AT GENEVA CONFERENCE

Hokitika Guardian, 29 September 1930, Page 5

AT GENEVA CONFERENCE

REPORT BY MR HENDERSON

(Official Wireless.)

(Received 10.55 a.m.) RUGBY, Sept. 28. Hon. Arthur Hencleifion (Foreign secretary) who returned to London irom Geneva yesterday, paid that tiie meeting of the Assembly had been interesting and useful, if perhaps less spectacular than last year. Referring to tiie discussion of the amendments to- the Covenant to bring it into lino with the Kellogg Pact, thus rendering private war as impossible under it as it- already, is under the Pact, he said it was hoped they might be adopted by the League or Nations before the present meetjug breaks up. Last year Britain announced her intention of ratifying the Optional Clause, under which all international disputes of a justifiable nature, have lo be sent to arbitration. Since then Britain had ratified the Clause and many other countries left Geneva confident it will soon be of universal application. • “This, . together with the effective entry into force of . the generol.- act. oi arbitration which I hope is not -far distant, will usefully increase the scope of international arbitration and will go a long way towards totting up a practicable plan for. the disposal of every form of international dispute by the same methods of law and justice as a governor of relations - of 'individuals in any civilised .state. Measures such-as these, together with projects like a treaty to provide financial assistance, to states, which are unjustly attacked, which we have also been discussing, and which will almost certainly be adopted by the League during this assembly are of i oursc intimately bound up with them. They are in fact ;,i preparation for the work of disarmament. This will be taken up in Geneva in a few weekn time by a committee, which is preparing for the general Disarmament Conference that we all hope will ibe held-before very long.” After referring, to M. Brinnd s project fox an European-Union and the steps taken by the Assembly regarding It, h 0 said that with it goes the proposal for a tariff truce tn Europe to be followed l>y negotiations with a view to reducing customs tariffs -and dealing With other economic .questions of common concern.” 1 “These are proposals to. which Mr Graham has devoted much time during the past year, and if effect can be" given to his hopes, I do not doubt that they will prove a valuable means for assisting the League in producing that feeling of stability security which must so much' faciliuite agreement upon disarmament, Reprerwutfttioiw of European nations have, on th© suggestion of M. Briand, instructed Sir Eric Drummond in preparing an agenda for the next meeting off European. Rowers , at Geneva in January, to take due note-of the results of the Conference, which is to he held in Geneva 'in November. “In pursuance of the plan initiated by Mr Graham to give further consideration to the European tariff problem this is particularly encouraging.” LEAGUE PROPOSALS. GENEVA, .September 28. Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and India have proposed an amendment to the Second Committee’s resolution providing that all members of tiie League shall be asked to participate in any discussion on the subject of European preference. They point out that posposals emanating from Warsaw for differential treatment of cereals, are in conflict with the principles of economic equality between members of the League, also with the recommendations of the Economic Committee about the application of th? most favoured nation clause.