THE LEAGUE OF NATIONS.

Hokitika Guardian, 13 September 1930, Page 5

THE LEAGUE OF NATIONS.

M. BRIAND’S PROPOSAL

MR HENDERSON’S ORATION

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GENEVA, Sept. 11. vv The Assembly’s eagerness to get y. down to'the principal topics, instead of wasting earlier days in flowery . platitudes from representatives of smaller States, led M. Briahd to fake the rostrum in the forenoon to expound the United States of Europe plan. He said he had discussed the scheme with leading Americans who said it would be an insult to their intelligence to suggest the federation was aimed against America. Con-trary-wise it would tend to strengthen the consumptive capacity cf Europe, which was America’s largest customer. Cheers greeted the announcement, t Definite progress was made in solv-' . - ing Franco-Italian naval disagree/V 4 ment, ■ ' Mr Henderson rather increased the view that ho • great result was expectable 5 from the plan of a European federation. He only gnvo the subject passing reference before he delivered a prepared oration dealing with disarmament, which i/s nearer Mr MacDonald’s ministry's heart. 5 Mr Henderson’s real message con-

sisted of one of the strongest British pleas for real progress in disarmament ever■heard at Geneva. Although it wa.s his first attendance at the League, Sir T. Wilford was honoured by election to the Assembly’s committee of seven, supervising the agenda. - Sir, T. Wijftn d is also on six other committees, (1) constitution questions, (2) technical economic, (3) disarmament, (4) finance budget, (0) f health and social questions, (6) political. At a plenary '.meeting of the As--1 Eembly--M. Briand in, an optimisitic N speech declared- 1 the League was increasing in authority , among the nations of the world; It was a barrier against war. There were still difficulties regarding disarmament. France w,as doing her best to overcome them. He realised there were : obstacles to his plan for a European Federation, but with the cordial, co-operation of all* nations these would he surmounted -■ ■

LEAGUE DECISIONS.

{Received thifl day at 10.30 a.m.) •• GENEVA, Sept. 12. The Council passed a resolution In favour of the withdrawal of forces protecting railways in. Saar territory within, three months. Curtius expressed satisfaction at the solution of th© matter. There was a notable decline in-the tone of the general debate after yesterday’s big guns. The main topic in the lobbies is Mr Henderson’s astute .switching of interest in problems of disarament and arbitration instead of M. Briand’s European project, which was not mentioned in any of the morning speeches. Hertzog, like Borden, suffered through uninspmngly reading written speeches. Germans stirred uneasily and looked daggers when Hertzog, referring particularly to a recent examination of the South-West African mandate declared the Mandates Commission caused the greatest friction by .raising academic questions about the permanency of the mandate, exten of mandatory powers and sovereignty. Such inquiries shoul either be abandoned or restricted to the narrowest limits. South Africa wanted peace and disarmament provided it universally. The League was most gratified by the Council’s decision of the evacuation of Saar by all occupational troops in the period accepted by Germany. This is regarded as a. definite achievement to-

, J wards a complete * settlement of the v situation which is only second to the ( occupation of Rhineland in the betterness created in Germany.