document (A. 11/1, 1926). The work done by this Commission shows results which may be considered as belonging to the most successful attained under the auspices of the League. Of the loan of £10,000,000 raised in 1924, £7,800,000 has been spent and most of the balance has been budgeted for. Refugees numbering 687,000 have been settled, mostly in the agricultural districts of Macedonia. Unfortunately, the original estimate of the number to be settled was too conservative, and it was not then possible to take an account of the later influx into Greece, under the exchange of population scheme, of Greeks from Bulgaria. It is estimated that a further sum of £4,500,000 will be required to complete the settlement. The question whether the money for this purpose should be raised is a matter for future consideration, and was not considered by Committee No. 2. It is of interest to note that Colonel Procter, a well-known NewZealander, although not actually a member of the Greek Refugee Settlement Commission, was very active in the early stages of the work, and Mr. Howland, in the course of his address, paid a high tribute to the services rendered by him. Apart from the humanitarian aspects, it is of interest to learn that the settlement of so many refugees has produced in Greece considerable benefits of a political and economic nature. Indeed, the results attained reflect the greatest credit on all concerned. Other documents are C. 475, M. 189, and A. 71, which is the Second Committee's report to the Assembly. This report was submitted to the Assembly at its meeting on the 21st September, when the principal Greek delegate expressed on his country's behalf thanks for the work that had been done, and the following resolutions were passed : — ■ " The Assembly— " (1) Has learnt with satisfaction that the work of settlement effected in collaboration between the Greek authorities and the Settlement Commission set up under the auspices of the League has made continuous and satisfactory progress during the past year, within the limits of the available funds, which are now nearly exhausted. " (2) Observes that this piece of work is attaining the results expected of it. More than half of the 1,400,000 destitute refugees who have entered Greece have been assisted to establish themselves and have become productive citizens. Apart from the humanitarian significance of the scheme, it is having permanent beneficial results in strengthening the economic life of the country and in promoting social stability. . " (3) Expresses the hope that conditions may be such that the money required may become available in due course for the completion of this work, which has progressed successfully under the League's auspices, and the results of which have amply justified the association of the League with it." Preparatory Committee for the International Economic Conference. The report of the Preparatory Committee for the International Economic Conference is Document A. 24. The Preparatory Committee was set up by the Council in pursuance of a resolution of last year's Assembly, passed on a motion which was unexpectedly introduced by the French Delegation, designed to call an International Economic Conference. It may be that conditions a year ago were more favourable to a Conference of this kind than they are now, but it was a wise proceeding to appoint a preparatory committee to do the spade-work. Stress has been laid on more than one occasion on the fact that this Preparatory Committee consists of experts who in no way represent the Governments of the countries to which they belong, and in the debates of the Second Committee the majority of the delegates expressed the opinion that the members of the Economic Conference, when convened, should be experts appointed by their

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Governments, but not representing them. Such a proceeding would give the Conference a freer hand, and those taking part in it would not be embarrassed by governmental instructions or by political considerations. Thus the Conference, not being of a diplomatic nature, would have no authority to prepare conventions, but would be able to make recommendations for the consideration of the Governments. Mention was made in the course of the discussion by the Second Committee of the peculiar position occupied by the British Empire as a whole, and of the inter-Imperial relations which must be taken into account when international questions were under discussion. A mere glance at Document A. 24 shows that the sphere of work suggested by the Preparatory Committee is a most ambitious one, but it became clear from the information furnished by the chairman of the Preparatory Committee, who was present at the discussion in the Second Committee, that the preliminary draft programmes would be subject to a process of careful selection with a view to devising for the international Conference an agenda which would come within a reasonable compass. No definite suggestion for the date on which the international Conference is to be called was made. The preparatory work is so vast that considerable time is needed for its completion. Unfortunately, however, statistics collected and tabulated in the early days are likely to be out of date when the Conference itself meets, unless they are subject to a continual revision as new statistics become available. When the Rapporteur's draft report was before the Second Committee it was observed that it contained a hint that a via media might be found which would enable the delegates at the Conference to deal not only with economic truth but with national policy; but it is conceivable that there would be many pitfalls open to a hybrid representation of this kind, and several delegates reiterated that the method for the Governments to adopt would be to nominate representatives who would meet as experts and, not being hampered by national policy, be free to make recommendations for the consideration of their Governments. Some amendments of drafting were accepted by the Rapporteur, and the report as it finally emerged from his hands, together with a resolution couched in general terms, received the assent of the Assembly at its meeting on the 21st September. (See Document A. 76.) Attention is drawn to the speech by the Rapporteur, M. Loucheur, made in the Assembly on the 21st September, and to that which was delivered by one of the German delegates. A provisional report of both speeches appears in the Journal of the 22nd September. It will be observed that reference was made to over-industrialization, without an attempt to maintain a proper balance between agricultural and industrial production : to the fact that in many cases wars were due as much to economic as to other causes ; and to the agreement regulating production which had recently been made between the metallurgical industries of Germany, France, and Luxemburg, to which agreement, it was hoped, Belgium would ultimately be a party. Committee on Intellectual Co-operation. The papers before the Second Committee were those sections of Documents A. 6 and A. 6a, which deal with the subject, together with Documents A. 15, A. 26, A. 27, A. 28, A. 45, and C. 422 M. 181. The work of the Committee on Intellectual Co-operation is so varied that it is not possible to give in a brief compass a clear account of what is being done ; the documents, however, provide full information. Some particulars of the origin and development of the committee were given in the reports of the Fifth and Sixth Assemblies. It will be noted that the gift by the Government of France of a building in Paris to house the staff of the Committee on Intellectual Co-operation, and of an annual subsidy of 1,000,000 francs, has been followed by gifts of annual subsidies of 100,000 French francs and 15,000 gold francs by the Governments of Poland and Czecho-Slovakia respectively ; and, naturally, expression has been given to the hope that other Governments will follow the example. This year there was not a lengthy discussion on that part of the work of the Committee on Intellectual Co-operation which deals with the instruction of children and youth in the existence and aims of the League of Nations. It is recognized that action to be taken on these lines is a matter for individual Governments, although, of course, the Committee on Intellectual Co-operation can be of assistance in co-ordinating and giving the benefit of its experience. The British delegate introduced a motion urging Governments of States members of the League to give the report on this subject careful consideration, and to take steps to put into effect any recommendations which might be found suitable for their respective countries. This resolution was accepted. The Austrian delegate introduced a resolution asking that steps might be taken with a view to examining the possibility of establishing scholarships for university students, whereby they would be able to visit Geneva both before and during the annual Assemblies in order to obtain first-hand knowledge of the work of the League. On a subsequent occasion he explained that his resolution had reference more expecially to countries with a depreciated currency, but he was able to accept a resolution drafted in more general terms. The Serbian delegate made an appeal for gifts to States, such as Serbia : Poland, and Roumania, which had suffered severely from invasion, of scientific books and apparatus, models, pictures, &c., especially for use in schools, and he based his appeal on a resolution of the Third Assemblv passed on the 28th September, 1922, which read as follows :— " The Assembly invites the Council to stimulate an intellectual co-operation based upon international solidarity, in order to procure scientific books and documents for the universities and schools of those countries which, as a result of war, have been deprived of them and which have not sufficient resources to acquire them." The Second Committee's report (Document A. 80), with the resolutions attached thereto, was passed, at the meeting of the Assembly on the 23rd September.

