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The greater part of the land on which it was proposed to settle the refugees was not available, as it was not yet entirely owned by the State; also the exact position in regard to this land was often not known, and much topographical work remained to be done. It was proposed to settle a large number of families on the site of certain marshes which were to be drained in the district of Burgas. This drainage would be more costly than was anticipated, and a report made by an independent expert stated that the malaria which was prevalent in that area in a particularly virulent form would not disappear even after the drainage had been completed, consequently the refugees were terrified at the prospect of settling in this district. The Financial Committee had therefore recommended that the question of the drainage of this area should again be studied before any further work of settlement was carried out there.

85. The Bulgarian representative, who had been invited to the Council table, explained the steps which his Government were taking to find land for the settlement of refugees and also the measures which were being taken to protect the population of the district of Burgas from malaria. He added that, when the proposed settlement of refugees had been effected, these would only amount to 12 per cent. of the present population of the district, and that they would not be established on marshy land until it had been drained.

86. On the proposal of the rapporteur (Belgian delegate), the Council approved the report of the Financial Committee.

(4.) Child Welfare Committee.

87. The Child Welfare Committee had submitted a report to the Council on their third session in May 1927. This report dealt with the cinema in relation to child welfare, the effects of family allowances on the welfare of children, the measures taken in various countries for the protection of illegitimate children, the treatment of blind children, recreation for children, repatriation of children and the enforcement of judgments relating to maintenance.

88. On the proposal of the British delegate, in his capacity as rapporteur, the Council adopted a resolution in which the arrangements made by the committee for improving the organisation of its agenda were approved, and the Secretary-General was directed to ask the various Governments to furnish information in answer to the questionnaire drawn up by the Committee on the Relation of the Cinema to Child Welfare, to communicate to the various Governments the questionnaire drawn up by the Committee on the Protection of Illegitimate Children, so that, if they thought fit, they might furnish the information desired, and to communicate to the various Governments for their consideration the resolution of the committee respecting the age of consent.

(5.) Traffic in Women and Children Committee.

89. The Committee on Traffic in Women and Children had submitted a report on their sixth session from the 27th April to the 30th April, 1927, in which they dealt with the punishment of

traffickers, the employment of women abroad, women's wages, co-operation and inter-communication between the central authorities in different countries, women police and licensed houses. The committee drew attention to the fact that there were still many Governments which were not parties to the various international agreements respecting traffic in women, and that of the forty-three States, on whose behalf the Convention of September 1923 for the Suppression of Obscene Publications had been signed, twenty-two States had not yet ratified this convention and fourteen States Members of the League had taken no steps towards becoming parties thereto, also that many Governments had not replied to a questionnaire issued by the Council on this subject.

90. On the proposal of the rapporteur (British delegate), the Council approved the recommendations of the committee, but observed that women's wages seemed to be a large economic question and to lie outside the scope of the committee's work.

91. The committee had also reported that they felt unable to proceed usefully with the discussion of the control of prostitution or to consider the possible extension of the investigations of the Special Body of Experts on Traffic in Women and Children until Part II of the report of these experts had been published. At its last session the Council had forwarded this part of the report to the various Governments for their observations (see "Miscellaneous No. 6 (1927)," Cmd. 2894). The rapporteur (British delegate) proposed that Part II of this report and the observations of the various Governments should be published on the 1st August. The Belgian delegate (M. Vandervelde) proposed that publication should be deferred, and that the Special Body of Experts should be given an opportunity of making such corrections in the report as might seem necessary after they had considered the observations of the various Governments. The rapporteur agreed to accept the suggestion of the Belgian delegate, and the Council adopted a resolution inviting the various Governments to forward their observations on Part II of the report to the Secretariat before the end of September, and convening a meeting of the Special Body of Experts towards the 15th November, 1927, subject to funds being available, to consider the observations of the Governments and to make such amendments in Part II of their report as might seem desirable. The Council also decided that Part II of the report should be submitted to it at the first session after the meeting of the experts and should be published immediately after that session of the Council.

VIII.-ECONOMIC CONFERENCE.

92. The report of the International Economic Conference was submitted to the Council. This conference was composed of independent persons appointed by the Governments on the strength of their personal qualifications and not the spokesmen of an official policy, and met in Geneva from the 4th to the 23rd May; it was convened in pursuance of a resolution adopted by the Sixth Assembly on the 24th September, 1925 (see "Miscellaneous No. 1 (1926),"'

Cmd. 2576). The preparatory work required for the conference had been most efficiently performed by a committee, consisting not of representatives of Governments or organisations, but of persons chosen as experts (see "Miscellaneous No. 2 (1926)," Cmd. 2594, and "Miscellaneous No. 1 (1927)," Cmd. 2799).

93. The report of the conference was divided into three parts: Commerce, Industry and Agriculture, and contained recommendations on liberty of trading, customs tariffs, commercial policy and treaties, indirect means of protecting national trade and national navigation, rationalisation in industry. international industrial agreements, collection of industrial information, agricultural co-operation and agricultural credit.

94. After the rapporteur (German delegate) had read his report to the Council commenting on the work of the conference, the Netherlands delegate stated that his Government would thoroughly study the recommendations of the conference and the necessary measures for their execution. In spite of increasing difficulties, the Netherlands Government had hitherto been continuously inspired by the principles which formed the basis of the recommendations of the conference. The unanimous approval which had been given to these principles justified the hope that the period of theoretical discussion would be followed by a period of practical realisation.

