Evening star., 1925-03-09
COUNCIL Of LEAGUE
FACES VITAL TASKS
Throng From Fl Parts of
Europe Fills Palace as
Session Opens.
BY the Associated Press.

By the Associated Press.
GENEVA, March 9.-Austen Cham
berlain, the British foreign secretary
as president of the council, opened
he twenty-third session of the coun-
ell of the League of Nations today
and so great was the throng in the
corridors of the league palace that
he had literally to edge his way into
the council chamber.
Diplomats, governmental agents
and newspaper men have come to
Geneva from all corners of Europe,
attracted by the large number of inn
portant questions on the council :
program, especially the problem OF
the Geneva security protocol which
Great Britain is expected to declare
unsuited to British ideas.
The British seem, however to re-
sent advancement of the idea that
they are killing the protocol. Their
representatives insist that what they
intend to do is to explain their OBJ
jections to the proposed pact The
present indications seem to be that
action on the protocol will be post
poned to the meeting of the league
assembly in September, and that
meantime the negotiations for the
guaranty pact recently proposed will
be pushed
See Revised Protocol.
The hope appears to be that this
pact may be made the feature of a
revised protocol whose aim OF pun
ishing any aggressor state would
thus be achieved as by the original
measure, merely another procedure
being adopted.
Erir in
protocol may he forthcoming tomor-
row, when Paul Hymans of Belgium
arrives, although it may be delayed
until the arrival of the successor OF
the late Hjalmar Branting as Swedish
member of the council
British spok esman said after to-
days meeting that no plans for an
inter-allied conference on the security
pact had been formulated. explaining
that everything still was in the air
and awaiting future diplomatic nego-
tiations.
Turk-Greek Dispute.
Two of the most important questions
on the councils program are the
Greco-Turkish dispute over the ex-
pulsion of the patriarch of Constan-
tinople, and the leagues investigation
of German armament. Viscount 1shii
of Japan, the official reporter on these
questions. arrived this morning and
was on hand at today's session.
Among the matters discussed this
morning was che progress of the
Greek land settlement commission
headed by Charles p. Howland of
New York.
Official announcement was made of
the gift of $500. to the league re-
Gently by the Friends of the League
of Nations" an American organiza-
HHrit hao RI tar In, int,r
Va. The council voted to apply this
gift to the protection of children. an
activity recently undertaken by the
league.
The financial statement to the coun-
ell gave the information that the
league has had its most prosperous
year. Already SO per cent of the dues
for the year have been paid, the
highest percentage since the leagues
foundation, while 100000 Swiss
francs for dues in arrears have been
received so that the treasury has on
hand a considerable sum, enhanced
by interest and favorable exchange.
The special American grants to the
leagues. including 500, 900 francs from
the Rockefeller foundation for health
work and $4,000 francs from the
American Bar Association toward the
cost of publication of treaties. were
Especially noted by the council
May Move Headquarters
The League of Nations headquarters
may be moved farther south along Lake
Leman, as a result of recommendations
made by the committee of architects
appointed TO make plans for the new
assembly hall The committee finds
that the plot of land adjacent to the
present secretariat is Inadequate for
the proposed hall and today suggested
an entirely new home for the secre-
tariat with a hall for the assembly
and international conference to be
constructed on land which will pro-
vide room for eventual additions
The committee asks S,000.000 Swiss
francs for building purposes, instead
OF the 100000 allotted The whole
matter will come up at the next as
sembly.