SENSATION AT GENEVA.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLIV, Issue 2486, 28 September 1922, Page 4

SENSATION AT GENEVA.

COMPLAINT BY SIR J. COOK. ALLEGED INADEQUATE REPORT. GENEVA, Sept. 23. Thoro wore some sensational 20 or 30 minutes at the finance committee on Iriday when the vote relating to the Permanent Mandates Commission came before the committee. Sir Joseph Cook complained of the nns- , leading inadequacy of the summarised report of the Mandates Commission’s proceedings in Genova last month issued to the public by. the secretariat. In this official communique, ho stated, everything said in the way of criticism of the administration of Nauru was given in full, but everything said on the other side was omitted. All he and Sir James Allen said was summed up in the single statement: “Sir Joseph Cook and Sir James Allen replied.” ~ Sir Joseph Cook went on to say that not one word of what they sold was given, and that the official communique had gone all over the world to be made extensive use of by interested parties, particularly the Gormans. He wanted no more than fair play. In the course of his reply before the Mandates Commission ho had completely justified the administration, and now that justification had been suppressed in the summarised report issued as an official He contended that a false impression was given just as easily by suppressing facts as my mis-stating them. His Government had furnished the commission with an explanation which had been accepted .by the commission itself as a complete answer. Sir Eric Drummond, Director-General of the League, in reply, said that the secretariat dealing in these matters, whereof this was only one out of many, had a certain definite duty cast upon it, which was that when an export commission such as tho Permanent Mandates Commission made a report that the report should be summarised and given to the press. Tho explanations by Australia in reply to the criticism were not issued to the press officially, because they were made at a public meeting. whereat tin* newspaper representatives were present. Ho read an extract from the communique of August 7, which contained the assurances given by Sir Joseph Cook and Sir James Allen that tho well-being of the natives was the chief preoccupation of their respective Governments. In any summary of extended proceedings there would always bo room for honest differences of opinion ns to what constituted a fair summary. Ho suggested the appointment of a sub-committee to enquire into the report upon the case. Sir Joseph Cook x-efused to agree to the proposal. His complaint was that the minutes were not an accurate record of the proceedings. They were too scanty. He added that as far ns he was concerned the incident was closed. Colonel Ward, a member of the House of Commons, said that the matter affected others besides Australia. No Stale would be satisfied to pay a large annual contribution to the League only to find one-sided reports issued in regard to matters wherein they were vitally concerned. The matter then dropped.—A. and N.Z. cable.