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1932. NEW ZEALAND.

THE LEAGUE OF NATIONS. REPORT OF THE REPRESENTATIVE OF THE DOMINION OF NEW ZEALAND ON THE EXTRAORDINARY SESSION OF THE ASSEMBLY OF THE LEAGUE OF NATIONS, HELD AT GENEVA IN THE YEAR 1932.

Presented to both Houses of the General Assembly by Command of His Excellency.

EXTRAORDINARY SESSION OF THE ASSEMBLY OF THE LEAGUE OF NATIONS. New Zealand Government Offices, 415 Strand, London W.C. 2, 30th March, 1932. Sir, — On Saturday, the 30th January (the day on which I left for Geneva in order to attend the Conference for the Reduction and Limitation of Armaments), there appeared a press report to the effect that the Chinese Government had sent an ultimatum to the Japanese Government as the result of the despatch of a Japanese cruiser and reinforcements to Shanghai for the purpose, as stated by the Japanese Government, of protecting Japanese citizens and interests in that locality. Fortunately, the report was ill-founded, but there was no doubt of the seriousness of the position, severe fighting having taken place between Japanese and Chinese troops. The Council of the League of Nations had been in session during the week, a meeting having been called for the 25th January at the request of the Chinese representative. Further meetings were held between that date and the 19th February, and during this period the fighting at Shanghai became more and more severe. On the 12th February the Chinese representative wrote to the Secretary-General requesting that the dispute be referred to the Assembly, and at length, on the 19th February, the Council passed a resolution so referring the dispute under paragraph 9, Article 15, of the Covenant, and convoking the Assembly for the 3rd March. The minutes of the meetings of the Council accompany this report, together with the following documents : — 1. Statement submitted by the Republic of China (A. 1). 2. Explanatory Note from the Japanese Government (A. 6). 3. Report by the Secretary-General on the Action taken by the League on the SinoJapanese Dispute (A. 4). (This report treats of the dispute as a whole, beginning with the collision near Mukden on the 18th September.) 4. Report of the Committee of Inquiry set up under Article 15, paragraph 1, of the Covenant (A. 3). (This Committee consists of the representatives in Shanghai of certain Governments' members of the Council, with the Consul-General of the United States co-operating. The Assembly met in extraordinary session on the morning of the 3rd March. The first meeting was mainly devoted to formalities. The credentials of the delegates were verified by a small committee ; the Acting President of the Council (Mr. Paul Boncour, representative of France) made a statement of the action already taken by the Council to deal with the problem ; the President was elected, the Assembly choosing Mr. Paul Hymans, representative of Belgium, who had presided over the First Assembly in 1920 ; and eight Vice-Presidents were appointed, these, with the President, constituting the Bureau.

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