A.—2

11

the other countries represented to accept that point of view as final. If the question of the veto had been voted on its intrinsic merits, as an authority placed in the hands of one Power which in certain circumstances could be used to defy the conscience of the world; and, further, if this question had been put without the warning that its non-acceptance would have disastrous consequences to the Organization, then, without any question, the veto would have been defeated overwhelmingly. As it was, it came very near defeat. If the fifteen abstentions on one of the principal divisions had not been made, then the rule of unanimity among the main Powers would not have been carried. If in Committee 1/2 one-third of a vote less had been cast, the rule of unanimity would not have been carried to apply to the amendment of the Charter. Therefore, in the case of most of the opposing Powers, those who carried their opposition right up to the point of casting the final vote in Committee, it was a question—a most serious and all important question, to decide what to do—to defeat the veto and lose the Charter, or to accept the Charter with the veto." No section of the Dumbarton Oaks proposals underwent more extensive changes for the better than that which dealt with international co-operation in economic and social matters. By elevating the proposed Economic and Social Council to the status of one of the " principal organs" of the United Nations, by broadening its scope of activity, and by setting in front of every nation certain positive objectives, the Charter recognizes the very great bearing that economic and social conditions have on the peace, security, and progress of the world. ,For the New Zealand delegation it was most gratifying to observe the extensive, and often unanimous, agreement expressed by the representatives of the other nations with many of the principles to which the New Zealand Government has always attached great importance. The result of that heartening measure of agreement is that the Charter provides for a serious and concerted study of every factor leading to the unrest, in economic and social matters, that the past quarter of a century has proved to us to be one of the root causes of misdirected ambition, selfishness, and war itself. By ratifying the Charter, nations will for the first time in history accept an obligation to work towards the objectives of high standards of living and full employment, and pledge themselves jointly and severally to take all necessary steps to attain them. If these obligations are loyally and seriously carried out, it may well be that the work of the Economic and Social Council will have primary importance in the maintenance of international peace and security. The honour fell to me of serving &s Chairman of the Committee that dealt with International Trusteeship, an issue with which the New Zealand Government and I personally have always been greatly concerned. In this case again there was a heartening measure of agreement, especially among those nations directly concerned with the welfare of Native peoples and administration of colonies, mandates, and . other dependencies, on principles long regarded as essential by the New Zealand Government and set forth eighteen months ago in the Agreement signed at Canberra by New Zealand and Australia. The Dumbarton Oaks proposals contained no reference to trusteeship, although it was understood that the subject should be discussed at the San Francisco Conference. This meant that the Committee had no basis of discussion and agreement provided for it, and our first task was to evolve such a basic set of proposals from the individual and divergent views put forward by many of the nations represented. A remarkable degree of success was achieved. We were able to embody in the Charter universal and far-reaching obligations on all nations concerned to give effect to the fundamental principle that the interests and well-being of dependent peoples themselves are paramount; we agreed on a system of international trusteeship that applies to certain classes of territories and that