LEAGUE'S WORK.

Auckland Star, Volume LIX, Issue 230, 28 September 1928, Page 7

LEAGUE'S WORK.

GREAT BRITAIN'S PART

Services Towards Securing

World Peace. REVIEW OF GENEVA SESSION. (British Official Wireless.) (Received 1.30 p.m.) RUGBY, September 27. In an article entitled "Great Britain and the League," the "Times" reviews the work of the League session and deals with criticisms levelled at the attitude adopted by the British Government on current international questions. The "Times" comments on the businesslike nature of the League session, on the absence of set oratorical displays, on the great attention paid to organisation and personnel, on the atmosphere of quiet confidence in the League's stability and of the growing realisation of the immense advantages of the form of international co-operation that it provides. The League has. in fact, taken root in the world and is indispensable, the paper states. As to the British attitude towards the League the "Times" declares: "Not merely is Great Britain in every sense its strongest supporter but under the present administration the League work has become an integral element of British foreign policy, and the Foreign Secretary has taken an active part in every meeting of the Council and the Assembly until his illness this month."'

Regarding the Anglo-French naval compromise the "Times" thinks: "The British Government motives may be defended but not their tactics. Their real mistake lay, not in thinking too little of the League, but in thinking too narrowly in terms of the League Preparatory Commission on Disarmament and not sufficiently of the state of American opinion.

"The deadlock in the Disarmament Commission was an occasion for the conversations that led to the compromise. Its object was to provide a new basis for discussion between the chief naval Powers and so to make it possible for the Commission to go on with its work.

"If that basis is not. accepted and if no alternative is offered the Preparatory Commission will have to look to the United States for further light on its difficult problem."

Dealing with the Rhineland the "Times"' says that few people in England pretend to like its occupancy. The general feeling is that it is unnecessary and embarrassing, and that it has served its purpose. That is not the feeling in France, which has special relations with Germany that arc by no means all unfriendly.

Great Britain has assisted at various stages in promoting better relations between Fiance and Germany, and is thoroughly frienc?'/ with both. The sudden withdrawal of British troops from the Rhineland could only be a perfectly useless and harmful demonstration, leading to confusion. It would not have helped Germany, it would have offended France and would almost certainly have caused further irritating delay in the evacuation of French troops.

Lord Cushendun has helped in the only possible way by taking account of the realities and bringing France and Germany to a point of practical negotiations. There is reason to hope that the proposed committee of experts will find a solution possible of certain reparations difficulties that will benefit both France and Germany and will remove the last barrier to an early joint evacuation of all foreign troops from German soil.

It has.been laid down that any settlement shall be such as will not involve any additional burden on the British taxpayers. In these circumstances the action taken by Lord Cushendun advances the cause of European peace and does credit both to Great Britain and to the League under whose auspices the conversations wera carried oil.