The Birmingham age-herald., 1921-02-21
By Associated Press

New York, February .,--Twelve im- portant cogs in the machinery of tbe League of Nations, many of which are to be set in motion when the council of the league convenes at Geneva, Switzerland, February 21, and the prob lems which await their action, are de- fined in forecast of the work of the league which has just been received here.
 Arthur Sweetser, an officer of the American commission to the peace con- ference at Versailles and now attached to the League of Nations secretariat staff is the author of the forecast. He says the 12 cogs are really special commissions, the personnel of which will in some cases be designated by the council at its forthcoming meeting. The subjects that will be handled by the commissions are enumerated by MT. Sweetser as follows:
 Technical examination into the pres ent condition of world armament, now under way by the permanent military, naval and air commission of the league will be completed. In addition, tenn porary commission of experts in the po- litical, social and economic world will be asked to submit plans for reduc- tion of armaments. The aim of this commission will be to get members of the leagueSto agree not to exceed their present scale of armamentS. to agree to a proportionate.. and simultaneous, re- duction in military budgets and to &C., cept the principle of scientific and com prehensive reduction of armaments to the least figure compatible with na- tional security. Investigation of the private manufacture of munitions and war material, denounced as "a source of danger to the world through an ex- tended sale throughout the less civil ized areas in Asia and Africa" will be undertaken
 PERMANENT COURT
 Permanent court of international justice. Nominations of Il judges, chosen for period of nine years. are to be made next summer and the selec- tions announced at the second assem- bly to be held in September next. The list of candidates will be prepared mainly by The Hague court of arbitral justice and all nominees will be voted separately by the assembly and the council So far 22 nations, including Great Britain, France, Italy and Japan, have signed the protocol providing for the court whose adoption by a unani- nous vote of the assembly is held to be the greatest. single advance the League of Nations has yet registered in international relations.
 Two important problems which had to be decided before the court begins to convene were, first, should the court have the power of compulsory adjudi- cation? And, second, should it be or ganized by resolution of the assembly or submitted to ratification by indi- yidual nations? These questions were decided by the assembly providing that those nations so desiring may ac- cept the principle of compulsory ad- judication and that the organization of the court should be subject to ratifica- tion of individual nations. Action for or against the court will be taken in number of parliaments which meet this year.
 An international commission of nine members from non-mandatory powers, is to be appointed by the council in accord ance with an agreement reached on No vember 29. The qustion of mandates for the 100000 or more people of the Pa cific Islands, South Africa, Turkey and I<iao-Chow, freed from Germany and Turkey during the war. opens one of the least advanced of all the leagues pro5- lems. Tentative drafts have been pro- Nosd by the allied powrs 50 that the league is now in possession of the terms of all prospective mandates. These will bc analysed and, where necessary. pos sible changes recommended.
 
 financial organization is to be formed within the league by the appointment oi an advisory, economic and financial committee, the membership of which will be composed of leading world financierS and economists. This committee in q sense will be the successor of the su- rrene economic council. It grew out of the Brussels international conference and will be charged with the duty of con- siderng the immediate application of that body's recommendations.
 Other subjects to be- dealt with by commissioners are proposed amendments to the covenant by the league. regis tration and publication of treaties be- tween member nations, methods of ap- plying the international economic block ade and means of providing funds for the secretariat and auditing it's accounts. OTHER COMMISSIONS Other commissions or organizations will take up methods of improving means Of communication and transportation m Europe and coordination of information al health organizations in combating epidemics.
 Under the head of humanitarian work come such subjects as the Armenian massacres and the white slave and opium traffics, which are to be handled by the cooperation of several or all gov efnments Tn the league. IHe Onitcu States. Spain and Brazil, at the cour- |cirs invitation. have agreed to use the.r influence to end the Armenian horrors, and the allied powers, through their rep resentatives at Constantinopie. are now ascertaining the best methods of ap- proach Fifteen nations. including Can ada, Persia Siam, Adstra rSuigaria and Germany. are giving financial aid to combat typhus, which has been raging in eastern Europe more than year
 An international conference on the