A.—s

10

The committee's examination, which was careful and exhaustive, revealed a considerable divergence of opinion on the part of the delegates as to the best road to be pursued to reach the end desired by all. The debate throughout was of a high character, and may be read and studied with profit by all. A considerable body of opinion, which represented the view that the League must do something to satisfy the universal desire for peace, regarded the Spanish resolution as somewhat negative in character, and they naturally favoured the more positive wording of the Netherlands draft. On the other hand, many delegates, including the representatives of Great Britain and Ttaly, emphasized the extreme delicacy and complexity of the problem, and the need for proceeding with the utmost circumspection in order to avoid a repetition of the failures which had attended all previous efforts. They urged that the Netherlands and Hungarian resolutions gave insufficient latitude to the Council, and that it would be preferable to leave to that body the decision as to the most favourable moment for commencing this preliminary work without necessarily requiring it to wait for the actual realization of the conditions of security defined in the Spanish resolution. A sub-committee was appointed with a view to reconciling these viewpoints and framing a single text from the three drafts, and, as it conducted its investigation in a most conciliatory spirit, no difficulty was experienced in adopting a text in substitution for the last paragraph of the Spanish resolution, which met with unanimous acceptance. This text reads as follows :— " And, in conformity with the spirit of Article 8 of the Covenant, requests the Council to make a preparatory study with a view to a conference on the reduction and limitation of armaments in order that, as soon as satisfactory conditions have been assured from the point of view of general security as provided for in Resolution XIV of the Third Assembly, the said conference may be convened and a general reduction and limitation of armaments may be realized." The Rapporteur of the Third Committee, in his report to the Assembly (A. 99), gave an exact interpretation of this text, which is the result of a compromise, and the gravity and importance of the subject justify me in quoting it as follows : — " (1.) The paragraph in question, in the first place, fixes the present field of activity of the Council in respect of reduction and limitation of armaments, inviting it to make a preparatory study with a view to a, conference on the reduction and limitation of armaments as understood in Resolution XIV. " (2.) In regard to the programme of these preparatory studies, the committee refrained from discussing them, in agreement with the point of view expressed by the British, French, and. Italian delegates, that this was a matter for the Council to decide. It rests with the Council to examine very carefully any studies already made, as well as proposals which may be laid before it by States members of the League. " (3.) In regard to the time at which the preparatory studies might and should be begun by the Council, the resolution confirms the opinion of the majority of the delegations that it is highly desirable not to delay for one moment the realization of the efforts made by the League in this direction. Although it is not expressly said that these preparatory studies should be entered upon at once or ' immediately,' the text makes it clear that any inactivity of the Council in this respect, apart from not being in conformity with Article 8 of the Covenant, would fail to meet the ideas of the Sixth Assembly with regard to the problem of the reduction and the limitation of armaments. " But it is for the Council to choose the moment which it may deem opportune for initiating each of the preparatory studies in order that these studies may be completed and the conference immediately summoned as soon as the general political situation is favourable for the holding of such a conference." The Spanish resolution as amended by the First Committee (first seven paragraphs) and by the Third Committee (last paragraph) will be found in Document A. 113. The amended resolution was submitted to the Assembly (Document A. 133) and approved, and is set out in full in that part of the report dealing with the First Committee. The concluding, debate in the Assembly, which was followed with the closest attention, reflected the universal desire for the early approach of that great day when security and disarmament will have been attained, and when conciliation and arbitration will take the place of force in the settlement of all international disputes. I am sure that Lord Cecil, in a moving speech which he delivered in support of the motion, echoed the prayer of all when he wished the work of this Assembly in the cause of peace " God Speed." COMMITTEE No. 4. Dr. Augusto Costa (Portugal) was elected Chairman of the committee, Mr. Mac White (Irish Free State) Yice-Chairman, and M. Cavazzoni (Italy) General Rapporteur. Three sub-committees were appointed to consider and report on —(1) Contributions in arrears (2) construction of a conference hall ; (3) allocation of expenses. The constitution of these committees may be found in Document A. 124. The duties of No. IV Committee are rendered less onerous than they used to be owing to the care taken by the Supervisory Commission in compiling its reports for submission to the committee, and by the work done in previous sessions in adopting regulations dealing with the staff, finance, and the Provident Fund. The Supervisory Commission submitted six reports, the main one dealing with the work of the 14th, and 15th sessions. The relevant documents are A. 5, A. IV 2, A. IV 3, A. IV 5, A. IV 6. and A. IV 12.