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Settlement of Bulgarian Refugees.. Many months ago the Bulgarian Government appealed to the League for help in settling Bulgarian refugees and in raising a loan for the purpose of such settlement. This appeal was in due course considered bv the Financial Committee of the League, and, after negotiations, an arrangement was entered into and a protocol signed at Geneva on the Bth September. A document giving full particulars, and numbered C. 522, M. 204, was before the Second Committee of the Assembly. Comparisons have been made between the scheme to be applied to Bulgaria and that in operation in Greece. Although in some respects there are points of contact, there are several differences. For instance, whilst the Greek refugees came principally from Asia Minor, those who entered Bulgaria came from the surrounding countries, and consequently there are politica-l considerations which did not enter into the Greek arrangement. Neighbouring States require guarantees, and the Bulgarian Government has agreed that the refugees shall not be settled within a certain distance of frontiers. Any one acquainted with Balkan conditions will understand the reasons requiring the guarantees. The Bulgarian refugees do not amount to more than about 220,000, and for their settlement an amount of £2,250,000 will be required. A sum of £400,000 has been advanced, and it is hoped that the total amount required will be raised, probably by means of an international loan. As Bulgaria has to pay reparations, the sanction of the Reparations Commission had to be obtained in connection with the securities which will have to be provided to guarantee principal and interest. Unfortunately, unlike Greece, Bulgaria has little spare land and no vacant houses. Consequently, waste land will have to be reclaimed and houses built for all the refugees who are to be settled. It should be noted that many of these refugees have been in Bulgaria since the Balkan wars, whilst others cannot be called refugees in the strict sense of the word, since they have entered Bulgaria under treaty arrangements with neighbouring countries. The Second Committee's report, which is Document A. 84, and the resolution contained therein, were passed by the Assembly at its meeting on the 24th September. Financial Reconstruction or Austria. The work of the League in the reconstruction of Austria is accomplished. The CommissionerGeneral was withdrawn on the 30th June, 1926, and the Austrian Government has assumed complete control of the nation's affairs. Both the League and Austria are to be congratulated on the results obtained. The scheme, which was in the nature of an experiment, was put into operation with much diffidence, and during the progress of the work many people were sceptical of the final result, owing to a recurrence of economic difficulties, due not so much to Austria herself as to exterior conditions and the policy of neighbouring countries—-a policy which is undergoing a complete change. Austria is still suffering, and her Government realizes that the removal of control does not mean an end of reform or of economy in the public services. It is of interest to note that the work of reform occupied a period of about three and a half years. The Second Committee's report, which is Document A. 82, and its resolution were passed by the Assembly at its meeting on the 24th September. Financial Reconstruction of Hungary. The financial reconstruction of Hungary is likewise accomplished. The League's control was brought to an end on the 30th June, when the Commissioner-General was withdrawn. The work connected with Hungary has occupied a much less time and is, in a sense, even more successful than that done in connection with Austria ; but it has to be remembered that, whilst the Austrian scheme was an experiment, those who drew up the scheme for Hungary had the advantage of experience in the Austrian field. An interesting report by the Italian delegate was drawn up for submission to the Assembly. It is Document A. 81, and gives in a brief form some details of the work accomplished. The resolution with which it concludes was passed by the Assembly at its meeting on the 24th September. Financial Committee of the League. The report of the Financial Committee is Document A. 30, and during the course of the Assemblv a further document (A. 58) was issued. Much of the work of the Financial Committee has received notice under separate headings, but it remains to give a brief account of the other work which has been done in the course of the twelve months preceding the Seventh Assembly. This includes negotiations with the Free City of Danzig with a view to the balancing of the Budget, and with Poland in order to assure to the Free City a minimum amount of Customs duties due to Danzig, which forms a portion of the Polish Customs territory, and negotiations entered into with the object of paving the way for a loan to enable the Free City to improve its financial and economic situation. Danzig is the port for Poland. As is known, its population is overwhelmingly German, and it was created into an autonomous Free City by the Treaty of Versailles. It has, however, very close relations with Poland, and there is little doubt that, with the development of that country, the Free City will have an importance greater than that which it enjoyed when it formed a part of the German Empire. Indeed, the Polish delegates started that the city's trade had developed by 100 per cent. Other work of the Financial Committee consists of an inquiry into the suppression of counterfeiting and an inquiry into double taxation and fiscal evasion. All these matters are dealt with in the documents referred to above and in the report (Document A. 85) submitted by the Second Committee to the Assembly, which passed on the 24th September the resolution with which it concludes.

