REMOVING MORAL STIGMA

Sun (Auckland), Volume I, Issue 146, 10 September 1927, Page 1

REMOVING MORAL STIGMA

GERMANY AND MANDATES SEAT ON THE COMMISSION jjp Cable. —Press Association. —Copyright GENEVA, Thursday. The Council of the League of Nations to-day received the report of the Mandates Commission, including a recommendation for an increase in membership to give Germany a seat on the commission.

In an interview a leading German delegate said: “We desire a seat chiefiy in order to remove the stigma onus of moral inferiority and the suggestion that we did not rule the colonies Justly and humanely. 'We insist that Germany ruled the native races as well as —we do not say better than —any other Power with colonies. We are content that Germany has done a worthy share of the work of exploration and scientific efforts of all kinds for the benefit of natives, particularly in Africa, where we are assured, West Africans would like a return to German control in preference to union with South Africans.

Nevertheless, we are not joining the Mandates Commission in order to seek a quick return of our mandated excolonies. We recognise that although this wculd be acceptable it would be impossible, except through a mandate being vacated or through a decision of the League based or: a recommendation of the Mandates Commission itself. which at present is very unlikely. “Our vital concern i 3 to participate in the League’s colonising work as recognition of our experience and our effort? on behalf of native peoples. We have no aims whatever in the direction of again obtaining control of New '’mines, Nauru and Samoa.” —A. and N.Z.