NEW ZEALAND PRAISED

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 449, 3 September 1928, Page 9

NEW ZEALAND PRAISED

LEAGUE COUNCIL ON SAMOAN REPORT DUTIES OF MANDATORY (United P.A.-—By Telegraph — Copyright) (Australian and N.Z. Press Association.) GENEVA, Saturday. The Council of the League of Nations has received the report of the Mandates Commission upon Western Samoa. The Dutch delegate, Dr. F. Van Blokland, the Netherlands Minister of Foreign Affairs, in reporting on the matter, said the commission had examined all the documents, the most important of which was the report of the New Zealand Government’s Royal Commission. .

New Zealand, in thus laying the complete documentation before the council, and also in allowing it to hear the late Administrator, General Sir George Richardson, showed the fullest comprehension of the duties of the Mandates Commission, and of its own responsibilities. Dr. Van Blokland added that the commission had considered the suggestion that a certain unrest would, in the nature of things, continue until the

League had taken action. It should he clearly understood that the mandatory country alone was responsible for the maintaining of law and order, in conformity with its mandate. Dr. Blokland said: “In my opinion the conclusions of the Mandates Commission are so important that they should be given tbe widest publicity in New Zealand and Samoa.” The council adopted the observations of the Mandates Commission and instructed the Secretary-General, Sir Eric Drummond, to forward them to the New Zealand Government, as the High Commissioner, Sir James Parr, had not arrived, owing to his train being delayed. The British delegate, Lord Cushendun, said he believed Sir James would have expressed satisfaction with the commission’s report, and he thanked Dr. Van Blokland for his remarks. He did not doubt but that the New Zealand Government would give the report the widest publicity.