Evening star., 1936-09-27


sideration by members Of the League
of treaties which have become in
applicable and the consideration Of
international conditions whose con-
tinuance might endanger the peace
Of the world"
But this article has been a dead
letter. Although the peace treaties
have been revised. the League has
stood aside from the revision. This is
as much . ground Of attack upon it as
its failures to keep the peace in Africa
and Asia. What can be done about
Il?
This Is the question which the
Permanent Studies Conference has
been considering throughout the last
year, and on which 1t will hold an in
ternational meeting next Summer
Last June I had the privilege of at
tending its interim meeting at Ma
drid, at which the subjects were
shaped up for this years work by the
various national organizations, COM
posed Of outstanding authorities in
political and international law.
We have divided the subject up into
the following fields: Raw materials;
markets; population pressures and
movements colonies; methods and
instruments Of change. It is evident
that behind these academic topics lies
the pressure Of te have not" nations
over against the "haves." How car
the dissatisfied be satisfied?
A little serious thought will show
that the answer does not lie in mere.
ly taking things from one people and
giving them to another That wal
what happened in the peace treaties
The nation which cries most for &
new international deal may not have
as good a claim to 1t as others. Whe
Is to say what is just?
Examine Nature Of Claim.
Our problem has to be solved BY
examining the nature of every claim
Take raw materials. 1t is only II
war time or under conditions of wal
economy-such as now prevails II
central Europe-that they presen
any serious question. Otherwise the,
are. for the most part, on the worlc
market at market figures. British
rubber is now hunting for buyers. Blu
to prevent corner by monopohsti,
owners Is genuine internationa
question and calls for internationa
control
There is, Of course, the advantag,
which the owning nation may posses
in paying for the materials in its owl
currency. But y what is wanted i!
the chance to flood a colony thai
possesses raw materials with the de.
preciated currency Of the motherland
justice Is hardly served by arranging
for such a settlement.
Again, the use to which the raw
material is put may be a question Of
international interest. If 1t is manu-.
factured to be dumped on the worlc
market. or held behind prohibitiv,
trade barriers, to be dispensed at will
by the owning nation, nothing Il
gained for peace. because discomfort
soon grows in other countries.
Problem Held Universal.
1t Is evident that some kind Of {
League Of Nations is still called for II
deal with q continuing problem Of thi.
kind. It Is one which cannot be settlec
by blood and iron" but by business.
like dealings among nations. And il
should not be left to the two or thres
strongest nations to work out bS
themselves: the problem is uniyersa
as well as intricate.
The same holds true Of population
movements and 81 colonies. Mucf
propaganda is afioat in the worlc
about the needs Of rapidly expandin,
populations to have larger places IL
the sun. There is something in it; bu
the real measure of population pres
sure Is not the number Of people to {
square mile, but the standard Of liv.
ing they can maintain. This, In turn
raises questions Of economic justicl
| within nations as well as among ma
tions.
Enough has been said to show thai
the provision for a changing worlc
calls for a different kind of approach
than that Of which Mussolini Is tn,
mouthpiece; and that In exact pro
portion as Hitler turns to follow tn,
iron policies of Bismarck instead O
cooperating to strengthen tn,
League-which he yet may doh.
is standing in the way of economi,
recovery as we'll as Of peace.
| Basis of Confidence.
For business, in a world of credit
has to build on confidence in tn,
future; and the only confidence tina
can endure is that which is based OF
economic justice rather than eco.
nomic supremacy.
At persent the trend is not in thi
direction. The pathway to Geneva i
| no longer thronged. as it used to be
by the feet of European nations
working out policies of peace. On tn,
contrary, it looks as though policie.
Of power were to be given their test
| 1t Is by such policies that Centra
Europe Is largely ruled today. Blu
behind them lies communism, read
to break through the shattered fabri,
Of Western civilization. The newt
able consequence of despotism Il
revolution. That Is the -writinl
on the wall.