NEWS OF THE WEEK
THE postponement .of the League of Nations' Com- mittee of Eighteen, summoned originally for : today (Friday) for the purpose of adding coal and oil to the list of commodities which League States decline to -export to Italy, is singularly unfortunate. The ..postponement is clue to a request from M. Laval, the reason given being that the, French Prime. Minister is :involved in critical - debate in his own Parliament. That is perfectly true, but M. Laval's attendance at 'Geneva was quite unnecessary ; Sir Samuel I-loare had :not intended to go ; .and France exports no petrol herself. The really unsatisfactory part of the business is that M. • Laval's request was made immediately after an interview with the Italian Ambassador and that his whole attitude suggests that he is .onee more subtly supporting Italy against the League. He haS only consented to such sanctions as can have no rapid or decisive effect. The moment something is proposed which will impede the military operations of a State declared to have " committed an net of war against all Members of the League " the French Premier aligns himself with . the offending Government. The petrol ban will no doubt be imposed none the less. Sanctions would be a tragic farce if the States imposing them :continued with unashamed levity to supply the aggressor with the essential constituent of aggression. But M. Laval is again laying a great strain on relations between his country and ours.
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