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Economic Committee. The report of the Economic Committee, which is one of the permanent organizations of the League, is Document A. 55. It deals with a number of subjects, many of which have been under investigation for a considerable time. One of these is the question of the abolition of import and export prohibitions and restrictions, and the labours of the committee have reached a stage when it has been possible to suggest to the Council that an international Conference be held, probably in 1927. A preliminary draft agreement, drawn up by the Economic Committee, will be found in the document referred to above. Amongst the other subjects which have been considered are the problems of the suppression of false Customs declarations, which might be regulated by means of an international agreement; the drawing-up of an additional act to the protocol of 1923 concerning arbitration clauses in commercial agreements, providing for the execution of arbitral awards rendered abroad ; a study of the unification of legislation concerning bills of exchange; and an investigation into the problem of economic crises and consequent unemployment. It will not be out of place to mention that last year a Conference was held at The Hague for the revision of the International Convention for the Protection of Industrial Property. Whilst this conference was not held under the auspices of the League, it was attended by two members of the Economic Committee in an advisory capacity. The work of the Economic Committee during the twelve months preceding this Assembly has beeh admirably summarized in the report of the Rapporteur (Document A. 94) submitted to the Assembly, which passed the resolutions with which it concludes at its meeting on the 24th September. Communications and Transit. The organization of communications and transit was established in virtue of Article 23 of the Covenant, which imposes upon the members of the League the duty of making provision to secure and maintain freedom of communications and transit, and equitable treatment for the commerce of all members of the League. Two international Conferences have been held —one at Barcelona in 1921 and the other in Geneva in 1923, and one of the duties of the organization is to prepare for these Conferences. The report of the organization is Document A. 31. It treats of a number of matters in which New Zealand, having no land frontiers, can have little interest, but it will be observed that the organization has been inquiring into the unification of buoyage and lighting of coasts in relation to the question of safety at sea, the organization of life-saving at sea, and the unification of tonnage measurement ; and that it has also studied health regulations with a view to suggesting the introduction of reforms for lightening the burdens on international trade and navigation and reducing the number of declarations and formalities. There is also in the report a reference to the Passport Conference held at Geneva in May last, and the recommendations which that Conference felt able to make. Other questions which have been under study for some considerable time are the reform of the calendar and the fixing of Easter, and a separate report (Document A. 33) has been published on these subjects. As regards the former question, it would appear that public opinion is not sufficiently advanced for calendar reform to become practical politics ; but the fixing of Easter is a question which, if not ripe for settlement, at any rate offers more opportunities for early discussion. It will be noted that the next International Conference on Communications and Transit is to be held in 1927. No conventions are to be concluded, and, as the Conference will be of short duration, the organization has suggested that it should be held immediately before the Eighth Assembly, thus permitting a reduction of expenditure on the part of both the League and the participating States. In spite of this suggestion, however, a motion was introduced by the Italian delegate providing that the Conference should be held in a city in Latin America. There were several references to this proposal in the course of the debate, and ultimately a resolution was passed expressing the hope that, should the Fourth Committee consider it possible to grant the necessary credits, the Council should convene the Conference in a town outside Europe. The Second Committee's report to the Assembly is Document A. 96, and the resolutions contained therein were passed on the 25th September. Health Organization. The report of the Health Organization for 1925 is Document A. 17, useful because it contains not only an account of the work of the organization performed since the last assembly, but also a brief history of the organization itself. Probably no organization of the League can perform international work of greater importance, but, at the same time, with respect to no organization is there a greater temptation to exceed the limits of a reasonable programme. Hitherto, the discussion of the organization's report by the Second Committee has given rise to resolutions providing for new investigations, and it has been very difficult to resist the wishes of the delegates who have mostly represented the smaller nations. On this occasion resolutions were introduced by the delegates for Cuba, Czechoslovakia, and Uruguay, having reference to infant mortality and the protection of children, and dealing respectively with engenics, international investigation of physical culture and scholastic hygiene, and problems of nutrition. Apparently these motions were introduced without any previous attempt to ascertain whether the Health Organization had the time or the staff to make the necessary inquiries, so it was suggested that, rather than give a direction to the organization to make such inquiries, it would be better to ask it to consider whether it could undertake them. Resolutions on these lines were passed on the understanding that no further sum should be inscribed on the Health Budget. A question of importance was the help to be given by the League in future to the Singapore Bureau of Epidemiological Intelligence. It will be remembered that the International Health Board

