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1932. NEW ZEALAND.

THE LEAGUE OF NATIONS. REPORT OF THE REPRESENTATIVE OF THE DOMINION OF NEW ZEALAND ON THE TWELFTH ASSEMBLY OF THE LEAGUE OF NATIONS, HELD AT GENEVA, IN THE YEAR 1931.

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

TWELFTH ASSEMBLY OF THE LEAGUE OF NATIONS. New Zealand Government Offices, 415 Strand, London W.C. 2, 10th December, 1931. Sib, — I have the honour to inform you that I arrived in Geneva on the 6th September in order to represent the Government at the Twelfth Assembly of the League of Nations, which was opened on the following day by M. Lerroux* (representative of Spain), President of the Council. Opening of Proceedings. The first meeting was formal, and the business dealt with included the election of the President. The delegation chose for this high office M. Nicolas Titulesco, who filled the post in 1930. He was selected, however, by only a narrow margin, twenty-five votes having been recorded in his favour. Of the other candidates Count Apponyi, the Hungarian statesman, received twenty-one votes. As usual, the Assembly set up six committees to deal with the various items of the agenda (Document A. 2 (1)), and I give below a list of these committees, together with the Chairman elected by the members of each : — No. 1. Constitutional and Legal Questions. Chairman: M. Scialoja (Italy). No. 2. Work of the Technical Organizations of the League. Chairman: M. Janson (Belgium). No. 3. Questions relating to the Reduction of Armaments. Chairman: Dr. Munch (Denmark). No. 4. Organization of the Secretariat, and Finances of the League. Chairman : M. Politis (Greece). No. 5. Humanitarian and Social Questions. Chairman : Khan Ala (Persia). No. 6. Political Questions, Chairman : M. Motta (Switzerland). The Assembly also appointed an Agenda Committee to which could be referred any new items proposed during the session. At the opening meeting two new items were brought forward —i.e., a motion by the British delegation expressing sympathy with China in the disasters which have overtaken certain provinces of that country (Document A. 42) ; and a proposal, submitted by several delegations, to invite Mexico to request its admission to the League (Document A. 43). Both motions were passed after a number of short speeches warmly supporting them had been made. . , On the 10th September the Secretary-General received a telegram from the Mexican Minister of Foreign Affairs accepting the invitation to accede to the Covenant (Document A. 50). I draw your attention to the statement appended to the acceptance that Mexico has never accepted the regional understanding (the Monroe doctrine) mentioned in Article 21 of the Covenant. I—A. 5.