Evening star., 1924-09-23
PLAN HELD WATERTIGHT.
League Delegates More Pleased as
They Study War Draft.

By the Associated Press.
GENEVA, September 23-A water
tight system against the outbreak
of war is the way many delegates
today characterized the draft protocol
on arbitration and security, which
is now being studied by the dis
armament commission of the League
of Nations
This document is now generally
known as the masterpiece of the
Twelve Apostles of Peace" the title
given by Paul Boncour of France to
the conference leaders, who struG-
gled valiantly through week of re-
vision of the original draft submitted
by Foreign Minister Benes of Czecho-
slovakia-
Several points seemed particularly
to strike the delegates, as they had
more leisure today to examine the
text One is the clause providing
that consultation with the World
Court of Justice be required if, dur
ing arbitral procedure, either party
to a dispute contended that the diff
ficulty was a purely domestic matter.
If the court decided ii was an in
ternational question then the arbitral
court could not deal with it, Thus
il is the court which differentiates
between an internal and an external
question.
Warm Debate Disclosed.
One of the points approved by
many delegates is the cryptic defini-
tion of an aggreSsor as one who
refuses to arbitrate and who refuses
also to carry out the preliminary
measures ordered by the council be-
fore a dispute has reached its most
acute phase in order TO prevent the out
break of armed conflict.
The N story nf the doll he "a tiOn
shows that a warm debate took place
on the question of whether it was
possible for the council to make any
decision by a majority vote. Many
members of the subcommittee hesi
tated to place such responsibility on
the council, fearing it would weaken
the entire machinery of the protocol.
The issue was met by the introduce
tion of a system of provisional
measures. which enjoins the parties
to the dispute to abstain from any
acts liable to precipitate a conflict,
and it is clearly stipulated that dis
obedience of such measures will be
regarded as am act of aggression.
An article which caused displeasure
was that recommending the creation
of a demilitarized zone as a method
of maintaining peace between coun-
tries whose relations may not have
been tranquil. This was regarded as
a direct bid for upsetting such zones
between Germany and France and
Belgium.
Other Vital Questions.
Getting down to the vital question
of sanctions, the drafters of the prot
ocol spent some time today in
private conversations with the mem
bers of the various delegations to
whom they emphasized that the sub
mi h irx-
sanctions, economic, financial or mill
tary, not provided for in the covenant
Their only aim, it was pointed out,
was to make the sanctions more
definite and more effective in appli-
cation. 1t was explained that by
the covenant the states were bound
simply to apply the economic and
financial sanctions, but the protocol
made these sanctions operate imme-
diately after state had been de-
clared an aggressor.
The states will be asked to inform
the council what they feel able to
contribute, and the council, it is ex-
planned, will never ask any state to
undertake anything which that state
feels it cannot possibly offer.
If the protocol be adopted, the eco
nomic and financial organization of
the League of Nations, under the
stipulations Of Article XIII OF the
protocol, will Immediately draw up a
project to give effect to the financial
and economic sanctions and the
measures of cooperation contem-
plated both by the covenant and the
protocol. These definite plans will be
communicated by the council to all
of the members of the league and
any other signatories.
Britain Yields Point.
Great Britain has come around,
even if reluctantly, to the position OF
approving regional defensive alli-
ances like those made by France in
Central Europe as an additional
guarantee for the protection of ma
tional territorial integrity.
The proposed protocol on arbitra-
tion and security, which was submit
Continued on Page 2, Column I.