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of the Rockefeller Foundation made a grant of 125,000 dollars, to be spread over a period of five years, for running this bureau, which was established in March, 1925. There has always been an understanding that the demand made on this gift should decrease year by year, and that at the expiration of the five-years period it should be for the League, or for several countries deriving special benefit from the work of the bureau, to contribute to its keep. Now, it is beyond question that the greater part of the benefits conferred upon mankind by the League have been enjoyed by Europe. Consequently, at this stage, it would ill become a European State to suggest that the cost of work which was not primarily of importance to Europe should be defrayed by countries who were more intimately concerned in it. Indeed, such a suggestion is not of the spirit of the League. An attempt, and a successful one, was made in the committee —particularly by the Japanese delegate—to show that, after all, there is a direct relationship between the diseases prevalent in the East and the people of the West, and the committee showed no desire to make a demand on the Treasuries of the countries immediately served by the Singapore Bureau. In 1927 the money available from the Rockefeller grant will not be sufficient to cover the expenses of the bureau, and the deficit must be met. It was generally agreed that the money required should be found by the League, but there was a disagreement as to the method of doing so. Last year there was a general understanding amongst the members of the Second Committee that the Health Budget should be stabilized in the neighbourhood of 1,000,000 francs. One school of thought would have been content to have passed a resolution which would have enabled the Secretariat to find the deficit out of the money provided for the Health organization as a whole ; but another school was anxious that the sum required for the purpose should be definitely voted by the Assembly. Ultimately the Second Committee decided to ask the Fourth Committee to make a provision in the Budget for 1927 of 25,000 francs. The Fourth Committee recognized the necessity of inscribing the Singapore Bureau of Epidemiological Intelligence on the Health Budget, and provided funds by increasing the Health Budget to a maximum of 1,000,000 francs. The Report of the Second Committee to the Assembly is set out in Documents A. 63 and A. 63a, and the resolutions contained therein 'were approved by the Assembly at its meeting on the 24th September. (See also Document A. 22.) In previous years we have had the spectacle of a country's delegate on the Second Committee advocating work involving new expenditure, whilst that country's delegate on the Fourth Committee has resolutely opposed the voting of the money. There is a very natural desire on the part of many delegates not to oppose in strong terms demands made by countries for new investigations, but in the Fourth Committee the delegates generally favour economy. There is no doubt that last year's debates in both the Second and Fourth Committees made their influence felt this year, for there was no desire in the Second Committee to commit the League to an expenditure by the Health Organization of a sum greater than that to which it is entitled as an important organization, but by no means the only one, which is doing useful international work. COMMITTEE No. 3. Supervision of the Private Manufacture of Arms and Ammunition and of Implements of War. As is known, there was held at Geneva in the summer of 1925 a Conference for the Supervision of the International Trade in Arms and Ammunition and in Implements of War. The Conference drew up a convention, which was submitted to the Sixth Assembly, and is contained in Document A. 16, 1925, sent under cover of last year's report. The Third Committee had before it Document A. 47, which contains, amongst other papers, a preliminary draft convention concerning the supervision of the private manufacture of arms, &c. Although this problem is closely bound up with the general question of the limitation of armaments, several members of the Committee expressed the opinion that it was desirable to convene immediately a Conference to conclude a convention. This opinion had to be reconciled with the opposite view— that the question could not be separated from the proposed General Conference on the Reduction and Limitation of Armaments. Unanimity was reached on the basis of a resolution proposing that the question be included amongst those to be considered at the General Conference, if the latter could be convened before the next Assembly ; but, failing this, that a special Conference be convened for the purpose. This resolution was passed by the Assembly at its meeting on the 21st September. (See Document A. 73 and also A. 32.) Preparatory Commission for the Disarmament Conference. Little need be said on this question. The Preparatory Commission is still sitting, and until it has concluded its labours it would be unwise to offer any opinion. Sufficient progress has been made to lead to the belief that a programme for the Conference will be drawn up early next year for submission to the Council. Several delegates sitting on the Third Committee would have liked to make some definite suggestion as to the date of the Conference. A decision on this point, however, can very well be left to the Council. For the Assembly to have fixed a date which events would have proved to be too early would indeed have been unsatisfactory. Consequently the resolution put forward for the consideration of the Assembly recommends that the Conference should be held before the Eighth (ordinary) Session of the Assembly, unless material difficulties render this impossible. The Third Committee's report to the Assembly (Document A. 93) gave rise to several speeches, many of them of some length, and the resolution referred to above was passed at a meeting on the 24th September.

2—A. 5.

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Arbitration and Security. Consideration of this question received a fresh impetus in the Fifth Assembly of 1924. which drew up the famous protocol, an instrument which, however, has not become effective owing to the absence of the required number of ratifications. After that Assembly events moved with some rapidity, and before the following session the Treaties of Locarno had been drawn up. Such were the benefits which were expected from these treaties that the Sixth Assembly requested the Council to examine them and to submit a report for the consideration of this year's Assembly. Elffect was given to this resolution, and the report drawn up is C. 34, M. 74, which is a " Systematic Survey o'f the Arbitration Conventions and Treaties of Mutual Security deposited with the League of Nations." Parts of Document A. 32 should also be read in this connection. The result of the labours of the Secretariat and the Council received careful consideration by the Third Committee, which thought that the present time was peculiarly suitable for the development of mutual arbitration and security initiated at Locarno. It drew up a report (Document A. 79) which concludes with a resolution requesting the Council to recommend the States members of the League of Nations to put into practice the principles of mutual confidence and securitv, " and to offer, if necessary, its good offices for the conclusion of suitable agreements likely to establish confidence and security —the indispensable conditions of the maintenance of international peace : and, as a result, to facilitate the reduction and limitation of the armaments of all States." This resolution was passed by the Assembly at its meeting on the 25th September. COMMITTEE No. 4. The Fourth Committee dealt with the following documents and papers : — No. Subject. A. 3 .. .. .. Audited Accounts for the Seventh Financial Period (1925). A. 4 (1) .. .. Budget for the Ninth Financial Period (1927). Part I, Secretariat and Special Organizations "of the League. A. 4 (a) (1) .. .. Budget for the Ninth Financial Period (1927). Part 11, International Labour Organization. A. 4 (b) .. .. Budget for the Ninth Financial Period (1927). Part 111, Permanent Court of International Justice. A. 8 .. .. .. General Statement of the Assets and Liabilities of the League of Nations as at 31st December, 1925. A. 5 (1) .. .. Report of the Supervisory Commission. A. 11 . . .. . . Special Allowances to Members of the Permanent Mandates Commission. A. 39 .. .. . . Proportional Share of the Members of the League in the Building Fund. A. 43 .. .. .. New Work involving New Expenditure on the Part of the League. A. 72 .. .. .. Amendment to Article 6of the Staff Provident Fund Regulations. A. 78 .. .. .. Cost of Living in Geneva. A. 105 .. .. .. General Report submitted by the Fourth Committee to the Assembly. A. IV, 1 .. .. Confidential Report—Contributions in Arrears. A. IV, 3 .. .. Proportional Share of the Members of the League in the Building Fund. Explanatory Note by the Secretary-General A. IV, 5 .. .. Confidential Report of the Sub-Committee on Contributions in Arrears. A. IV, 8 .. .. Report of the Supervisory Commission to the Fourth Committee of the Assembly at its Seventh Ordinary Session. A. IV, 9 .. .. Report of the Supervisory Commission to the Fourth Committee on Modifications to be made in the 1927 Budget. C. 560 .. .. .. Report of the Salaries-adjustment Committee on the Cost of Living in Geneva. C. 561 .. .. .. Report of the Salaries-adjustment Committee on the Cost of Living in Geneva. Report by M. Villegas. The general report and other papgrs on financial questions were approved by the Assembly at its final meeting, held on Saturday, the 25th September, 1926. As will be seen from the general report submitted by the Fourth • Committee to the Assembly, very few fresh questions arose for discussion. It became apparent very early in the deliberations that several delegations, particularly those from Great Britain and other parts of the Empire, intended to examine closely all items of expenditure and to pay serious attention to proposed increases in the Budget for 1927. The Indian Delegation submitted a resolution immediately prior to the consideration of the Budget, which gave the opportunity for a very full and useful discussion on the control generally of the League finances. Although the resolution was modified somewhat, as printed on the first page in Document A. 105, the tone of the many speeches left no doubt that a number of States were perturbed by the gradual increases in the annual expenditure, and desired to take some step that would ensure proposed new work being subjected to the closest possible scrutiny, while at the same time do nothing that might hamper the League in fulfilling its objects. Many items of the Budget were questioned, but from the report of, and explanations rendered by, the chairman of the Supervisory Commission it was clear that that body had already subjected the Budget to a very minute and careful examination, and had made many reductions. Consequently most of the items were approved by the Fourth Committee without alteration. Despite the increase in contributions due to Germany's accession to the League —79 units —the Budget for 1927 shows an increase of approximately 8 per cent, over the previous year.

