The Manawata Daily Times Geneva and the Parting Guest

Manawatu Times, Volume LIV, Issue 7287, 14 October 1933, Page 6

The Manawata Daily Times Geneva and the Parting Guest

Geneva is getting used to walk-outs. Within a it has seen Germany withdraw from the Disarmament Conference, Japan bolt from the League Assembly, Peru stalk away from, the Council table, and recently Germany take leave of the International Labour Conference.

But walk-outs arc only walk-outs. Sometimes, they are not even withdrawals. The Peruvian delegate showed his displeasure at the League’s handling of the Leticia dispute by marching out of the Council chamber. In fact, he marched out twice. Yet a few weeks later lie was back in his place, and beamed his pleasure at affixing his signature to the settlement concluded under the Council’s auspices.

Geymany refused to return to the Disarmament Conference after last summer’s long recess. But by December a formula had been discovered upon which the great Powers were able to agree, and since that time a spokesman of Berlin has taken an active part in every phase of the Conference’s activities.

A big Japanese delegation headed by Mr. Matsuoka tiled out of the Assembly hall when a technically unanimous verdict was found against Japan by representatives of fifty-seven countries. Still, Japan continues to be represented in the Disarmament Conference and on all League committees of which it has been a member. Tokyo even sent two special delegates to sit on a committee dealing with problems of child welfare.

The United States, which, so to speak, withdrew from the League before it was established, lias in recent months been in closer touch with Geneva than ever before, and has even sent four official observers to sit in the International Labour Conference.

Consequently, when the German delegation took its departure from this same Labour Conference, Geneva refused to accept the gesture as definitive, or as unduly alarming.

Most nations at one time or another find themselves in conflict with the accepted doctrine of the common good. And withdrawals from Conferences may have their usefulness as a form of protest. But to-day nobody can hold aloof from consideration of world problems. Because they arc world problems, the nations must work them out together.