A. —5

1929. NEW ZEALAND

THE LEAGUE OF NATIONS. REPORT OF THE REPRESENTATIVE OF THE DOMINION OF NEW ZEALAND ON THE NINTH ASSEMBLY OF THE LEAGUE OF NATIONS, HELD AT GENEVA IN THE YEAR 1928.

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

NINTH ASSEMBLY OF THE LEAGUE OF NATIONS. New Zealand Government Offices, 415 Strand, London W.C. 2, January, 1929. Sib, — Opening or Pboceedings and Election or President. I have the honour to inform you that the Ninth Assembly of the League of Nations was declared open by His Excellency M. Procope (Finnish Minister of Foreign Affairs and the representative of his country on the Council of the League), at the end of a speech which he made to the assembled delegates on the morning of Monday, the 3rd September. After transacting certain formal business the Assembly proceeded to elect its President. Its choice fell upon M. Herluf Zahle, a Danish delegate who has been prominently connected with the Assembly since the year 1920. He received forty-four votes of the fifty which were cast. Arrangements for the Conduct op Business. The proceedings followed the normal course. It was decided to refer the items of the agenda (Document A. 21) to the following six committees, composed of delegates or their substitutes, for discussion and report to the Assembly itself :— Committee No. 1 : Legal and constitutional questions. Committee No. 2 : Technical organizations of the League. Committee No. 3 : Reduction of armaments. Committee No. 4 : Budget and financial questions. Committee No. 5 : Social and general questions. Committee No. 6 : Political questions. An Agenda Committee was appointed to consider and report on any supplementary items proposed. Representation op New Zealand. As three committees are usually sitting at one time, it is necessary to appoint substitutes when three full delegates are not available. As sole delegate for New Zealand, I nominated myself for the six committees in order that I might attend any meeting at which the business was of such importance as to necessitate my presence. This year I had the advantage of the help of MajorGeneral Sir George Richardson, whom I nominated as substitute to serve on Committees Nos. 1 and 3 ; and my Private Secretary, Mr. C. Knowles, was nominated to act as substitute on Committees Nos. 2 and 4, with the work of which he is familiar. Geneeal Committee of the Assembly. The General Committee of the Assembly comprises the President, the Chairmen of the six committees, six Vice-Presidents, and the Chairman of the Agenda Committee (M. Caballero). There was a short adjournment to enable the six committees to elect their Chairmen. Their choice was Committee No. 1, M. Scialoja (Italy) ; Committee No. 2, M. Motta (Switzerland) ; Committee No. 3, M. Carton de Wiart (Belgium) ; Committee No. 4, M. de Vasconcellos (Portugal) ; Committee No. 5,' M. Matos (Guatemala) ; Committee No. 6, M. Marinkovitch (Kingdom of the Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes). The six Vice-Presidents elected by the Assembly were —M. Adatci (Japan), M. Briand (France), M. Miiller (Germany), Lord Cushendun (British Empire), Mr. Mackenzie King (Canada), Mgr. Seipel (Austria). Debate on the Repobt op the Secbetaby-Genebal. In the course of this debate any subject dealt with by the League may be raised, and generally full advantage is taken by delegates to express their country's or their own opinions on various matters. The report comprises two documents, A. 6 and A. 6 (a).

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