95. In his report to the Council, the German delegate had proposed that the changes which might prove desirable in the Economic Organisation of the League, in view of the results of the conference, should be reserved for examination at the Council's next session. The Italian delegate (Senator Scialoja) observed that this passage in Dr. Stresemann's report appeared to contemplate an economic reorganisation of the League and it therefore puzzled him. Consequently, he wished to draw the attention of the Council to the fact that the Economic Organisation of the League could not be deprived of its fundamental basis, which consisted in its being a group of representatives of Governments to which the representatives of the most important economic organisations of the world might be attached.

96. The Belgian delegate (M. Vandervelde) informed the Council that his Government had laid before their Parliament the resolutions adopted by the conference and had declared that they fully adhered thereto and would do all in their power to ensure that the recommendations of the conference were embodied in the legislation of all countries.

97. The Czechoslovak delegate (M. Benes) stated that his Government gave, in principle, their complete adherence to the resolutions adopted by the conference and intended to develop their policy in conformity with the principles embodied therein.

98. The German delegate (Dr. Stresemann) informed the Council that his Government had just taken the following decision

:

"The Government of the Reich approves the general report of the World Economic Conference, and concurs in its conclusions.

"It is ready to co-operate energetically in giving effect to the recommendations and suggestions of the World Economic Conference.

"The Government of the Reich considers that the guiding principles for customs and commercial policy enunciated by the Economic Conference provide a practical means of ensuring greater freedom in international, and more especially European, economic relations; and it agrees with the conference that this is one of the essential conditions of the economic restoration of Europe, the progress of civilisation and the maintenance of peace.

"It therefore considers it highly desirable that the work required of the League of Nations to give effect to the conference resolutions should at once be taken in hand and carried through."

99. In his report to the Council the German delegate had proposed that the Council should invite all countries and Governments to give their close attention to the principles and recommendations contained in the report of the conference and the active support necessary to facilitate their adoption and application. In referring to this proposal in Dr. Stresemann's report, the British delegate said that his Government had been favourably impressed by a first but rather hasty study of the conclusions of the conference, and he thought he could say that probably they were in agreement with by far the greater number of them, if not with all. However, the work of the conference and its report had covered an immense ground, and the report embodied a very large number of recommendations. Some of these recommendations were of a general character and of great importance; others dealt with matters of comparative detail but requiring, in the opinion of his Government at least, careful study before it would be safe for a country which did not wish to pledge its word and afterwards to qualify it to give an unqualified assent to everything which a further examination might show to be embodied in the report. Sir Austen Chamberlain did not think that the proposal in question contained in Dr. Stresemann's report could be accepted by any member of the Council who was not already authorised to pledge his Government to accept without qualification every recommendation great or small, whatever its character might be, which was to be found in any part of the report. This seemed to him to be going too far at a very early stage and, at any rate, it was further than he was entitled to pledge his Government. He therefore asked Dr. Stresemann whether he would not be prepared to amend this proposal to the effect that the Council commended the valuable report of the Economic Conference, and the important recommendations contained therein, to the favourable consideration of all Governments. Sir Austen Chamberlain added that he did not wish to detract in any way from the tributes paid to the work of the conference or to diminish the hopes which had been expressed as to the fruitful results to be derived therefrom, yet he thought that

his text perhaps expressed more exactly what each member of the Council really meant to say.

100. The rapporteur agreed to the amendment suggested by the British delegate and concurred in the observations made by the Italian representative that all the organs and committees to be instituted by the League to carry out the recommendations of the conference must be composed both of representatives of Governments and of private organisations. The Roumanian, Japanese, Polish, Chilean and French delegates also spoke expressing their gratification at the results of the conference, and, on the proposal of the rapporteur, the Council adopted the following resolution :

"The Council takes note of the Report of the World Economic Conference;

"(1.) Tenders its most cordial thanks to the president, M. Theunis, to all members and experts present at the conference, as well as to all organisations and individuals who have assisted in its preparation;

"(2.) Considers that the conference has fully carried out its task of setting forth the principles and recommendations best fitted to contribute to an improvement of the economic situation of the world and in particular to that of Europe, thus contributing at the same time to the strengthening of peaceful relations among nations;

"(3.) Commends this valuable report and these important recommendations to the favourable consideration of all Governments;

"(4.) Reserves for examination at its next session the changes that might prove desirable in the economic organisation of the League of Nations in view of the results of the conference, and invites the Economic Committee in the meantime to meet in extraordinary session in order to begin at an early date a preparatory study of the resolutions of the Economic Conference as regards customs tariffs, and more particularly as regards the unification of tariff nomenclature."

IX.-CONDITIONS OF WORK IN THE SECRETARIAT OF THE LEAGUE.

101. At a previous session the Council had, on the suggestion of the British delegate, requested the Secretary-General to prepare a report on the conditions of work in the Secretariat. The SecretaryGeneral now submitted this report to the Council and stated that he wished to emphasise the fact that the administrative and secretarial work falling on the Secretariat had increased in a far greater proportion than the staff itself. The Secretariat had been able to cope with the work as the result of the increased experience which had been acquired, but a limit would be reached and Sir Eric Drummond said that he would be grateful if the Council would forward his report to the Assembly so that the delegations would have full knowledge of the work done by the Secretariat as he felt

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