Defends League

Le Temps, semi-official Paris daily, printed a two-column defense of the League of Nations, by Leon Bourgeois, who resigned the Presidency of the French Senate, Feb. 16, 1923, in order to devote all his time to the League.

M. Bourgeois said that the attacks are mainly directed against the expenses of the League, the international character of the General Secretariat, the superState role played by the League.

The expense account of the League, said M. Bourgeois, is controlled in such a way that the Secretariat " cannot exercise any action in determining expenses." Salaries were fixed by the Peace Conference at Versailles. Since then, however, the Secretary General has reduced his own salary from -L-10,000 to -L-7,500 and has a League residence. M. Bourgeois admitted that the higher personnel might be too numerous, but his statement did not apply to the lower and technical grades.

Referring to charges of the international and superState character of the League, M. Bourgeois said he did not believe in them because such things were impossible under the present system of organization. The greatest block to them is that:

1) The League has no right of initiative.

2) Questions can only be brought up by Governments.

3) The Council is composed of direct representatives of Governments.

4) All decisions must be unanimous.

Said the ex-Senator : " Never have these four rules been broken." He then cited the League's successful efforts with regard to the Aland Islands, Albanian, Silesian, Austrian and Sarre Valley problems.