1937-11-01 — Page 10

10

THE HONGKONG TELEGRAPH.

MONDAY,

Even with

HALF A LEAGUE

"O

Fcourse the League Is Anished." That is a remark which, in slightly varled, forms,

I hear hundreds of times a year.

Do not believe a word of it. The League is not finished. The League is not dead. The League is very much alive.

Certainly It is going through a time of diMculty and depres- alon. But the sap still runs. You have only to watch a session of the Council or of the Assembly to be quite sure of that.

The other day Señor Quevedo, ol Ecuador, taking the chair tem- porarily while Beñor Negrin spoke on the Mediterrancan question, referred to the creative force of International collaboration."

That force is still there. It may not be creating very much at the moment. But a tree is at allve. even in a season when I bears little fruit. The fruit will come.

The League then lives. And it in Important to realise that it does ilve, and not merely exist. Because it is a living, organism il changes, it evolves, it adapts itself to altered circumstance and altered environ- ment.

L

ET us see Just where, not in theory but in fact, We stand to-day.

The basic idea of the League as an instrument for the pre- vention of aggression was this.

Against any aggrcssor the

League would be able to mobl 1s the irresistible force of a united

world. Imposing both economic and military Banctions so trong that they would be Irresistible.

odds The

against

the aggressor would be so over- whelming that 210 one would dare commit aggression.

this For

things two essential. First, that the forces R thic disposal of tlie League

were

would be overpoweringly strong. Second, that their employment would be quite certala.

The plan is admirable. To il rooner or later we must return, But at the moment it is 1723- workable.

conditions for The its working do not exist. is an unpleasant fact. But it

is none the less a fact.

That

There are seven'great Powers in the world-and, necessarily, in the imposing of Sanctions, whether economic or military, the part played by the great Powers is the really decisive factor.

But only

of the seven great Powers three-Britain, France and Russia -arc functioning members

the League.

G

of

"ERMANY, Flaty,~Japan and the United States are outside. Not one of them could be counted on to take part in any kind of League action Thres of against an aggressor. them would be likely enough to throw their weight actively on the other side.

At the most the League Powers could only be sorl of Triple

11

-To-day's Thought- 'Tis known by the name of perseverance 4. a good cause, and of obstinacy in a bad one.

-STERNE.

୧୧

JUST

it will go.

ONWARDS

by

W. N. Ewer

Alliance

against an Isolated apgressor, At the least they would be Triple Alliance against another nillance. That situation is more ke the .old Balance of Power than like any- thing of which Wilson dreamed which the drafters of the Cove- nant designed.

or

But what of the smaller Powers of the other fifty odd League members? Do they not form a solid contingent. loyal to the League and to the Covenant, which, with the three Great Powers of the League, cari still pro- vide the strength necessary to deal with any aggression?

Do not let us fool ourselves. The answer, to-day, is "No."

went

The smaller Powers through a chastening experience in the Abyssinian affair. They co- operated loyally (with only three exceptions) in the imposition of Sanctions some of them, at a considerable economic sacrifice. And Sanctions failed to achlével their object.

UT it was not the fact

of failure which brought

Bof

It was the manner of the failure. It was the whole sordid business

of the Honre-Laval episode.

That convinced the small Powers almost without exception that the Big Powers were not honest about the League-that they were trying to use (and its smaller mem- bers) as instruments of their ow policy; that if it suited them they would call on the League and the Little Power to act: that if it did not, they would quite cheerfully dishonour their obligations, stop the League acting, and do n deri with an aggressor.

The small Powers were con- vinced that the League afforded them no special protection. And they were convinced that it and they were in grave danger of being used simply as instruments of. policy in the rivalries of the. Blg. Power and Big Power groups.

So they have begun quitkly and hrmly to remove themselves from that danger.

T League.

They are Jugoslavia, Turkey. Rumania, Grooce. Without them, whatever her sympathies, Bulgaria would not move. Albania, and probably Hungary, would favour the aggressor, or be afraid.

Poland is the apostle of neu- trality.

