LEAGUE OF NATIONS.

Taranaki Daily News, 7 December 1920, Page 5

LEAGUE OF NATIONS.

THE ARMENIAN PROBLEM. By Te!«grapb.—Press Assn.—CopyrllM. ■ Copenhagen, Dec. 5. Sweden, Denmark and Norway regret their inability to send an expedition to Armenia. They emphasise the distance and the complexity of the question. Madrid, Dec. 5. America, Brazil and Spain are acting in concert to devise measures to safeguard Armenia as the result of the Geneva decisions. The report that Mr Lloyd George, M. Leygues and Signor Rforza oppose the admission of Armenia to the League has caused surprise in the Assembly, in view of the fact that the sub-committee recommended her admission, Lord Robert Cecil and M. Viviani approving the committee's decision. 'M. Viviani, subsequently interviewed, said lie was in accord with the London decision. Lord Robert Cecil declined to 9ay anything at present. A London message states that the Anglo-Franco-Italian conference's decision to oppose Armenia's -admission to J,he League of Nations was due to the probable revision of the Turkish Treaty, owing to the change in Grecian affairs. A Moscow message claims that Armenia has become a Soviet Republic.

ARGENTINE DEMANDS. Geneva, Dec. 5. Late on Saturday afternoon, M. Pucyrredon, head of 'the Argentine delegation, saw Mr. ITymans and stated that, under directions from his Government. he would quit the League unless the four amendments proposed by the Argentine in the Covenant were adopted, the chief of these being the admission of all sovereign States, and that smaller States should have representation without a vote.

M. Pueyrredon, when interviewed, stated that none of the Argentine amendments conflicted with the Versailles Treaty. He simply looked upon the League as one fir all humanity. Mr. Hymans, when interviewed, said that he could not make any declaration until the Assembly had been informed. He understood that Paraguay, which supported the Argentine, was awaiting instructions from its Government, while there was no suggestion of the intention of others to leave the League. It was well known that Scandanavia, Portugal and Chile were in strong sympathy with the Argentine's desire for the amendments to the Covenant

A semi-official message says that M. Pueyrredon's renunciation of collaboration in the work of the Assembly doeß not constitute the two years' notice demanded from nations wishing to leave the League. Newspapers declare that everybody approves the Assembly's attitude. It is considered improbable that a;xiy other South American Republic will withdraw.

M. Granting, the Swedish Socialist leader, is in censuring Argen- ■ tina, describing her action as a move against the interests of democracy. Argentina's breaking from the Assembly need not be immediately accepted too seriously. The main danger lies in the creation of an American block, whereby the two Americas may engineer to create a separate entity as opposed to the League. Practically no criticism is yet available from the delegations of the great Powers. Many rumors are in circulation, but they are mostly speculative, that the anti-Leaguers in the United States 'intrigued the affair, while some suspect the German influence in Argentina may have taken a hand in order to embarrass the Assembly. Prom the outset of the Geneva meeting South America employed the big American news-agencies to give their press almost a verbatim report of the proceedings. This absorbing interest in Latin America aroused sdme comment and, pending some satisfactory explanation from Argentina, the general opinion is that some ulterior motive lies behind such drastic action in desiring the hasty amendment of the Covenant. Sir James Allen moved a motion to reduce the Labor Organisation's Budget of ( £20,950,000 francs by 500,000 francs,'declaring that the amounts spent on officials and also on the publication of figures were altogether too high. The motion was rejected by to 2 and the Budget was approved.—AuSiN.Z. Cable Aain.