The New York herald. [volume] (New York, N.Y.) 1920-1924, 1920-12-18
MANDATE AWARDS
MADE BY COUNCIL;
LEAGUE IGNORED
BIG Powers Apparently
Hold They Are None of
,.,ssembly's Business.
SOME NOW MADE PU BLIC
Pacific and African Agree
ments Approved With Re-
luctance by Japan.
LACK OPEN DOOR CLAUSE
No Recognition of NOn-League
Members. Who Are Barred
From Privileges.
LACK OPEN DOOR CLAUSE
BY LAURENCE HILLS.

Special Cable to THE NEW YORK HERALo
Copyright, 1920, By THE New York HERALD.
GENEVA, Dec. lit appears from
the action taken here tonight that
the two councis-the Allied Supreme
Council and the Council of the League
of Nations-approyed the Pacific and
the African mandates created by the
Treaty of Versailles and put them
into effect, thus maintaining the posi-
ton taken by the league council that
these mandates are none Of the as
sembly's business, although the under
standing of every nine out of ten ma
tions belonging to the league is that
the assembly is the final authority.
The last meeting of this session Of the
assembly will be held tomorrow.
The council made public the &c"
mandates this evening but did not sub
NIT them to the assembly.
(The three forms OF mandates, "A,
"B" and &C." are defined in Article
XXII. OF the covenant of the League OF
Nations. which says regarding c man
dates, that there are territories. such
as southwest Africa and certain Of the
South Pacific islands. which. owing to
the sparseness of their population. or
their small size, or their remoteness from
the centres of civilization. or their geo
graphical contiguity to the territory OF
the mandatory, can best be administered
under the laws of the mandatory as in
tegral portions of Its territory. subject
TO safeguards in the interests OF
the indigenous popuation.o
New Zealand officially received the
mandate for Samoa; Australia received
New Guinea and other islands of the
Pacific Ocean south of the equator.
England got the mandate for Nauru,
or Pleasant Island. south of the equa-
tor and just inside the one time Ger
man sphere of influence. To the Union
OF South Africa was given the man
date for German Southwest Africa,
while Japan received the one time
German island possessions in the Pa
cific north of the equator.
The terms under which the man
dates are to be administered were laid
down by the council of the league.
japan Qualities Approval.
The communication issued tonight
contains Japan's declaration that it is
With spirit of conciliation and CO.
operation and reluctance TO see the
question unsettled that she agrees to
the &C" mandates in their present
form.
Ut. tat rl. al Hrt
b. considered" she says. "as acquies-
cence by Japan to the submission of
Japanese subjects to discriminatory
and disadvantageous treatment in the
mandate territories; nor has she Dis
carded her claim to the rights and IL
terests Japanese should enjoy in these
territories"
The mandate issue took a new turn
when Lord Robert Cecil and Mr. Millen
Of Australia got together and delivered
to the assembly the councils form Of
the &C" class mandate under which
Australia proposed to administer the
one time German Pacific islands. This
was done following a conference In
which the Japanese delegates formally
withdrew their objections based on the
racial equality provision and which had
tied UP the mandate settlement.
In the case OF German Southwest
Africa, the Union of South Africa
agrees to accept the mandate from the
allied Powers and to exercise II In be-
half Of the league. her degree OF author
ity and control to be explicitly defined
by the council of the league and the
colony administered as II 1t we're an
integral part OF South Africa. which
agrees to prohibit slavery and forced
labor therein. TO control the traffic In
arms. TO prohibit the sale of intoxicants
to prohibit the military training OF the
natives and also to prohibit the erection
Of Qualifications In the colony
Equal Opportunities" Omitted.
But In the complete contract pub
lished tonight not a single reference Is
made 10 the provision in Article xxi.
that the mandatory shall secure equal
opportunities for the foreign trade and
commerce OF other members of the
league" an omission which provoked
the Japanese protest. as told in THE
New YonK HERALD, that the open door
was as much in the interest OF the
native population under the first para
graph Of the mandate clause as was
the prohibition of liquor. This protest.
however, the Japanese seem to have
waived.
Aside from this striking omission. tho
first mandate published Is noteworthy
for It's recognition Of the international
court Of Justice and also as providing
that any dispute between the mandatory
and any member OF the league shall be
submitted to the court The mandate
emphasizes the distinction between
league and non-league nations. there be-
ing no recognition Of the latter. who. ac-
cording TO the view Lord Robert Cecil.
Continued on Third Pare.