The three Baltic States--Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania-could hardly be expected to rush in where all the others feared to tread.

NOVEMBER 1, 1937.

MUTINY CANADIAN PACIFIC

AT INVERGORDON

For the first time, the events leading up to the naval mutiny at Invergorden in 1931, and some of the reasons why It occurred, have been revealed to the public.

A full account of the "affair," in-

What does that leave on all the Continent to provide the "League" realstance to that ng-cluding a criticism of the Admiralty, gression?

France, Czechoslovakia and the Soviet Unten--who are not the

is contained in a new book entitled "The Mutiny at Invergordon," by

STEAMSHIPS HOTELS

-HAILWAYS EXPRESS

TO MANILA

EMPRESS OF RUSSIA

.at 5 p.m., Nov. 4.

Sailings via HONOLULU

BMPRESS OF JAPAN EMPRESS OF CANADA

CANADA

at Noon Nov. 26th

at Noon Dec. 24th

Lieut. Commandor K. Edwards, RN DIRECT TO VANCOUVER, (from Yokohama) ̧

(ret.),

Lengua but an 'alliance..

There it is. As things are at the The purpose of this book is not tol

to present time, Art, XVI of the Cove-give prominence an unhoppy nant is a dead letter. The League chapter in the Royal Navy's history, has lost its powers of cocreion.. It but rather to indicate the underlying causes which made the mutiny possi- ble, and to show how

the

of process began and continued unill recovery the present healthy state of morale

Nowly appointed President of the League Assembly-the Aga Khan, religious head of

many millions of Moslems.

the doctrine of collective action. They are seeking security along a new path. Whether they are right or wrong, wise or unwise, matters littic. The point le that, at the moment, this is their decision.

Let us take a hypothetical case. Suppose an aggression of some kind by Germany against Aus- tria, and an appeal to the League to take action under Articlo 10. How many European States would respond?

In the North, West and Centre, you have now a whole group of States which has definitely de- cided on a policy of neutrality- Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Fin- HEY have not left the land, Belgium, Holland, Bwitzer-

land. They value it highly for all sorts of purposes. But they have let it be known, in one way or other, that It is exceedingly unlikely that they would again join in any coor- eive notion taken by the League against an aggressor.

The doctring of neutrality has, for the great majority of the smaller League States, replaced

Two other Western States must be counted out, Spain because of her own troubles, Portugal because she would sympathise with Ger- many.

In the East, the States of the Balkan Entente incline more and more to neutrally, between the Powers. It is practically certain

18 to-day-apart from Its multifarious and enor- mously valuable rubsidiary activities-a body for con- sultation, for conciliation, for trying to smooth out quarrels and avoid wars and ruptures. But it is not a body for collective action against an aggressor.

We have to start again from there. The situation

a fairly well recognised as the Inquiries and reports of the Committee on the Application of the Prin- ley of the Covenant" ciples show.

what's to do about But 17 It is one of the big- Rest problems which the League has to face.

in the Flect WES reached.

According to the author, there were three prime factors which caused a mutiny in the ships of the Atlantic Flect at Invergordon while the res! of the Navy in other poris remained quiescent:

(1) The incredible administrative muddling by which the men of that Fleet were kept in ignorance of the cuts in pay that were to be imposed and of the need for them.

(2) The failure of the Board of Ad- mirally to maintain the stand of Beatty's Board ́ngainst inequitable treatinent of the older long-service mch

(3) The presence of some dis- affected men, linked with Communist organisations, among the crews of that Fleet.

OUGHLY, there are

IDEA PICKED UP IN GERMANY two schools of thought. There are those who Although a certain amount of con- believe that the League Jecture entera into the argument, it good deal of cannot again become effec- I suggested that tive for the prevention of damage was done to the morale dur aggression unless its memn- ing the visit paid by H.M. cruisera bership is universal or any-

Norfolk and Dorsetshire to Germany in the summer of

of 1931, when Kie

Kiel was way includes all the Big

Communist agitation. Powers: and would be pre-

The of

are sailors-in particular two pared to modify the obliga- tions of membership leaders at Invergordon-came in con-

in

of them who were subsequently ring. order to get "universality." There are those who would prefer to leave the renegade" states outside, and try to lead the present members back to full acceptance of full responsl- bility.

