A. —58.

M. Rappard, who was representing the Permanent Mandates Commission at the Council, was quick to reply. His defence was that during what he described as a free and friendly conversation with the accredited representative of New Zealand some of the members of the Commission expressed surprise not at the new policy, but at the manner in which it, and the reasons for the change, had been announced to the Natives ; that it was felt in some quarters that possibly the exhilaration of political victory in New Zealand might lead to misunderstanding amongst the Natives. No criticism had been expressed or intended. Mr. Nash then dealt with the point that some surprise was felt by the Permanent Mandates Commission at the Government, " as a Government," doing what, when it was in opposition, it had said it would do. He, however, did not question the powers of the Commission, which should do all that it could to ensure the welfare of the Natives. The debate closed on a note of thanks and appreciation by M. Rappard. Health Committee. On the report on the Bureau of the Health Committee (Document C. 503, 1936) I acted as Rapporteur, and my report to the Council is Document C. 17. The constitution of the Health Committee has recently undergone some revision and its numbers have been severely reduced. Its composition will form the subject of a later report and will not be dealt with here, but when introducing my report quoted above I felt it necessary to stress the fact that in reducing the numerical strength of the committee some competent and desirable persons had to be excluded. However, there was a means of adjusting that difficulty, and the means might be applied later. I also referred to the importance of nutrition, or, rather, the ill-effects of malnutrition, since this aspect of the wider question more closely concerned the Health Committee. I expressed the hope that in the not distant future we should have before us a report dealing with this and with standards of living and other circumstances vitally affecting the health and happiness of the people. The President of the Council offered thanks for the help which the Health Committee had rendered to China ; and Mr. Eden, on behalf of the United Kingdom, stressed that in connection with the proposed conference on rural hygiene the views of the organizations interested should first be obtained on the scope of the conference. My report was adopted by the Council. Request by the Zeltweg-Wolfsberg and Unterdrauburg Woellan Railway Company, Vienna. This matter, the Rapporteur for which was M. Litvinoff, needs no comment, since consideration of it was adjourned (see Document C. 68). Kingdom of Bulgaria Stabilization Loan. Nor need this matter detain us for any length of time. It is a question of whether the obligation of the Bulgarian Government under certain clauses of the General Bond securing the loan are finally discharged by the provision of the monthly payments referred to in another clause. Under resolution of the Council the question has been referred to Mr. Alexander P. Fachiri, barrister-at-law in London, for decision. (See the report of the President of the Council who acted as Rapporteur —Document C. 62.) Reform of the Calendar. This question has been before the League for some years, and consideration of it has been entrusted to the organization for communications and transit. The subject was raised during the International Labour Office Conference in June, 1936, when a motion was moved requiring the League to take certain steps with a view of having drawn up a Convention for signature from the Ist January, 1938. The Director of the International Labour Office, however, expressed a doubt whether the subject was within the competence of the Office. He pressed for a delicate handling of the situation since both bodies—the Labour organization and the League of Nations —desired to preserve their autonomy. However, an extract dealing with calendar reform from the minutes of the Conference was sent to the Secretary-General of the League (Document C. 34), and this was before the Council, together with the report of the Rapporteur (the representative of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics), (Document C. 76). This report is a review of the present position of the question, and the suggestion that the relevant papers be brought under the notice of the Advisory and Technical Committee for Communications and Transit was accepted by the Council. A solution of the question must be pressed if reform is to become effective on the Ist January, 1939 ; otherwise reform must be postponed until 1950, because the scheme provides for reform to begin on a Sunday in the year in which it is introduced. M. Edwards, the representative of Chile, spoke in favour of reform and urged action. On the 26th January the Council held its fourth public meeting. This was preceded by a short private meeting at which the representative of Turkey presented his report on the Convocation of the Bureau of the Conference for the Reduction and Limitation of Armaments (see Document C. 81). Last year's Assembly, on the proposal of the French delegation, had suggested a meeting of the Bureau, and the Council in October authorized its President to settle the date. The matter came before the Council in December, but decision was postponed. The Council accepted the Turkish representative's suggestion, and the Bureau will be summoned to meet at Geneva on 6th May next. The following matters were dealt with at the public meeting : — Financial Committee. Report on the Work of the Sixty-third Session. —For the report of the Financial Committee see Document C. 545, M. 352. This report, which was commented on at some length by the Council's Rapporteur, the representative of Sweden, deals with the financial situation in Austria, Bulgaria,

2—A. sb.

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