§ Mr. MANDERasked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs how many members of the League of Nations have signed, and how many have ratified, the General Act of arbitration, conciliation, and judicial settlement?
Mr. A. HENDERSONThe procedure by which a State accepts the provisions of the General Act of 26th September, 1928, for the peaceful settlement of international disputes is not by signature and ratification but by accession, as the hon. Member will observe by reference to Article 43 of the Act. Up to now only Belgium has acceded to all the provisions of the General Act sub- 1709W ject to the following reservation, namely, that the procedures contemplated in the General Act shall not apply to any disputes arising out of facts prior to the accession of Belgium or prior to the accession of any other party with whom Belgium may have a dispute. Norway and Sweden have acceded to Chapters 1, 2 and 4 of the Act which deal with conciliation, judicial settlement and the general provisions dealing with those procedures respectively, but they have not acceded to Chapter 3 of the Act which deals with the procedure for arbitration of non-justiciable disputes, the solution of which has not been reached by the conciliation procedure provided for in Chapter 1.