The first school" Lord Cranborne mums up in a report to the Committeo "would declare that it is better to have an unlimited League with limited powers than a limited League with unlimited powers. ΤΟ characterise the second, the saying of Mr. Litvinov may be re-

called: Better a League without universality than universality without League principles."

Which line will be followed? Or is there some intermediate

ine?

That is hard to cay. The trend at the moment seems to favour the "universallats." But everyone is thinking seriously, conscious of the importance of the real dim-. culty of the problem. Everyone is. walking warily, well aware of the dangers of creating too violently nylagonistic parties within the League itself.

Because everyone is very firmly agiced on one thing. The League must continue. "It is easy to criticise," Bald Señor Quevedo, "But it would not be easy to replace."

brought back to a sense of reality by the sudden noise. This is an excel lent principle.

gel with subversive elements on shore, and the author argues the "the whole idea and planning of muilny, in the British Navy which was to take place on the Arst numplelous occasion, was picked up in Germany ... during the visit to

The facts about the administrative blunders have not previously been Lieutenant Com- known publicly mander Edwards detalls them most clearly and carefully. In outline, events happened thus:

The Government decided to int- pose eats in pay.

The Admirally signalled to mil Commanders-in-Chief a message ex-

e pasillon. plaining the

Commander-in-Chief of the Athartic Fleet was suddenly taken to hospital 1 and the signal remuinel in the office of his flagship, the Nelson, unknown to Rear Admiral Tomkinson in H.M.S. Hood, on whom the com

and temporarily devolved.

Neither the offeials at the Ad- miralty nor the staff officers in the fleet flagship thought Of advising Tomkinson of the signal.

The signal was followed by a letter from the Admiralty explaining the necessity for the cuts and the nature of them. This too went to the feet flagship, but the Admiralty officials again never thought of sending a copy to the Acting Commander-in-Chief in the Hood, though he would have to deal with the situation.

THE HUMAN ELEMENT Lieutenant Commander Edwardis says that the thought that a duplicate of the vital letter had not been sent by the Admiralty to Rear Admiral

be In one or two places aboard, where Tomkinson "was never entertained" that they would decline action.maybe one would not expect such by the staff in the Nelson. It may

a contingency Suggested that such enlightenment, would-be orators are should have appeared possible to the treated as a public danger and kept staff of the absent Commander-in- well in their place.

Chief. Recently, the explorer, Dr. Victor Helser, was feasted by a native king in Samoa. At the conclusion of the meal a native rose to pay a glowing verbal tribute, on behalf of the king to the visitor.

A FEW WORDS

The opening of the after-dinner speech-making season is not marked in any almanse, but it follows hard on grouse and partridge shooting,

"Mr. Chairman,, Ladies and Gentlemen; I rise to say a few words

The speaker steals a Bur- reptitious glance at his notes. His audience, after the burst of

energy

Britons'

Postprandial Penance

bear of her young, as try to stop him in full spate.

Getting It Over

and

Here was an instance, with serious consequences, of failure of the human element, beth at the Admiralty and in the Fleet, to rise superior to the machine.

Dr. Helter, whose Samoan is not. So far as concerns the Civil Service

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23

12

5

ACROSS

庄

120

1 A marriage of convenience?

(two words, 0, 5).

B Cast lime to produce this flower. A Hittle devil, though his gun's gone wrong, issue a chul-

lenge.

11 What the tinker sald?

it in halves, and take 12 Divide

the second half from this little word, then add the other half for plety.

13

Draw, Seemingly a good way

foo good, wondered what kind of a felement perhaps the explanation is to 100 pull a leg.

Incidentally it may be suggested that a leave system which denudes tho Admiralty of three-fifths of its professional chiefs at one time needs revision.

men

23 In the cricket feld, but don't.

do it. 28 Skatere would surely avoid a pond with water at 33 degrees this. See?

