Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-09-05
LEAGUE ASSEMBLY
MAY DISCUSS RUM
RUNNING INTO i. S.
General Debate on Alcoholism
Expected at Eighth Gath
ering of Delegates.
INTERNATIONAL ACTION
AGAINST LIQUOR is AIM
Effort Urged as Protection for Chill
dren-Guani Elected
President.

Ec the Associated Press.
GENEVA, Switzerland, September
Rum running into the United States
"a likely TO become one of the fore
most questions at the eighth assembly
of the League of Nations, opening to-
dsv. in connection with the discussion
of alcoholism urged by the delegations
of Finland, Poland and Sweden.
The alcoholism problem is on the Of
fetal agenda and is expected to cause
an interesting debate because of the
steadily increasing interest which has
been given to it in Europe.
Already the child welfare committee
of the League of Nations has request
cd the League Council to ask govern
p1ents to protect children and young
people from the danger of alcoholism
by every possible means.
Smuggling Is Cited.
The delegates from Finland, Poland
and Sweden, who inaugurated their at
tack against alcoholism last year, IN
Kist that the absence of co-ordinated
international action against alcoholSm
is felt in the most civilized countries.
In their proposal to the league they
cite as an example the smuggling OF
alcoholic liquor on the frontiers of all
countries and especially by sea, which
s.to the disgrace of civilization renders
vain the most praiseworthy efforts OF
peoples and governments to settle the
alcohol question"
After making this allusion to snug
Cling into the United States, the pro-
posal recalls that the United States
and Baltic countries have been obliged
to have recourse to conventions to eX-
tirpate the evil of smuggling, but adds
that without uniform international ac
ton there can be no hope of success
Finally, the delegates declare that
the time has come to examine the
question thoroughly and scientifically
They maintain that the League of Ma
tions is the logical organ to conduct
such an inquiry.
Guani Elected President.
Alberto n. Guani, Uruguayan Min.
ister to France, was elected president
of the assembly of the League today.
DIR. GUAM received "a votes as
against II for Count Albert Mems.
dorff of Austria, who was his only
competitor, Mineichiro Adachi, Japa.
nese representative, having with.
drawn from the race. AS DIR. Guani
had received the necessary absolute
majority of the voting states, he was
declared elected president Of the as
sembly.
The new president said the fact
that a representative Of Latin Ameri
can nations had been elevated to the
presidency three times in the history
of the League gave occasion fol
thought. He said he believed it was
q compliment to Latin Americans de
sire for peace, their practice of arbi
tration as means of settlement oi
international disputes and their devo
tion to the cause of democracy. He
paid tribute to Alberto Edwards OF
Chile and DIR. Cosme de la Torriente
Of Cuba, his Latin American predeces
sors in the presidency, and also com
plimented the work of other past
presidents.
Growing Power of League.
Enrique Villegas of Chile, president
of the council, opened the meeting Of
the assembly this morning. He dwell
upon the growing power of the League
as an international force, remarked
upon the North American collabora
tion in many of the activities of the
League and reviewed the contribu
tions which Latin American nations
have made TO the Leagues endeavors
After the election the assembly ad
journed until late afternoon.
Animated scenes marked the open
ing of the assembly. The hall wal
packed with the delegates and public
and all standing room was taken.
big crowd outside watched the arriva
of the delegates. The meeting wa
opened at 10:45 o'clock.
The committee on credentials, o
which DIR. Aguero Y Betancourt o
Cuba is chairman, polled 48 countries
as present and represented in the
Assembly. These included, for LatiT
America, Chile, Cuba, Panama, the
Dominican Republic, Guatemala
Haiti, Paraguay, Nicaragua, Salvador
Venezuela and Uruguay. The follow
ing countries were not represented
Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Spain, Hon
duras and Peru.
Reduction of world armament
stands out as the predominant topi'
before the Assembly. Many of th'
: delegates do not hide their disappolnt
ment over the difficulties to be met II
advance in the cause Of disarmament
and what some critics of the League
term a tendency to sidestep the pc
litical problems which concern tn
great world powers.
Debate Is Promised.
France and Germany are alone ap
parently in insisting on something
being done in the domain OF dis
armament, whose cause was chilled
by the difficulty the Leagues prepara
tory commission found in drafting {
suitable protocol which would serv
as basis for an international confer
ence and by the failure of the recen
three-power naval conference.
M Pant RnncO1tf ca ia that II a dis
armament debate failed to develop h
would start one himself, and the Ger
man spokesman declared that NJ. Pau
Bncour need not worry about this
because Gustav Stresemann, the Ger
man foreign secretary, very mucl
intended" to start such a debate.
do not forget said the Germa
speaker, that Germany has only a.
army of 100 900. possesses only freight
carrying or omnibus airplanes and n
effective anti-aircraft guns, Will
France has a mighty army and pow
erful fleets Of wartime pursuit an
bombing planes. Moreover, on ou
eastern frontiers Poland has a stant
ing army of 900 and a potentia
army of 1,5000 Yes, we are yer
much interested in the reduction {
ornaments"
Germany. he continued, hoped fc
place on the Leagues mandate con
mission and expectantly awaite
restoration of at least one colony
Africa, in order to provide such ra
materials as rubber, olive oil and pc
haps cotton, to give German manufa
turers q fair chance in the tnterni