BRITAIN WINS POINT

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 871, 15 January 1930, Page 9

BRITAIN WINS POINT

LEAGUE COVENANT IN LINE WITH PEACE PACT DISCUSSIONS AHEAD Reed. Noon. RUGBY, Tuesday. The League of Nations Council approved Britain’s proposal to appoint a committee of 11 to investigate an amendment to the League Covenant to harmonise with the Kellogg Pact. M. Briand and M. Von Schubert associated themselves with Mr. Arthur Henderson’s plea to strengthen the covenant, especially in the direction of the renunciation of war. Wide powers are to be given to the committee, which will hold its first meeting on February 20, and which it is understood, will stand in close relationship to the committee on arbitration and security. The chief British delegate, Mr. Arthur Henderson, recalled that the nomination of such a committee was proposed by the British Government representative at the last meeting of the League Assembly. He repudiated a suggestion that the proposal indicated loss of faith in the Covenant. On the contrary, Britain regarded it as the fundamental constitution of an organised international society of States, and because they so regarded it, they wanted it to be up-to-date and complete. Least of all did they believe the Pact of Paris or any other Pact could make the League less necessary or less important in the organised international life of the world. All loyal members of the League, he said, regard it, with its Assembly, Council, Secretariat and other organs, as an indispensable instrument in the development of international co-opera-tion and the maintenance of world peace. MANDATES At this morning’s sitting the Council examined various reports submitted by the Italian delegate, Signor Grandi, in regard to procedure for the acceleration of the ratification of conventions. Mr. Henderson assured the Council that it was the desire of the British Government to see all the conventions of the League brought into force as soon as possible. The afternoon was devoted entirely to an examination of the work of the Permanent Mandates Commission. In regard to the date of the extraordinary session of the commission for an examination of the British report on the troubles in Palestine, Mr. Henderson intimated that he could not agree to March, as proposed by the commission. He explained that the report of the British commission of inquiry could not be ready by that time.