Background to the League > Monthly summary of the League of Nations > Vol. 17 1937

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THE MONTHLY SUMMARY OF THE LEAGUE OF NATIONS
Commission’s thirtieth session, to comply with
this request. The Commission therefore, being
anxious not to delay unduly its consideration
of the causes, circumstances, and significance
of these serious events, decided to hold an
extraordinary session for the purpose, to be
convened not later than the first week in April,
1937-
This would appear to give the Mandatory
Power ample time to prepare material from
which the Commission could obtain all such
information as it might need in order to form
an opinion upon the disturbances of 1936,
with a view to a report to the Council. Its
decision was approved by the President of that
body.
Approval by the Council.
On January 25th the Council considered the
report of the Mandates Commission’s 30th
session and observed that, generally speaking,
the financial and economic situations of the
territories under review appeared to be improv¬
ing. The Commission was anxious that the
mandated territories to which the rule of
economic equality applied should enjoy the
benefit of reciprocity to the greatest possible
extent.
The Council was pleased to learn that the
Mandatory Powers are, to an increasing extent,
appointing Government officials from the
territories, to serve as accredited representatives.
It instructed the Secretary-General to inform
the Governments of the Mandatory Powers of
the Commissions remarks, asking them to
take the action suggested by it; also to forward
to petitioners and to the Governments con¬
cerned the Commission’s findings in regard to
petitions which it had examined.
The representative of New Zealand referred
to the fact that the new Government, which
had come into power in December, 1935,
had done everything it could to smooth
over the difficulties that had arisen in Western
Samoa. The Government had arranged for
two of its Ministers, together with administrative
officers, to visit that territory and to make an
inquiry into the inhabitants’ complaints, in
consultation with the Samoans themselves.
It seemed to the New Zealand Government
that the Mandates Commission was not satisfied
with the policy of the Government in Western
Samoa.
The representative of the Mandates Com¬
mission, who had come to the Council table,
said that the report before the Mandates
Commission related to a period under the
previous administration. The Commission had
therefore refrained from any expression of
opinion on what had taken place, and had
offered no criticism.
The representative of the Commission added
that that body very much appreciated the
frank and friendly manner in which the New
Zealand Government had co-operated with it,
and had none but the kindliest feelings toward
that Government. However, some members
of the Commission had been surprised not at
the change of policy, but at the fact that it had
not been announced to the native inhabitants.
In connection with the Commission’s extra¬
ordinary session, the rapporteur explained that
the representative of the United Kingdom had
informed him that there was little likelihood
that the Royal Commission’s report would
be available for communication to the Mandates
Commission as early as the first week in April
1937. The Royal Commission on Palestine,
in view of the belated decision of the Supreme
Arab Committee to co-operate with it had
not yet been able to conclude its exhaustive
inquiries in Palestine, and some time must
inevitably elapse after its return to the United
Kingdom while it was drawing up its report and
while the report was being considered by the
Mandatory Power.
In these circumstances, the representative
of the United Kingdom, being desirous to help
the Mandates Commission in the execution
of its task, proposed that the special session
should be convened, not for the beginning of
April, but for May 31st, by which date the
Commission would, unless any unforeseen
circumstances arose, be in possession of all the
requisite information. The representative of
the Mandates Commission yielded to the
circumstances adduced by the United Kingdom
representative, and agreed that the special
session on Palestine should be deferred until
May 31st. At this session, the Commission
would examine not only the Royal Commission’s
report and the conclusions drawn from it by the
Mandatory Power, but also the annual report
for 1936, which would contain a detailed account
of the disturbances. Further, the Commission
would complete its examination of the 1935
report, certain points of which, it will be
remembered, were reserved last year, in view
of the circumstances.
The ordinary summer session of the Com¬
mission would be held at a date to be fixed
after the close of the special session.