BRITAIN MAKES PROTEST

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 462, 18 September 1928, Page 9

BRITAIN MAKES PROTEST

LEAGUE EXPENDITURE DANGER TO ITS PRESTIGE British Official 1 iirc/fss. Reed. Noon. RUGBY, Monday. Before the Budget Committee of the League of Nations this afternoon, Mr. G. T. Locker-Lampson, British Undersecretary for Foreign Affairs, criticised the continued increase in the expenditure of the League. He thought the prestige of the League would suffer severely if further increased expenditure were planned. Criticisms were being heard in England regarding the way in which the League was spending money. The idea was prevalent that the expenditure of the League in general, and of the International Labour Office in particular, was too great. WARM SPEECHES LABOUR CHIEF ASSAILED (United P.A.—By Telegraph — Copyright) (Australian and N.Z. Press Association.) Reed. 1.20 p.m. GENEVA. Monday. Mr. Locker-Lampson emphasised that the International Labour Office’s Budget of £21,120 was higher than it was last year. He proposed that consecutive instead of separate annual marine and labour conferences should be held, thereby saving £I,OBO. He said: “Though I admire the dexterity of M. Thomas (head of the bureau), such a smoke-screen of emotional words as the committee’s leaves me cold. M. Thomas says the Finance Commission must not alter a single comma in his estimates. If that is so, it is a perfect farce to waste hours discussing them. We may as well return, and leave M. Thomas to spend as much as he likes.”

M. Hambro (Norway) said that coming from a cold country it seemed a pity to him to see such waste of heat as M. Thomas into his speeches.