LEAGUE OF NATIONS
NEW ZEALAND'S VOTE
MUST BE RECOGNISED
The Primo Minister (Bight Hon. W. F. Massey) made a statement yesterday regarding the right of New Zealand to vote in the League of Nations. Some public men in the United States have protested against tho Dominions of the British Empire being allowed to vote individually, on the ground that this arrangement gave Britain six votes to the one vote possessed by the United States. ' I could not possibly agree to any suggestion that Now Zealand should give uo its right to take part in the League of Nations as a Dominion of the British' Empire, and as provided in Article 1 of tho Covenant and tho aimex to the. latter," said Mr. Massey. "On the contrary, I am confident that New Zealand will stand with Canada and insist on our nationhood ns Dominions continuing to be recognised, though always nationhood within the Empire. Wo have to" think of the future rather than'thopresent, and if we give away our rights and privileges now, or consent to important reservations on the part of other members of the League, then the time will como when citizens of the overseas countries'of tho Empire will blame us, and very properly, for pur want of 'foreBight. I Tiad hoped,/and I hope still, to see the Anglo-Saxon nations unite for the preservation of peace, though recent indications in the United States are not encouraging.
"In connection with tho difficulty which has arisen it is well to remember the first paragraph of Article 5, which is as follows:—
Except' where otherwise expressly provided in this Covenant or by the terms "of tho present Treaty, decisions at any meeting of the Assembly or of the Council shall require the agreement of all the members of tho League represented at tho meeting. "This simply means that in all important matters there must be unnnim-. ity, though so far as the Council is concerned there is very little prospect of any representative of the British Dominions being permanently appointed to it."
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https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/DOM19200226.2.35
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Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 130, 26 February 1920, Page 5
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340LEAGUE OF NATIONS Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 130, 26 February 1920, Page 5
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