A.—sd.

During the week-end the Conference on Mediterranean States was in session at Nyon, and the Council did not meet again until the evening of the 14th September. At the two meetings (one private, followed by a public one) held on this date nine items were considered, and with these I will propose to deal: — Budgetary and Administrative Questions. (a) Gift to the League of Nations. Japan is no longer a member of the League, but there are certain technical activities of the organization from which she derives benefit, and her Government offered to provide the sum of 36,000 gold francs (50,897 Swiss francs) as a contribution towards the expenses of such activities during the current year. The document before the Council on the subject was C. 355, 1937, X. It contains a brief report by the representative of China. The Council passed the resolution with which the report concludes, accepting the ofler. (b) Appointment of Auditors of the Accounts of the Eastern Bureau of the Health Organization. The representative of China in his report, Document C. 354, 1937, X, recommended a renewal of the appointment of Messrs. Gattey and Bateman, chartered accountants, of Singapore. The recommendation was accepted by the Council. (c) Secretariat Appointments and Promotions since the Last Session of the Council. The Council took note of the four appointments, particulars of which are given in Document C. 328 (1), 1937. Appointments. (Ib) Administrative Tribunal. The recommendation of the Bapporteur, the representative of China, that M. Montagna and Jonkheer van Byckevorsel be reappointed Judge and Deputy Judge respectively of the Administrative Tlibunal, was accepted by the Council, and the term was renewed for three years from 1938 (Document C. 347, 1937, V). Bermanent Court of International Justice: Election to a Vacancy. It was only last year that M. Hammarskjold, a Swede, who had served the League for many years, first in the Secretariat and later as Begistrar of the Bermanent Court of International Justice, was elected a Judge of the Bermanent Court. He had little opportunity for serving in the Court in the highest capacity, for he died in July last. To fill the vacancy thus caused requires, firstly, nominations by the national groups of the various countries entitled to nominate, and, secondly, simultaneous election by the Assembly and the Council sitting separately. It was, however, impossible to provide for election at this Assembly, since sufficient time had not elapsed within which to receive nominations. Accordingly, the Bapporteur to the Council, who was the Bresident, proposed that the election should be held during the Assembly's ordinary session in 1938, unless there were an earlier session at a date which allowed for preliminaries being fulfilled. The Council agreed to the recommendation (see Document C. 372, 1937, Y). The Council then went into public session. Before dealing with the remaining items, the Bresident spoke a few words of eulogy of the late M. Bivas-Vicuna, whose recent death had deprived Chile of a statesman who had rendered his country long and distinguished service, especially as its representative on the Council and at the Assembly of the League of Nations. The Bresident was followed by other speakers whose long association with the deceased enabled them to appreciate his fine qualities. Signature and Ratification of Conventions concluded under the Auspices of the League of Nations. The Rapporteur, the Bresident himself, brought before the Council Document C. 374, 1937, V, covering the annual printed Document A. 6 (a), 1937, Annex I, V, which is an Assembly document and annex to the Secretary-General's report on the year's work. No member of the Council offered observations, but I may here say that the volume is of considerable use for reference purposes, for it enables one at a glance to ascertain which countries have signed and/or ratified or adhered to any Convention concluded under the auspices of the League of Nations. With the documents just mentioned should be associated Document A. 20, 1937, V, It furnishes the results of inquiries made by the Secretary-General of states regarding their intentions in respect to the various conventions. The nature of the inquiry is shown in the note of the Secretary-General which prefaces Document A. 20, 1937, V. Second Draft of a Convention for Suppressing the Exploitation of the Brostitution of Others. The first draft Convention, which was submitted to Governments, recently underwent revision at the hands of the Advisory Committee on Social Questions, and the Council decided to instruct the Secretary-General to submit the second draft to Governments members and non-members of the League for new examination. The question of convoking an inter-governmental Conference for the conclusion of a Convention cannot therefore be considered this year, so the Rapporteur, the representative of Chile, suggested its postponement to 1938, a suggestion in which the Council concurred (see Document C. 357, 1937, IV). The report of the sub-committee which drew up the second draft is numbered C. 331, M. 223, 1937, IV, and it also contains the text of the second draft.

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