Perth Amboy evening news., 1922-10-26
LEAGUE OF NATIONS AT
WORK ON MANY PROBLEMS
Daily Letter by Frederic }. Haskin

WASHINGTON, Oct. 23.-If the
League of Nations is successful IN
setting the perplexing problems
which have arisen out of the Near
Eastern situation, as seems not i'm
probable, this service will consti-
tute the first one of world signjfi-
canoe undertaken and accomplished
by that body. The league has been
SO much the subject of partisan dis
cussion in the United States that it
is sometimes difficult for the Ameri-
can people to think of it as a going
concern. When the Treaty of YER
sailles vas up for ratification in the
senate, the League of Nations was
the principal bone of contention. 1t
resulted finally in the defeat of the
treaty and the American people
have dropped quite naturally into
the habit of thinking that because
the United States repudiated the
league, there is no league.
This is quite contrary to the fact.
The League of Nations Is in bust
ness and is an active element in in
ternational affairs. True, it has no
official business with the United
States because this country is not
a member. but many other coun-
tries are and there is plenty for the
organization + do. The Turkish
controversy furnishes an opportun-
ity to perform a really big task,
if 1t is capable, but the years re-
tween the present crisis and the
first establishment of the league
have lot been idle.
The principal publicity which the
League of Nations has enjoyed on
this side of the water in the last
two or three years has been in con-
nection with conferences, most of
which have been abortive. The
great gatherings at Brussels and
the auspices of the league. These
have failed to accomplish definite
detectives. Meantime, however, the
league has been plugging away at
routine jobs and has been accom-
plishing them. Little publicity has
attended these exploits because they
were not for the most part of local
interest.
The purpose of the league is to
prevent international disputes from
simmering over a period of wears
and eventually developing into war.
Following is a brief outline of what
has been actually done In a quiet
and ~businesslike way in the last
two or three years:
What Has Been Done
The province of Upper Silesia
presented problems of a vexed ma
ture because of conflicting aims Of
various races and nationalities re-
siding within its borders and cape
cially because of the rich natural
| products of the land. The league
has taken up this question and IN
a series of conferences has settled
amicably practically all the disputed
points. A few minor matters re-
main under consideration but are
in a fair way to settlement.
Lithuania and Poland, soon after
their erection as nations, got INTO
a boundary dispute and each chal-
lenged the sovereignty OF the other
over certain territory. The leagie
has been at work on this and re-
ports substantial progress, hostile
demonstrations having ceased.
Albania complained to the league
that the Serb-Croat-Slovene state
(formerly Serhia) was e~ncroaching
on her boundaries. This negntia-
ton has been in progress for some
time, a commission of inquiry has
been at work and a program is be-
ing worked out for the settlement
of the dispute. Meantime, hostlli-
ties have ceased and the parties
have given evidence of being will
ing tt await the decision of the
league.
The first case to be completely
amicably settled by the league is
that relating to the Aaland Stands.
These islands, located in Baltic
waters, are of great strategic i'm
portance and the league undertook
a negotiation providing for their
naturalization and non-fortiication.
1t will be remembered that the is
and of Heligoland, the great Ger
man naval base which was not even
scratched during the war, was re-
garded by the Allies as SC grim a
threat that the Treaty Of Versailles
provided for its demolition. The
Aaland Islands occupied a similar
strategic position. Sweden had the
control Of them and the league
undertook to remove The menace 1t
succeeded in arranging a convention
which has been finally ratified by
the principal European powers ard
which is In effect an agreement for
the standardization of the island.
The league had under negotis-
ton the problem Of Armenia and of
resolving the mixed differences of
that troubled section. The new