20 You'll find the chill taken off your beer when you reach the dog. 30 They're beneath

(two words, 0, 6). DOWN

policeman

1 Takes dagger with inward

resentment.

2 Undeveloped possible

winner.

Derby

Fully equipped with only three teeth.

4 It's up to me to make it. 5 Pullers.

The old boys certainly require occon rain togs.

7 Free from interference, I turned

punter.

10 To go up and to go down-that's

the chop you want.

14 Strength.

15 This fish is as much at home above the water, as under it. 18 Concerning a drink in Fleet

Street.

20 Olves volec.

21 Gives consideration, to authors"

workrooms.

22 A stable alteration.

20 Here was a wound.

27 What about it?

Saturday's Solution, JUNABOLISHED OF I HOLE IMU¬DABLUR ARRAUK=PRAMEÖEO MARZE BETMIBBEL

ACOUNTRY#RNEY: [O OB NG GHSPÄRRO A MARVELB ETHORA

DUBLINGTEBLATE ELEWENGEHă ̈I MILDLYGREG FLEA I HAMAMPOLEMIC, O'QUE'IN DEME DE B |L DE NAVY IN GATE ADBNMENT NECKS NA BENEDICTINE

show he could put up in reply. His be found in the disclosure by Licut- 17 Take o'er. (anag). mind was set at reat when, as he was ant-Cornmander. Edwards that at the 19. Wee loss in fearless guise.

hand time of the crisis the three senior Sea 21 A good position. about to rise, the king Inid The second kind is that rare sort on his arm said "Don't get up. ILords were all away on leave. The 23 Image.

24 Mild 11 (two words, 2, 3). who rises without hurry or reluctance have provided an orator for you. In very men who might have been ex- and spenka briefly and to the point. Samos We don't believe public-pected to think "outside the machine" He is guided in this course by senti- sperking should be indulged in by wore not on the spot. with which they clapped his pre- penance for the dinner, or the dinner ments similar to those of his listeners, amateurs." Ilminary throat-clearing, sinic deeper a mild narcolic in preparation for He has eaten ahd drunk and wants into their chairs.

listening to the speeches, The to get home. But though his motives Made to Order

We have a kind of vicarious orator They are in a state of paradislal' speeches are a penance, I am sure. are materialistic, he deserves credit

in Britain. Should you ever be ex Obviously, if one wished to listen for results. contentment; they have dined and

One Then the third kind.

dors pected to speak in public, you will

As things were, both officers and wined; blue smoke curls slowly up to a speaker who could teach one ward from the men's cigars. Their something, immediately after a heavy not know whether more to pity or to and you can

were left without any official get an

excellently news of the cuts until the plan of digestive processes take a deliberate meal would not be the moment one blame him. Usually he has

been written speech for the occasion for course to the drowsy accompaniment would choose. No one really be called upon to speak, quite by

medest guinea. All you need to do mutiny was already well under way. That is only one of the criticisms Heves that a man rakeshli best prise; maybe he has no notes of the speaker's voice,

is to supply. few details, o

B

that

You can sec

speeches. after consuming six courses may not even have spoken before in for example, you won't give a speech which are brought against the Ad the ritual of the

his

life.

Intended for a surrealist audience to miralty in this work. Another is that certain officers suffered unjustly after after-dinner speech, somewhere in and a bottle of champagne.

He rises slowly, his manner saying a gathering of sanitary con the whole affair was over. Britain, every night between, May, That is why the tendency is towards loudly as words that he would and almost while you wait an citusion September and May. It is a British shortening them and thus reducing like nothing better than to be swal is created for you.

