The Butler weekly times and the Bates County record. (Butler, Mo.) 1918-1950, 1921-01-20
FIRST BIRTHDAY OF LEAGUE
SEES NOTABLE THINGS
ACCOMPLISHED
Membership is Increased From % to
40 Nations.

~ Nations.
Geneva, Jan. i5.-The first birth
day anniversary of the League of Ma
tions occurs Sunday, January If OH
that day year ago the first meeting
of the council was held at Paris and
the formal organization of the league
effected. The intervening IL months
have been much troubled by echoes
of the great war and by the feverish
efforts of the world to reach some
sort of new equilibrium The handi-
cap thus placed on the first attempt
at a worldwide international organi-
cation has been tremendous
A year ago the league had 23 de.
clared members. Today it has 40,
Nicaragua and Honduras having CON-
pleted their notifications. while the
II delegations comprising the assem-
bly, were still in session at Geneva,
where six new members were grant
ed admission, two of them being for
ner enemy states.
The present membership OF the
league represents an estimated total
population OF I,247 100000 to which
can be added another 100000 peo-
| pie living in mandatory territories.
Eleven more states, with a total pop
ulatio,l of $4,000, 900 have applied for
membership, leaving a total of only
36I 900 900 people wholly outside.
One year ago the league machinery
consisted OF the council and an in
cipient secretariat with insufficient
temporary quarters at London. To-
day the league has home of its own
in the city. where the staff of the
general secretariat. consisting of sew
cral hundred people from score of
counties occupies us rooms, while
nearby building has eight more rooms
used for committee meetings and as
offices for the various member states.
| About 90 international treaties have
been registered by score OF nations
under the covenant provisions for
open diplomacy. Partly through the
labors OF the sccretariat and partly
through a number of international
conferences held under the auspices
tof the league most of the subsidiary
or auxiliary organizations prescribed
bv the covenant have been brought
into existence.
The first steps have been taken to-
ward the creation Of a permanent in
Itcrnational court with extensive jud'-
cial powers.
The first official international la
Eor organization has become a re-
atty.
Permanent or provisional commits
SLOWS have been established to deal
with the problem of disarmament
with the control of authority granted
to mandatory powers: with the use OF
the economic blockade against violat-
crs of the worlds peace; with the re-
organization OF the worlds finances
with the questions Of public health
and with the protection and coord'-
national communications.
The league has provided govern
ment for the Saar territory and has
zig as free city.
1t has undertaken to settle the dis.
pute between Sweden and Finland
about the Aaland islands. and it has
managed in the face of great diff
culties to maintain a truce between
Poland and Lithuania that gives hope
of peaceful settlement.
1t is now gathering an armed in
ternational force drawn from eight
counties to police the Wilma district
while a civil commission of its ap-
rointment supervises plebiscite to
determine the final disposal of that
region.
With the assistance of the league
and under its direction. more than
100000 war prisoners have been re-
stored to their native countries, some
of them being brought halfway
around the world for the purpose.
A systematic campaign has been i'll
augrrated against the epidemic raw
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