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The much-debated item "Unforeseen expenditure" again had a good deal of attention paid to it; but in this respect also the steps taken by the Supervisory Committee left no room for concern, as, so far as the Budget for the Secretariat and special organizations is concerned, expenditure under the item must be restricted only to cases that could not possibly have been foreseen. This system, however, does not apply to the Budget of the International Labour Office, as the governing body of that organization can, and does, transfer expenditure from " Unforeseen expenditure " to other items. Beyond criticizing the difference, and drawing attention to it on the Supervisory Commission's report, no definite action was taken to place the various organizations of the League on the same footing. Health Organization. The only other question of interest raised on the consideration of Document A. 4 (1) was with regard to the recommendation of the Second Committee for the inclusion of a contribution towards the cost of the Bureau of Epidemiological Intelligence at Singapore. The Sixth Assembly decided to restrict the Budget of the Health Organization to 1,000,000 francs annually, but prior to the above-mentioned request being made to it the Supervisory Committee had reduced item 23 of A. 4 (1) to 991,115 francs. The importance of the work, however, was recognized and the item increased to the maximum of 1,000,000 francs, the increase representing a contribution from the League to the work being done at the Singapore Bureau. Permanent Court of International Justice. The anomalous position that has arisen with regard to emoluments of Judges of the Court, as explained in paragraph 51 of the report of the Supervisory Commission, was brought before the Conference by several delegates, and, after some discussion, was left in the hands of the Supervisory Commission for further consideration. Mandates Commission. The proposal contained in Document A. 11 for a special allowance to members of the Mandates Commission who have sat for more than thirty days in any one year was not received by the Fourth Committee altogether with enthusiasm. The Committee noted, however, that the Supervisory Commission had examined the matter with extreme care, and that weight should be given to its recommendation, to which it had attached the following remarks : — " It must be understood that this allowance may be revised or withdrawn later, according to the number of days on which members of the Mandates Commission are required to attend." League Building Fund. A full summary of the discussions in connection with the League Building Fund may be found in Document A. 105, page 4, and shows that the fund has been placed on a very sound basis. As the outcome of a suggestion by the French delegate, the Secretary-General promised to furnish States with statements for 1927, showing contributions due after deducting sums payable to them as annuities, such allowances to be made on the same basis as adopted by the various States in paying their annual contributions—i.e., quarterly, half-yearly, or annually. This will enable States to complete their transactions in respect of the League's finances within the one financial period. Contributions in Arrears. The meetings of the Fourth Committee were held in private to consider the report of the subcommittee which had been set up in connection with contributions in arrears. Sir Herbert Ames, of the Canadian Delegation, who is a member of the sub-committee, drew attention to the very serious situation that, in his opinion, would arise if States did not pay their contributions regularly. Speakers generally realized the difficulties that had been encountered in securing payments in certain cases, and a general doubt existed as to what power the League of Nations possesses to enforce payment of arrears of contributions. It was therefore decided to adopt paragraph (4) of the following resolution, which was finally agreed to : — " The Assembly— " (1) Authorizes the Secretary-General, as the result of previous negotiations, to write off from the accounts of the League the sum of 22,478-71 gold francs due from Panama for the financial year 1925 : " (2) Requests the Secretary-General — " (a) To give his support, when necessary, to any steps which he may consider useful with a view to the recovery of arrears : " (b) To submit to the Council at its session of June, 1927, a detailed report on the position with regard to contributions in arrears : " (3) Requests China to propose effective and concrete methods, acceptable to the League of Nations, with a view to the payment of her contributions in arrears : (4) Requests the Council to have a study made of the legal position of States which do not pay their contributions to the League of Nations, with a view to informing the Assembly at its Eighth Ordinary Session." COMMITTEE No. 5. Report on the Work of the Advisory Committee on Traffic in Opium and other Dangerous Drugs. The committee spent two meetings in the examination and discussion of the report (Document A. 20) of the Advisory Committee on Traffic in Opium and other Dangerous Drugs. Some members of the Advisory Committee were present during the discussion, either as delegates for their countries or as advisers to delegates, and the debate was followed with great interest.

