LEAGUE OF NATIONS

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 781, 30 September 1929, Page 14

LEAGUE OF NATIONS

NEED FOR WORLD-WIDE SUPPORT TALK TO UNIVERSITY WOMEN Difficulties confronting the League j of Nations in its work were outlined i briefly in an interesting address given j before members and friends of the j Federation of University Women on 1 Saturday evening by Sir George Rich-1 ardson. The labour of thousands of men and j women to whom world peace was more | than a dream had gone to put the | League in the position it held today,; said the speaker. Of the 62 nations j of the world, 56 are members, repre-1 seating about S 5 per cent, of the total j population. This was not enough as, j to be a success, the League must be i supported by the people as a whole, not merely by their Governments. A council of 14, representing Britain, ■ Italy, France, Germany and Japan, : who are holders of permanent seats, j and nine temporary representatives, ; three of whom are elected every year, are at the head of the administration. I Each member has one vote only, what- j ever the size of the country he repre- j sents. The assembly itself consists of i three representatives of each nation. ! including the British self-governing Dominions. Information for the use of the various committees of investigation is supplied by the secretariat, a permanent staff of experts stationed at Geneva. The Court of International Justice, stationed at the Hague, and the International Labour Bureau, are also attached to the League. That it is too soon to expect a complete solution of world problems yet was stressed by Sir George, who mentioned the work already accomplished in preventing war and in solving social problems. Progress is slow, as the League has no power to interfere in domestic affairs. The optional clause of the International Court, which has been signed by most members, has practically made the court the supreme authority on international legal questions. Until a feeling of security has developed among nations, the speaker considered it would be impossible to achieve any real success in regard to disarmament. Full investigation is made regularly into the manner in which mandates are being administered, by the Permanent. Mandates Committee, members of which have had administrative experience. Very often they come into conflict with vested interests, but this makes no difference to the League. A hearty vote of thanks to the speaker was passed.