WORK OF UNITED NATIONS

Chronicle (Levin), 28 August 1947, Page 4

WORK OF UNITED NATIONS

a— ROTARY CLUB'S DISCUSSION Following on the recent public meeting at which a branch of the United .Nations , Association was xormed in Levin, an interestirig syndicate discussion on United Nations was conducted at the Levin Rotary, Club's weekly luncheon on Monday. Memoers were divided into three groups and each of these groups separately discussed tlie subject for ten minutes. At the conclusion a brief resume of the points considered and opinions voiced was given on behalf of each of the uhree groups by Rev. H. S. Kings, Dr. S. J. Thompson and Mr. F. H. Hudson, , . Two of the groups had discussed the use of ' the veto, particiilarly the way Russia was bringing it into the work of the United Nations Security* Council, and the nullifying effect it' had on the settlement of international matters. These groups were of the view that some means would have to be found to prevent the veto being used as it was at present if the United Nations Organisation was to achieve the success the people of the world hoped for. The discussions of the third group centred round the United Nations Association. For this group it was pointed out that the United Nations Organisation was composed of the political representatives of the nations of the world, whereas the United Nations Association sought. to organise the common people of all nations into "a body to co-operate with the United Nations Organisation in its endeavours to secure lasting peace. It was felt that if the United Nations Association was sufficiently strong it could have a very far reaching influence, and that problems like the veto would ultimately be solved. Summing up the discussions of the three groups, Mr. H. B. Burdekin, who acted as adjudicator, said that while it was true that the use of the veto in the Security Council did appear to prevent the council becoming fully feffective in its decisions on many matters of the greatest importance owing to the use of the veto, yet there were many other parts of the U.N.O. that were functioning quite satisfactorily, and it was not correct to 'say that the whole structure of , U.N.O. was ineffective because of right to use the veto. Only by .right thinking on the part of the peoples of the world, and by the people realising that wars must cease, could the machine be made to function to its fullest extent, and nations learn to live without fear of each other. , When criticising the set-up of U.N.O. , continued Mr. Burdekin, it was necessary to ask what other | organisation could be used to bring about a.better state of harmony in the world, and sufely if there was no other organisation then it behoved us to try and make U.N.O. 1 effective, and this could only be done by the support of all the peoples of the world by giving it a trial. For that reason it was essential that in Levin and district the fullest support and co-operation jshould be given the local branch formed recently.