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Unfortunately, the convention of the 19th February, 1925, is not yet in operation, for the reason that it cannot come into force until it has been ratified by ten Powers, including some of the States by which the Central Board to be set up under the convention is to be appointed, of which States at least two must be permanent members of the Council of the League. The convention has been signed by many countries, but at the time of making this report only six ratifications have been received. It should be noted that these ratifications have come from English-speaking countries, and that they include Great Britain, which has a permanent seat on the Council, and India, which is a producing and exporting country, and which, from the statement made by the Indian delegate, is taking severe measures to control the illicit traffic and to limit production. Until the convention becomes operative there is little doubt that the illicit traffic will, if not grow, at any rate not decrease. The questions involved are serious, and solution of them is imperative. Whether they can be completely solved under a convention which has not been tried is uncertain, and, in the circumstances, it is useless for certain countries, which are merely consuming and not also producing, to complain that the convention does not go far enough. Unfortunately, this opium question, like several others which have a moral bearing, is complicated by having an economic aspect, for the production of the poppy is very largely due to the labours of the peasant class, and to reduce that production to a quantity which is sufficient to meet legitimate requirements only will involve a substitution of crops —a policy the fulfilment of which must of necessity take some years. However, it was generally agreed that it was essential that the convention should come into force at the earliest possible moment, and a resolution urging Governments who had not already done so to ratify, or adhere, so that, if possible, the ratifications necessary t > bring it into force may be deposited with the Secretariat before the end of 1926, was put forward by the Second Committee and passed by the Assembly at its meeting on the 21st September, when it also passed a resolution approving of the report of the Advisory Committee and of the resolutions which that Committee had passed. The Advisory Committee's report is worthy of careful study, because it shows the great difficulties which have to be coped with in the suppression of the illicit traffic. Many delegates who had taken part in the discussion of last year's Assembly were hopeful that the report of the Special Commission of Inquiry which had been sent to Persia would be available ; but it was not before the Second Committee. This is unfortunate, because it seems to be proved that much of the illicit traffic has its origin in shipments from the Persian Gulf. An attempt has been made to show that some of the opium shipped from Persia has been smuggled into that country from other countries ; but there appears to be no doubt that until proposals are made, and given effect to, for a substitution of crops in Persia the illicit traffic in that part of the world will remain stationary, or will even increase. In closing, it is as well to place on record that some objections were raised to the method which is to be employed in appointing the Central Board under Article 19 of the new convention. There was an insinuation that the producing countries might have a larger representation on the Board than their interest justified, but from the information given it would seem that there is no reason to doubt that the Council, which is to appoint the Board, will act strictly in the terms of Article 19 of the convention. Indeed, one of the countries which insists that the convention does not go far enough and has refused to sign it has a permanent seat on the Council, and consequently a voice in the appointment of the Central Board. The Fifth Committee's report to the Assembly is Document A. 74, and the resolutions are given in Document A. 91. Advisory Commission foe the Protection and Welfare of Children and Young People.— Traffic in Women and Children. The report of the Traffic in Women and Children Committee of the Advisory Commission for the Protection and Welfare of Children and Young People is numbered A. 18, and it came before the Fifth Commission of the Assembly at its meeting on the 13th September. The discussion ranged largely round the resolutions of the Traffic in Women and. Children Committee, but there was a desire on the part of more than one speaker that that committee should not confine itself to the duties conferred on it in the covenant —i.e., a general supervision of the execution of agreements, with regard to the traffic in women and children —but should take steps to prevent prostitution, in pursuance of the principle that " prevention is better than cure." More than one speaker referred to a large percentage of prostitution being due to unhygienic conditions and mental deficiency, and, naturally, the question of alcohol, with which resolution 7 of the Traffic in Women and Children Committee deals, was dwelt upon. Considerable weight was attached to the influence on the young milid of obscene literature. To pave the way for an extended inquiry into causes, as distinct from a supervision of international engagements, the delegate for Cuba introduced a resolution which, whilst it met with sympathy, was not put to the vote, because the report of an inquiry proposed by the Council in 1923 is awaited. The resolution approving of the report of the Traffic in Women and Children Committee was passed by the Assembly at its meeting on the 21st September. (See Document A. 75.) Child Welfare Committee. The report on the work of the second session of the Child' Welfare Committee is Document A. 19, which, together with Document A. 37, containing the resolution of the Council on that report, was before the Fifth Commission of the Assembly. This year there was again a discussion as to what were purely national as opposed to international questions ; but the discussion led nowhere, and, indeed, it must be difficult for a committee of enthusiasts such as, apparently, the Child Welfare Commitee is, to confine its work within limitations which are ill defined and on which no helpful guidance has been received from the Council or the Assembly. A number of interesting points was

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brought out in the course of the discussion, and there was some criticism of the attitude of the Council twards the committee's report. In connection witli the proposed inquiry into Children's Courts, one speaker expressed the opinion that the child delinquent, who is not now regarded as a criminal, but as a misdirected person needing proper control, was not a fit subject for investigation by the International Prisons Commission, which dealt with prison administration and the suppression of crime. There were several references to the cinema, and the evil effects which it has 011 the child unless it is properly controlled. Some exception was taken to the inclusion of recreation in the life of children amongst the subjects dealt with by the Child Welfare Committee, but it was conceded that a comparative study of the methods and experiences of different countries might be of assistance, and a resolution on these lines was framed. A strong effort was made to mention specially in the report to the Assembly the resolution of the Child Welfare Committee dealing with alcohol. There was some opposition to this, especially as a proposal had been made to the Seventh Assembly for a general inquiry into the question, and it was not desired that the Child Welfare Committee should make a separate inquiry into those aspects which relate to child welfare. After discussion, a resolution was framed which, whilst approving of the action already taken by the Child Welfare Committee, deprecated further action, in view of the general inquiry referred to above. The report of the Child Welfare Committee, the minutes of its second session (Document C. 264), and the report of the Fifth Committee to the Assembly cannot but be of interest to a country like New Zealand, which has always been to the fore in all questions relating to child welfare. The Assembly adopted the Fifth Committee's report at its meeting 011 the 24th September. (See Document A. 77.) Work fob the Refugees. The Fifth Committee had before it Document A. 44, a comprehensive report on the work done in connection with certain Armenian and Russian refugee questions since the last Assembly, and also Document A. 29. The early part of the debate was mostly taken up by statements from representatives of some of the delegates who had not replied to the questionnaire of the 24th December, 1925, or to the invitation of the Council given in its resolution of the 10th June last, to members of the League to authorize their delegations at this Assembly to acquaint the Assembly with the measures which may have been taken in their territories to give effect to the terms of the arrangement which resulted from the governmental conference at Geneva in May last. It may here be noted that New Zealand's interest in this question is a purely academic one, and, in the absence of instructions, no statement from the Dominion Delegation seemed to be necessary. If reference is made to the report of last year's Assembly, it will be seen that there was then before the Fifth Committee a suggestion that the League should concern itself with the unemployed. This suggestion then met with little support, and the opinion was expressed that the question of finding employment for persons other than unemployed refugees was a domestic matter for the Governments concerned. When the Rapporteur's draft report was before the Fifth Committee this year some surprise was expressed that it contained a reference to the existence of the nucleus of a permanent organization within the International Labour Office to which recourse may be had at any time by members of the League for the consideration of emergency unemployment problems. There is a similar reference in the last paragraph but one 011 page 32 of Document A. 44. It is true that Document A. 44 does state that last year's Assembly had laid it down that the machinery of the refugee service should be confined to the placing of refugees, and it would appear that whatever organization does exist is distinct from the refugee service. The Rapporteur was asked to suppress the passage, and reference was made to a Belgian motion which had just been introduced to the Assembly, designed to ascertain how far measures taken to give protection to, to provide employment for, and to afford relief to Russian and Armenian refugees could be extended to other categories of refugees. Evidently, however, it was the larger problem of the unemployed which was dominant in the minds of a few of the delegates, and they werfe strenuous in their efforts to secure consideration of this problem. Again an appeal was made to the Rapporteur to suppress the passage to which so many of the delegations had taken objection, and he offered to do so, provided a resolution bearing on the question was passed and took its place. The debate was prolonged, and in the course of it a suggestion was made that the Rapporteur should withdraw from his report the reference to the nucleus of a permanent organization within the International Labour Office, to which recourse may be had at any time by members of the League for the solution of emergency unemployment problems, provided that a motion on the subject which he had introduced was considered separately. He accepted the suggestion, and his report, as amended, was passed. The creation of the revolving fund of £100,000, whether by means of an annual charge of 5 gold francs, to those who can afford it, for identity certificates for Russian or Armenian refugees, or by means of subventions from Governments members of the League, does not seem to have made much progress. The reasons are not far to seek. The greater number of the refugees are so poor that a sum of even 5 francs represents to them a considerable amount. Moreover, many Governments who in normal times might be prepared to assist are faced with grave economic depression, and relief for their own citizens must be their first concern. The Committee then had before it the German motion reading as follows : — " Having regard to the importance of the practical experience acquired by the refugee service of the International Labour Office in the placing of unemployed refugees in countries desirous and capable of receiving them, requests the governing body of the International Labour Office to consider the possibility of submitting a report to the International Economic Conference, suggesting, in the light of their experience, by what practical means the coordination between national systems of placing labour provided for under the Washington Convention might be carried out effectively,"

