A.—s

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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