The special League of Nations committee of three has rejected the main proposal recently formulated by Germany and Canada concerning the protection of minority peoples who number about 40,000,000 in Europe, according to an Associated Press despatch from Geneva.
The committee which met in London, included Sir Austen Chamberlain. Senor Quinones de Leon of Spain and M. Adatchi of Japan. Their report will be published on the eve of the June council session in Madrid. As the chief German proposals were not approved, it is felt that the Madrid session promises to be lively since Dr. Gustav Stresemann, German Foreign Minister, is almost certain to make a further fight for the acceptance of his ideas.
The committee rejected the suggestion that the League Council should exercise constant surveillance over the interests of minorities, but decided that the council is only empowered to act under the minority treaties when some member of the council reports an infraction of treaties can only be modified by a majority vote of the council or with the consent of the signatories.
Similarly the committee failed to approve a recommendation that if the governments against whom the grievance is directed are unable to satisfy the petitioners, the minorities can frame a new petition and insist that all correspondence be sent to the league. The committee deemed this would be inimical to friendly negotiations between the Minority Committee and the Government in question.
The report then disapproved the Canadian proposal to increase the Minority Committee from three to fourteen, but leaves the door open for an increase of the committee to five members. It respects a recommendation for the appointment of a consultative committee which would collaborate with the Minority Committee.
The committee also disapproved a plan to make the meetings of the (Continued on Page 4)
At the same time it empowered the League to issue annual reports on the number of minority grievances received. As a further concession to the minorities, the League was empowered to inform petitioners when their petitions are deemed for any reason non-receivable.
The report is considered of the greatest importance to the political situation in Europe, since many observers regard the problem of minorities as a whole to be the greatest potential causes of misunderstandings between the Nations.
The report of the special committee must be ratified by the council which will meet privately in Madrid June 6 for the purpose of discussing it before opening the regular public session on June. 10.
Dr. Joseph Barsky, for twenty-nine years consulting physician at the Beth Israel Hospital, recently President of the Medical Board of the hospital, and an ardent worker in social service, left an estate valued at $100,000.
Beth Israel Hospital will receive $2,000 outright and $22,000 more on the death of Estelle Hoffman, a friend, who has a life interest in the latter bequest. Of this, $7,000 is to be used as a scholarship in her name for nurses at the hospital. Dr. Barsky has requested that the cash bequest be known as the “Rebecha Barsky Prize,” of which the yearly income is to be awarded to the most efficient and humane nurse at the hospital.
In addition, he left three legacies of $500 to the superintendent of the hospital, Howard A. Frank: to the superintendent of nurses, Sadie C. Sharp, and to Minnie Bender, who is connected with the staff.
The remaining bequest to charity goes to the General Memorial Hospital, with $500. After the disposition of $15,000 cash to Miss Hoffman, besides her trust fund, and small bequests to eleven other relatives and friends, the residuary will be divided among his sons. Edward K., George K., Arthur T., and Michael H.
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