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and the Belgian motion, quoted hereunder, which had been sent to the Fifth Committee :— " The Assembly invites the Council to request the High Commissioner for Refugees and the International Labour Organization to consider how far the measures taken to give protection to, to provide employment for, and to afford relief to Russian and Armenian refugees can be extended to other categories of refugees." The Belgian motion was accepted by the Fifth Committee, with the addition of the word " already " between the words " measures " and "taken," and it was passed by the Assembly in the form of a resolution on the 25th. September. (See Document A. 99 (1).) The German motion evoked considerable opposition, and no doubt it was ill-timed. We are certain, however, that it was introduced in all sincerity as a means of drawing attention to a passage in the memorandum by the Director of the International Labour Office on the work of the refugee service. One speaker confessed that, whilst he was in sympathy with the substance of the motion, he deprecated the procedure which has been adopted, and doubted the legality of the Committee going into a question which had not been sent to it for consideration by the Assembly. Moreover, by passing the resolution a precedent would be created which he did not desire to see. Finally, the German delegate confessed that a resolution which had not been passed unanimously, or, at any rate, by a considerable majority, was of little value, and, if only for this reason, he would withdraw the motion. It is very much to be hoped that an attempt to introduce into the debates of any of the committees a subject which is not germane to its agenda, and which has not been sent to it by the Assembly, will not be made again, and that, if any Government desires.to have discussed by the Assembly a subject which is not normally inscribed on the agenda, that Government will take action in accordance with the rules of procedure. The Fifth Committee's report is Document A. 109, and the resolution with which it concludes was passed by the Assembly at its meeting on the 25t.h September. Transfer of Armenian Refugees to the Caucasus. This subject has been dealt with in the reports of the Fifth and Sixth Assemblies. It will be remembered that last year the Assembly invited the Council to appoint a committee to go into the proposed scheme for creating a national home for Armenians in the Republic of Erivan. Before proceeding further it is advisable to state that grave political considerations are involved, as will be seen from the report to the Council of the Armenian Refugee Commission, appointed under the resolution of last year's Assembly. (See Document C. 328.) This document was before the Fifth Committee, together with a document (A. 70) which is the report to the Council of the Financial Committee's consideration of the scheme. The resolution taken by the Council, whilst couched in sympathetic terms, does not give much reason to hope that the project will be realized unless sufficient money should be forthcoming from private organizations. It will be convenient here to point out that on a few occasions this year the delegate appointed as Rapporteur on a particular question prepared his report and submitted it to the Committee before that body had even begun the debate. We may remark that the other method, of the Rapporteur drawing up his report at the conclusion of the general debate, is a better one. This was one of the occasions on which the former practice was adopted, and consequently the Fifth Committee had before it from the beginning of the debate, in addition to the documents mentioned above, the Rapporteur's report, which concluded with resolutions to the effect that a sum of 25,000 francs should be included in the Budget for next year to meet the expenses of a committee to be appointed by the Council to investigate the possibility of obtaining the sum required for creating a national home for Armenians in the Republic of Erivan. One delegate objected to the resolutions, because, in his opinion, they ran counter to the spirit of the resolution passed by the Council. A strong appeal was made by the British delegate (The Hon. Mrs. Alfred Lyttelton, D.8.E.), who proposed a slight amendment to the resolutions, which was carried with one dissentient. The Fourth Committee subsequently reduced the credit asked for to 15,000 francs. There is really little more to be said. The Assembly has again and again shown by resolution its sympathy with the remnants of the Armenian race, but literally nothing has been done to create for them the national home which has been promised. As to the merits of the scheme referred to above, all that can be said is that it has been reported upon favourably by experts who have made investigations on the spot; but there are political considerations which make it difficult to raise a loan to be utilized under the auspices of the League. The report to the Assembly (Document A. Ill), together with the resolution with which it concludes, was passed at the meeting of the Assembly on the 25th September. Protection of Women and Children in the Near East. Details of this work have been given in previous reports, and there is no necessity to deal with it at length this year. As is known, a house is provided in each of the cities of Constantinople and Aleppo for the reception of women and children who have escaped from countries to which they were deported, and where they have been held in bondage. Properly speaking, the work may be divided into two parts, and separate credits have been voted for Constantinople and Aleppo. Miss K. Jeppe, who has been responsible for the work in Aleppo, gave a most interesting account to the Fifth Committee of what had been accomplished, and it became clear, from what she said, that she expects that her task will terminate in 1927. Consequently this was probably the last time that n oney would be voted by the League for Aleppo. During the discussion in the committee one delegate raised a question of principle. He admitted that the League of Nations was concerned with humanitarian questions, but doubted whether it should give financial assistance to what, after all, was a private institution. It is quite true that it was only after Miss Jeppe had begun her work that she appealed

