Thank you for correcting the text in this article. Your corrections improve Papers Past searches for everyone. See the latest corrections.

This article contains searchable text which was automatically generated and may contain errors. Join the community and correct any errors you spot to help us improve Papers Past.

Article image
Article image
Article image
Article image

PEACE CONGRESS.

NEW ZEALAND DELEGATION. DISPOSAL OF ENEMY COLONIES. (From R. Riley, Official Journalist) Paris, February 17. After a keen exchange of views at the numerous sessions of the Allied and a»ociated Powers in reference to the disposal of the former German colonies, there was promulgated by the British delegation a draft resolution representing a basis for a provisional agreement. It did not by any means express the real views of the representatives of the British Dominions, but it had been provisionally accepted by them as a compromise upon a difficult position. Great Britain had deliberately accepted the principle of mandatory control, but the Dominions held out for certain reservations and fpecific safeguards, these latter being directed against the general principle of an open economic door to all nations trading with the territories to be mandatorily controlled on behalf of the League of Nations. All the delegates were agreed that it would be almost a catastrophe if some decision were not reached. So it was decided to accept the doctrine of a mandatory for all conquests in the German colonies and also those in the late Turkish Empire. It was generally conceded that several classes of mandates would have to be recognised and provided for in order to meet the varied conditions in the different territories to be so administered. There would first be the necessity for mandates applicable to counties where the population was civilised but not yet organised where a century might elapse before the people could be properly organised and be capable of self-deter-mination. Arabia may be cited as an example coming within that category. In such cases it would be obviously impossible to give the people full selfgovernment and at the same time prevent the various tribes or units from fighting each other. Then, a very different kind of mandate would be required for cannibal colonies where people were eating each other, and possibly for a long time to come might be more disposed to respond to their primitive appetite than the idealistic principles of' the paternal League of Nations, Tropical countries situated a long way from the country of the possible mandatory—New Guinea, for example—would also require distinct and separate consideration. Lastly, there would have to be mandates applicable only to countries which formed part of the organisation of an adjoining Power who would have to be apbpinted the mandatory. made clear that the proposed provisional agreement t would apply only to those parts of the' Turk-1 isli Empire and the German Empire which had actually ben conquered. Dther places such as, say, Smyrna, Adalia, and North of Anatolia, would later have to be dealt with on their merits. In view of the fact that most of the provisional agreement was subsequently embodied in the Covenant of the League of Nations, it may now be permissible to place the agreement on record, in order to Bhow the grounds for the opposition of the British Dominions' representatives to some of the provisions which had been intended originally to have a general application. There were eight clauses in the Provisional Agreement, and of these, two had been designed specially to meet the main objections of the Dominions. The agreement was accepted as a long stride towards the composition of differences, although it appeared impossible to find in the keen discussion that followed any definite indication of what it would all mean in practice. The agreement did n6t cover many obvious difficulties, such as the financing of mandntorics, the international payment of deficits, the fixing of fiscal tariffs, and so on. Then there was the additional question of satisfying the disturbed communities which were not represented at the conference. But there was one essential upon which the most ardent supporters of the mandatory principle were perfectly unanimous. This was the necessity for making the mandate in every instance fit the ease as the glove fits the hand. The agreement was only provisionally accepted by the Dominions' delegates, Mr Hnglie3 agreeing tentatively pending confirmation by his Government. Mr Massey frankly admitted that both his Government and he would have preferred direct control, since the administration of South Sea natives represented no problem to New Zealand, whose record in respect of the Maoris had proved the virtues of the Dominion's policy as regards the treatment of natives, but he was prepared to agree provisionally to the draft resolution. Japan also acquiesced. So the provisional agreement was thus rather vaguely accepted by the conference as "a gratify. *Bg prwurior of a fyi^BmaAf^^

Permanent link to this item
Hononga pūmau ki tēnei tūemi

https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/TDN19190506.2.46

Bibliographic details
Ngā taipitopito pukapuka

Taranaki Daily News, 6 May 1919, Page 5

Word count
Tapeke kupu
751

PEACE CONGRESS. Taranaki Daily News, 6 May 1919, Page 5

PEACE CONGRESS. Taranaki Daily News, 6 May 1919, Page 5

Help

Log in or create a Papers Past website account

Use your Papers Past website account to correct newspaper text.

By creating and using this account you agree to our terms of use.

Log in with RealMe®

If you’ve used a RealMe login somewhere else, you can use it here too. If you don’t already have a username and password, just click Log in and you can choose to create one.


Log in again to continue your work

Your session has expired.

Log in again with RealMe®


Alert