Evening star., 1946-03-31

LCNDON.-Geneva'S sad chapter in
the history Of human yearning for peace
comes to an end in April with the League
of Nations 21st and final assembly
meeting.
But the men of Geneva who have sur
vived the years and the war they could
not prevent say with pride that the
fruit of their work lives on in the United
Nations
They plan to seal the story of the
league in dignifled and solemn meet
ing-perhaps two weeks long starting
April 8. There are reminiscent speeches
to be made and the task of handing over
the torch has practical complications
OF the small group of men whose
names raised so many hopes a quarter
of century ago, only Britain's viscount
Cecil will attend the final meeting.
Cecil, who now is SO, helped draft the
covenant with President Woodrow Will
son, but the Lloyd George government
had been turned out in England when
the league opened, so the British states
man attended the first assembly as rep
resentative for South Africa, appointed
by Field Marshal Jan Christian Smuts.
Later, he became British representative
Many Now in UNO.
- Scores of others, however, who sat
beneath Jose Maria Sert's magnificent
gold and sepia ceiling in the council
chamber or paced the marble corridors
as the world shook in successive crises,
will watch the league die
Many Of their names are high on the
roster Of the United Nations and their
voices have resounded in its meeting
halls: Jan Masaryk, Foreign Minister of
Czechoslovakia .. Phillip Noel-Baker,
British Minister of State Eelco Van
Kleffens, Foreign Minister of Holland
Paul Henri Spaak, Foreign Minister of
Belgium.
Some now live quietly in their coun-
tries, reappearing only sporadically in
the course OF history Edouard Herriot,
former Premier of France Maxim
Litvinov, former Foreign Minister of the
Soviet Union Leon Blum, former
French Premier.
Carl J. Hambro of Norway, president
of the league assembly that broke up
to the fanfare of shells and bombs in
December, 1889, will open the last meet
ing. He may not mention it when he
turns the gavel over to the man elected
to preside this time, but he probably will
remember that the leagues last act be-
fore collapsing into helplessness came
while he was in the chair.
1t was decided, that because of her
action against Finland, Russia had
ceased to be q member of the League.
The Leagues main task at its final
meeting will be to end its own life.
1t must declare that the A nations
who still belong are no longer bound
by the covenants pledges-so that all
responsibility for peace is transferred
to the United Nations. .....~@
It must agree to turn over to the
United Nations the stately buildings
and the magnificent gifts the League
acquired during its brief existence.
There may be some argument about
the 100000 library which John D.
Rockefeller gave the League-s1, ,oO0, 900
for the books and 100000 for the
building.
League ofiicials agree the United Ma
tions needs the library, which collected
material from both the Allies and the
Axis during the war but they point out
that it would be a hard blow to move
it to the United States just after most
of Europe's libraries were destroyed in
battle.
Assets to Be Parceled.
The League must parcel out its assets
among its members crediting those who
are in the United Nations with their
part of the proceeds.
Changes in League membership over
the years make this difncult job. The
Baltic states, now Soviet republics, were
Independent members of the League.
Germany and Japan paid contributions
to the League at certain periods.
The neutrals-Ireland Spain, Sweden,
Switzerland, Portugal-belonged to the
League but have not yet been admitted
to the United Nations.
To complicate matters, they all have
veto in the League because the As
sembly's decisions must be unanimous.
If any one of the members asks to