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to the League for help ; but, seeing that financial assistance had been given from time to time, it is late in the day to raise the question of principle in this matter, especially as 1927 will probably see the termination of the work. The Fifth Committee proposed a credit of 45,000 francs for 1927. With regard to the similar work in Constantinople, some doubt was expressed as to whether this had not been recently changed in character, and whether it did not now belong to the general category of work for refugees. A small sub-committee was appointed to draw up a report. It had the advantage of going into the question with Miss C. E. Mills, who directs the work in Constantinople, and it reported to the effect that in practically all respects the work was similar to that performed in Aleppo and merited the support of the League for another year, at the end of which time it was hoped that no further money would be required under this special heading. In view of the fact that the work was diminishing in volume, it was decided to ask the Fourth Committee to include a sum of 20,000 francs in the Budget, being a reduction of 10,000 on last year's vote. The Fourth Committee, however, acting on the advice of the supervisory committee, refused the credits, but the Fifth Committee subsequently learned that Miss Jeppe hoped to be able to carry on her work at Aleppo for another year with the aid of private subscriptions only, and that she was willing to do so under the auspices of the League, although without its financial aid. With regard to the house at Constantinople, the work being smaller in volume, it was not considered advisable to continue it under the auspices of the League ; but the committee, having ascertained that it would probably be carried on for another year with the help of private resources, decided that Miss Mills, the lady in charge, should have the use of the equipment purchased with funds that had been provided by the League. The Fifth Committee's report, with a resolution attached (Document A. 106), was passed by the Assembly at its meeting on the 25th September. COMMITTEE No. 6. Ratification op Agreements and Conventions concluded under the Auspices op the League ' of Nations. A motion by Lord Cecil regarding this matter was referred by the Assembly to the Sixth Committee, which submitted a report (Document A. 83), together with a resolution reading as follows " The Assembly, observing with regret that many conventions and agreements concluded under the auspices of the League of Nations have remained ineffective, or have only come into force after undue delay owing to the difficulty experienced in securing a sufficient number of ratifications by the signatories, desires to call the attention of the Governments of all States members of the League to the necessity for taking all measures in their power to facilitate and expedite the ratification in all cases of conventions and agreements signed in their name ; and decides to invite the Council of the League to call for a report every six months on the progress of ratification, and to consider methods for securing the more rapid bringing into force of these agreements and conventions." This resolution was passed by the Assembly at its meeting on the 23rd September. Slavery. The draft convention drawn up by the Sixth Assembly (Document A. 130, 1925), which had been circulated to various Governments, was considered by the Sixth Committee, together with the suggestions and amendments submitted. These, with the original draft convention, wer prepared in a special report (Document A. VI/2/1926) in order to enable members to see exactly what alterations were proposed. Article 1 was agreed to after very little discussion, but some of the proposals in connection with other articles departed so much from the draft that it was decided to refer them with the draft to a special sub-committee. The new draft convention recommended by the Sixth Committee, and adopted by the Assembly with certain resolutions on the 25th September, is fully outlined in the report presented by the Sixth Committee (Document A. 104) with full explanatory note. Whilst many alterations were made in the draft convention drawn up by the Sixth Assembly, they are mostly improvements in drafting and do not materially depart from the provisions of the former draft. Article 2 has been slightly altered in redrafting. Article 3 has been altered by the insertion of a new paragraph containing an undertaking to negotiate a convention extending rights and imposing duties similar to those provided in the convention of 1925, dealing with the international trade in arms. Article 4 : Unaltered. Article 5, slightly amended, is now Article 6. Article 6 is the old Article 5 extended to cover conditions developing analagous to slavery. Article 7 : Unaltered. Article 8 has been omitted in view of the doubts that existed as to the legal position of previous conventions. New Article 8 provides for disputes arising out of the convention being referred to arbitration, and imposes no new obligations on signatory States to the optional clause of the statute of the Permanent Court of International Justice. New Article 9 merely provides that certain territorial exemptions may be declared by States at the time of signature, ratification, or accession, and is practically the same as old Article 9. As will be seen from the report of the discussion on the convention in the Assembly on the 25th September, 1926, such a declaration was made by the Indian Delegation respecting certain territories in India.

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Article 10 has been omitted, and replaced by a new article which provides for denunciation. Article 11 is purely one of procedure. The objects generally of the amendments and suggestions submitted were to strengthen the provisions of the draft convention ; but, whilst some of them were very desirable from a humanitarian standpoint, and aimed at abolishing slavery in all its forms in the shortest possible time bv means of repatriation and the payment of compensation, the committee found that they could not be included without considerable difficulty in the Convention. In addition, some of the proposals exceeded the authority held by members, and their adoption would have necessitated the amended draft being reconsidered by many Governments. Mandates. The Council, having considered the report of the Mandates Commission, resolved to refer to the several mandatory Powers for their opinion the proposed new questionnaire and the proposal to hear petitioners orally at Geneva. It is considered advisable to delay our report on this subject, as we anticipate that representatives of all the British Mandatories (including New Zealand) will confer at the Imperial Conference and may probably agree upon a united answer to the Council. We are, Sir, Your obedient servants, F. H. D. BELL, C. J. PARR. The Honourable The Acting Prime Minister, Wellington, New Zealand. [Note. —Copies of the documents referred to in the foregoing report have been placed in the General Assembly Library for convenience of reference.]

Approximate Cost of Paper.—Preparation, not given ; printing (000 copies), £18.

By Authority : W. A. G. Skinner, Government Printer, Wellington.—l 927.

Price 6d.]

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