Evening star., 1934-12-16
|TALYS DEFIANCE
FEARED IN GENEVA
Jurisdiction Of League in
Ethiopian Dispute May
Be Challenged.
BY the Associated Press.

BY the Associated Press.
GENEVA, December 15.-Fear was
expressed in League Of Nations circles
tonight that Italy may refuse to
recognize the Leagues jurisdiction in
her controversy with Ethiopia.
League officials foresaw the posi-
bility that Benito Mussolini might
follow the precedent set in 1928, when
Italy declined to admit the Leagues
right to interfere in her dispute with
Greece over the Island Of Corfu.
The Italo-Ethiopian issue, nominal
ly growing out Of frontier clashes be-
tween Ethiopian and Italian forces
in Africa, was attributed here in
directly to the clash Of Japanese and
Italian commercial issues in Africa.
Apprehension Increased.
Because Tokio's withdrawal from
the League becomes effective soon,
Geneva was following the African
dispute with close attention.
A report that Japan plans to send
a military mission to Adds ARABIA to
heighten the efficiency Of his majesty
Emperor Halle Selassie's army in
creased apprehension, as did the
Ethiopian governments charge, con-
tanned in its telegram to the League
reporting Italian aggression, that
Italy had refused to arbitrate the re-
cent incident at Ualual.
In 1928, 1t was recalled. Italy occu-
pied the Greek island of Corfu and
declined to recognize the competency
of the League to interfere in this dis
pute. The conflict was actually set
tied by conference of ambassadors.
Cases Similar.
Diplomats here remarked that the
Italo- Ethiopian issue bears resem-
blance to that between Greece and
Italy. They point out that Adds
Ababa charges the Italians with at
tacking the Ethiopian escort Of an
Anglo Ethiopian commission survey
ing pasture land IN Ethiopia, while in
1928 three Italian officers belonging to
an interallied commission delimiting
the Greco-Albanian frontier were as
sassinated on Greek soil.
A vigorous, immediate Italian reply
to Ethopia's charges Of aggression"
was anticipated in League circles.
While the communication from
Adds Ababa merely called the
Leagues attention to the gravity Of
the situation" growing out Of Italian
aggression" it was taken here to fore
shadow more direct action, perhaps
an appeal to the Council under the
League covenant.
"On December s." the communica-
ton said, italian troops with tanks
and military airplanes suddenly and
without provocation attacked the
Abyssinian escort Of the commits
sioner."
New Attack Charged.
Ethiopia protested to Rome the day
after that, the cablegram said, "and
despite this protest Italian military
airplanes three days later bombarded
Ado and Gerlogidi in the same prov
ince."
(Romeis version Of the clash at
Ualual, In which ITO Ethiopians and
80 Italians were reported killed, said
Ualual is on Italian territory. The
border between Ethiopia and Italian
Somaliland is in dispute)
For two reasons, League officials are
intensely interested in the latest in
ternational controversy tossed into
Geneva's lap. One was Italy's we'll
known desire for expansion Of her
colonial empire, to take care of her
ever-swelling population; the other
was the fact that the quarrel involved
one Of Europe's big powers.