Impressions

Radio Record, Volume IV, Issue 47, 5 June 1931, Page 8

Impressions

ENJOYED Sir James Parr’s talk from 1YA on Tuesday. His delivery was very natural, and forceful. His talk dealt with his experiences with, and impressions of, the League of Nations and, dealt with in a personal manner, proved most entertaining. Sir James, in hi capacity of High Commissioner for New Zealand, represented this Dominion at the Ivague’s Annual Conferences during the term of his office. He explained that in the League Conferences each Dominion oi the Empire is treated as a separate eittity, and has an independent vote from that of the Mother Country. Needless to say, the component parts of the Empire endeayour to act and vote-in accordance with each other. An interesting point which Sir James emphasised was the desirability not only of New Zealand supporting the League’s work, but also the need, when the economic position improves, of augmenting our representation at Geneva. So far, of the fifty odd countries and nations represented, we invariably have the smallest representation. This is apt to lessen our importance in the eyes of the Latin and Eastern representatives, whose love of show is well known. The speaker suggested that, when times permitted of the comparatively small expenditure, New Zealand should arrange for at least one more representative, not necessarily a’ politician, to accompany the High Commissioner on his-annual visit. Another’ fact, which may not be generally known, is that French and English are the only two ‘official languages of the League and -what a blow to our national pride!quite 90 per cent. of the delegates adopt French for the delivery of their speeches! Whichever language is used, the official interpreter, immediately upon completion of,.the. speech, translates it into the other tongue. This talk was -vivid and full of interesting information, and I imagine that.all who heard it have an added. respect for the work of the League, While the League of Nations may not be big enough to quell a war between two big powers bent on destroying’ each other, still, it can, and does, quench many. of those minor conflagrations which, unfortunately, so often lead to a raging fire of ‘such dimensions as will finish only by self-extinction, The League may thus be likened to a patent fire extinguisher in a big building-serving a very useful purpose if applied in time. ee,