LEAGUE OF NATIONS.

Press, Volume LVI, Issue 16986, 8 November 1920, Page 7

LEAGUE OF NATIONS.

*_! THE GENEVA CONFERENCE. (By Cable—Press Association—Copyright.) (Australian and N.Z. Cable Association.) (Received November 7th, 5.5 p.m.) LONDON, November 5. Mr Lloyd George presided at a meeting of the British Empire delegation tt> make arrangements for attendance at the League of Nations Conference : at Geneva. Senator MiLen, the Commonwealth representative, and other overseas representatives, were present. GERMANY AND REPARATION. LONDON, November G. The conference of the British, delegates to the League of Nations met at the House of Commons to discuss the subjects on the agenda for the Geneva Conference, and for the purpose of arriving at a general understanding. Besides Mr Lloyd George there were present Mr Bonar Law, Lord Curzon, Mr Auston Chamberlain, and the fbllowing delegates:—Britain: Mr Fiisher, Minister of Education, and Mr G. N. Barnes, Minister Plenipotentiary at the Paris Peace Conference. Canada: Mr N. W. Rowcll, President of the Privy Council. South Africa: Lord Robert Cecil and Mr Blankenberg ; the High Commissioner. India: Sir William Meyer and Prince Ranjitsinhji. The Canadian delegate*, Sir George .Foster and Mr C. J. Dolierty, have not yet arrived, and Mr Balfour, one of the British delegates, was absent owing to illness. Mr Lloyd George spoke for threequarters of an hour. He dealt with German reparations. The surrender of arms, the navy, and shipping, was, he said, all satisfactory except tnat of the rifles, which were not delivered because they were scattered over the country, but he conveyed the impression that Germany was doing her best to comply with the Treaty. . Grave difficulties, the Prime minister stated, were developing among the smaller' nations, notably with regard to the delimitation of frontiers.

A desultory discussion followed, and the Conference adjourned till Monday. The Australian Press learns that tne d'scussion revealed the fact that strong efforts are being made in certain quarters to iifvite Germany to participate in the Geneva Conference. It is understood that Franco and Australia are opposinsr this. Tbe attitude of other countries is uncertain. AN IMMINENT PERIL. (Received November 7th, 11.5 p.m.) LONDON, November 6. Lord Robert Cecil, in a speech in London, stated that unless it was realised at the earliest possible moment that the League meant the confederation of all the nations of the world tliero would be great danger of a counter-league, implying a revival of the old system of alliances and the balance of power, and nothing done to rescue the universe from the perils threatening it. FRANCO-BRITISH ACCORD. PARTS. November 7. Complete Franco-British accord regarding reparations is considered imminent as the result of the Note presented by Lord Derby on Saturday.