Great Falls tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1921-current, 1922-08-11
League of Nations as an agency

mat is the primary object fOl
which it was created, and it is the
object TOY receiving first consid.
Grafton. The prevention of war
however, is only one of a number
of important matters occupying the
leagues attention. 1t is carrying
on many activities only remotely
or not at all related to war, an6
may be expected to take on ar
increasing number of such functions
in the curse of its normal develop.
ment. The fact is. modern life is
rapidly overlooking national boun.
Diary lines. Governments are find
ing themselves confronted more and
more with situations which no ma
ton acting alone can meet, and are
being drawn into responsibilities nc
single nation can u Func-
tons that are essentially interna.
tional in character will in the end
be recognized as such, and will be
organized on an international basis
Having been called into existence
to safeguard world peace, the
league is now being recognized as
a convenient agency through which
national governments may act in
concert in dealing with other COM
mon interests as they arise.
THE general trend finds striking
illustration in the field of public
health. In the early months of 1915
attention was called to an appalling
epidemic of typhus which, is a re-
suit of war conditions, was sweep
ing over Russia and Poland. 1t in.
volved an extensive region, inhabit-
ed by millions of people. Govern
ment administrative machinery, in
Guiding sanitary organization, had
broken down. The two countries
were still at war. Moving armies
and hordes of refugees were spread
ing the infection and were at the
same time adding enormously to
the difficulties of control. The
situation was recognized as a seri-
Gus menace, not only to the people
Immediately concerned. but to the
surrounding countries and to west
ern Europe.
When relief agencies supported
by voluntary contributions proved
unable to handle the problem, and
when it had become evident that
fighting the epidemic involved the
provision of such fundamentals as
food, clothing and shelter, and those
on a scale which only governments
could undertake. an appeal was
made to the League of Nations.
Early in 1920 the counsel of the
league appealed to all the interested
governments for funds, and ap-
pointed an epidemic commission to
administer such funds as might be
contributed.
For the first twelve months this
commission, working in close asso-
citation with the governments con-
cerned, was able to show gratifying
results and thus to demonstrate its
usefulness as an agency for effec-
tive international cooperation with
the governments concerned. Cases
of typhus fell in Poland from 49,
900 during 1920 to $4,000 in 1921,
In Russia they fell from 100000
to 600, 1000. In Runlania from 49,
SIS to 4,834.
"In the meantime, efforts had
been made in the direction of more
permanent and more adequate or
ganization of health activities. The
epidemic commission had stimulat-
ed the movement by exhibiting the
need. On September /, 1921, the
second assembly Of the league set
up a health organization and created
a health section of the permanent
s%ecretariat as its exclusive organ.
This is one of three technical or
CARNATIONS of the league, and, like
all these creations, consists of a
committee, a conference, a secre-
tariat. The committee, which ini-
tiates policy and program, is ap-
pointed by the council of the league.
The president-Doctor Thorvald
| Madsen, director of the State
! Serum institute at Copenhagen-and
several members of the committee,
are members also of the Office In
ternationale d'Hygiene Publique in
Paris. With this body-which ex-
/ listed before the wal and which has
a membership somewhat different
from that of the League of Nations
an arrangement has been made by
which the Office 1nternationale