MAN SAVED BY OFFICER Institution, like tea-drinking and the severity of the penance. After-

It is usually a model of grammatic hearty breakfast; one of those things dinner speakers who habitually keep towed in a hole in the earth. When

While the book describes · some offered by the British genius for the, on their feet a long time, en far he at last opens his mouth gurgling construction and impeccable senti- reat of the world to eppy, and for they do not get so many invitations sounds like the dialect of an obscure ment, but, necessarily, it lacks in- extraordinary occurrences in the Fleet

African tribe emerge, and, strong dividuality.“

at Invergordon, and states that in one

The Tealisation which one is noi sure' whether to to dinners.

men blench.

Broadcasting has added a new ship young ordinary seamen (them on the ebb, and there was no time of one of his men.

to be lost it the life of the man was of this fact led to an abrupt revulsion curse or bless the donor.

to after-dinner speeches, selves unaffected by the pay-cuts) I suspect that the origin

On the quarterdeck of of feeling on the lower deck of that There are, broadly, three kinds of It is only rarely that such an un- menace of tia

microphone, should indulged in sheer hooliganism, to the to be saved. after-dinner speech lies in the fact after-dinner speakers. To the prac- fortunate says anything, translatable and I feel the that we cannot bring ourselves to tised eye their manner of rising gives into English. His one good point is never be brought to the dinner-tablo. extent of destroying fittings, and ILM.S. York stood the executive ship and throughout the next of The speecks that can be tolerated by offering insuits and threats fo affcers, officer of the ship-Commander C. two days when mutiny was raging all gather with others merely for the them away immediately. Fir, and that he cannot, in the

wined and Something is fifty people who have man who, things, last long:

there

time, some Coppinger-watching with some mis- round them, they remained almost are, at the

alving the noisy berty men climb-jentirely loyni." purpose of eating. We have to give most pestilential, is the

dined bores to tears millions, who happier passages.

Taken all in all, this book is one the feast Bernblance of seriousness nt the appropriate moment, springs bound to give way soon.

Many people consider that "men- have done neither,

For instance, there is the story of ing out of the boats and up the gang- by attaching a kind of lecture to it to his feet like a tiger at his prey.

at the Lable have H.M.S. York. Plans had been di- way. He saw the man fall overboard, that should be read, if only that it Then the dinner appears quite in-. His eyes are alight, and he sees his sures should be taken" in the matter cidental. If we can repent only the audience merely dis objects to be im- of after-dinner speeches. Nowadays and cigars as anaesthetics, cussed at a mass meeting on shore and without a moment's hesitation he clears the air concerning the Inver- Ume-limit la noi uncommon, but, the audience in front of a loud-on the night of Monday, September dived overboard to his assistance, and gordon affair, and pays fully deserved vaguest outlines of the speakers' re- pressed,

loyalty of the Royal Navy. The marks, we need not blush when we. He has no compassion, no thought as in the case of international agree- speaker have probably had neither. 14. for a general refusal of daty the supported the man until a boat cume tribute to the spirit and the essential volume could with advantage, be are ments, it is difficult to apply sanc-Broadcasting after-dinner speeches following morning, and in due course down-tide to the rescue,

"When the two sodden figures were account next day for how we spent that these figures around him

should be postponed at least, until the men returned to their ships.

Tepetitions, the previous evening: ».

men, with feelings and a faculty of

The liberty men were disembark- brought back to the ship the rowdyism trimmed of many needless rej boredom that may develop into an At the "Duke of York's" boys' television can show the audience the

ing from the boats alongside HMS, of the liberty men changed to a cheer but the author has done his work, on The Worst Monient

urge to lenilcide. He talks at great camp, after the manual big dinner, a'remains of the feast on the table. length. All his life he has longed bomb is exploded whenever a speaker Then they will understand how York, when one of the men return for their commander. Thore was no the whole, well notwithstanding the ing from the shore fell over board. doubt that by his prompt action Com- debatable nature of some of his state- The tide was sluicing past the hip macder Coppinger had saved the life 'ments. This theory disposes of the ques- for such opportunities as this, and exceeds the three-minuto limit. The u the speaker escopes with his life. tion of whether the speeches are-a-one might as well attempt to rob a offender is not injured, but he is

n

tions.

natura

ho aud

D..G..J..

same

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