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involved in their specific fields. These commissions were composed as follows:

Economic Drafting Commission:

United States of America: Mr. Bernard Baruch.

British Empire: Sir Hubert Llewellyn Smith.

Italy: M. Crespi.

France: M. Clementel.

Japan: Mr. Fukai.

Financial Drafting Commission:

United States of America: Mr. Albert Strauss.

British Empire: The Rt. Hon. E. S. Montagu.

France: M. H. Klotz.

Italy: M. Salandra.

Japan: Mr. Mori.

The Economic Drafting Commission, after several meetings, submitted a report suggesting agenda for a permanent economic commission.

The Financial Drafting Commission met on February 13th, under the presidency of Signor Salandra, discussed various proposals that had been submitted and instructed the secretariat to combine them into one for study as a whole.

On February 8th the conference of the Great Powers constituted a Supreme Economic Council to consist of not more than five representatives of each interested Government, to deal with questions of finance, food, blockade control, shipping and raw materials. The work of this council differs from that of the Financial and Economic Drafting Commissions in that the latter were created to deal with problems for future international agreement, while the former reports to the Supreme War Council on current matters during the period of the armistice. In conjunction with the military representatives of the Supreme War Council, the delegates of the Great Powers discussed from February 7th to 12th the terms of the extension of the armistice with Germany.

The members of the five Commissions authorized by resolutions of the Conference at the plenary session of January 25th were appointed during the succeeding week and started their labors.

The Commission on International Labor Legislation was composed of the following members:

United States of America: Hon. E. N. Hurley, Mr. Samuel Gompers.

British Empire: The Rt. Hon. G. N. Barnes, Sir Malcolm Delevigne.

France: M. Colliard, M. Loucheur.

Italy: Baron Mayor des Planches, M. Cabrini.

Japan: Mr. Otchiai, Mr. Oka.

Belgium: M. Vandervelde, M. Mahaim.

Cuba: M. Bustamante.

Poland: M. Jean Zoltowski.

Czecho-Slovak Republic: M. Benes.

It held its first meeting on Saturday, February 1st, and elected Mr. Samuel Gompers, of the United States, president.

The Commission on Responsibility for the War and its Authorization was constituted as follows:

United States of America: Hon. Robert Lansing, Mr. James Brown Scott.

British Empire: The Rt. Hon. Sir Gordon Hewart, the Rt. Hon. W. F. Massey.

France: M. Andre Tardieu, M. Larnaude.

Italy: M. Scialoja, M. Raimondo.

Japan: Mr. Adatci, Mr. H. Nagaoka.

Belgium: M. Rolin-Jacquemyns.

Greece: M. Politis.

Poland: M. Constantin Skirmunt.

Roumania: M. S. Rosental.

Serbia: M. Slobodan Yovanovitch.

It held its initial meeting on February 3d. Honorable Robert Lansing, of the United States, was chosen president, and Sir Gordon Hewart, of Great Britain, and Senator Scialoja, of Italy, Vice-Presidents. Its work was divided among three sub-committees, two for the examination of questions of law involved in the subjects of responsibility for the war and for war crimes, and one for the examination of facts connected with the question of responsibility for violations of the laws and customs of war.

The Commission on Reparation of Damages was made up of the following delegates:

United States of America: Mr. Bernard M. Baruch, Mr. Norman H. Davis, Mr. Vance McCormick.

British Empire: The Rt. Hon. W. M. Hughes, the Rt. Hon. the
Lord Sumner, the Rt. Hon. the Lord Cunliffe.

France: M. L. L. Klotz, M. Loucheur, M. Albert Lebrun.
Italy: M. Salandra, M. d'Amelio, M. É. Chiesa.

Japan: Mr. Mori, Mr. H. Nagaoka, Mr. Fukai.
Belgium: M. Van den Heuvel, M. Despret.
Greece: M. Romanos, M. Michalalopoulos.

Poland: M. Sigismond Chamiec, M. Casimir Olszowski.
Roumania: M. Georges Danielopol, M. P. Zaharaide.
Serbia: M. C. Stoyanovitch, M. Milosh Savtchitch.

It met on February 5th under the presidency of M. Klotz, of France, exchanged views on the subject of the general principles on which the right of reparation should be based, and requested the several delegations to submit memoranda on this subject. These memoranda were submitted and examined on February 10th and several sub-committees appointed..

The Commission on the International Control of Ports, Waterways and Railways was composed of the following delegates:

United States of America: Hon. Henry White, Hon. David Hunter Miller.

British Empire: The Hon. A. L. Sifton, Sir Hubert Llewellyn Smith.

France: M. Claveille, M. André Weiss.

Italy: M. Crespi, M. de Martino.

Japan: Mr. K. Matsui, Colonel Sato.

Belgium: M. Paul Segers.

China: Mr. Chengting Thomas Wang.

Greece: M. L. Coromilas.

Serbia: M. Trumbitch.

Uruguay: M. Juan Carlos Blanco.

And representatives of Roumania, Czecho-Slovakia, Portugal and Poland.

It was organized on February 3d. Signor Crespi, of Italy, was elected chairman and Hon. A. L. Sifton, of Great Britain, vicechairman. At the second meeting of this Commission, held on Febru

ary 10th, it was decided to appoint two sub-committees, one consisting of nine members, five representing the Great Powers and four the minor Powers, to study questions relative to the application of the international régime of ports, waterways and railways; and the second consisting of ten members, five from the Great Powers and five from the minor Powers, to study the relevant general questions. The Commission on the League of Nations was made up of the following representatives:

United States of America: President Wilson and Hon. Edward M. House.

British Empire: The Rt. Hon. the Lord Robert Cecil, Lieutenant General the Rt. Hon. J. C. Smuts.

France: M. Leon Bourgeois, M. Larnaude.

Italy: M. Orlando, M. Scialoja.

Japan: Baron Makino, Viscount Chinda.

Belgium: M. Hymans.

Brazil: M. Epitacio Pessoa.

China: Mr. Wellington Koo.

Portugal: M. Jayme Batalah Reis.

Serbia: M. Vesnitch.

Czecho-Slovak Republic: M. Kramarz.

Greece: M. Venizelos.

Poland: M. Dmowski.

Roumania: M. Diamandy.

President Wilson, on behalf of the United States, Lord Robert Cecil, on behalf of Great Britain, and M. Bourgeois, on behalf of France, held several informal meetings before this commission was formally organized. It held its first meeting on February 3d, under the chairmanship of President Wilson. A secretariat, selected from outside the membership of the commission, was appointed to draft the proces verbaux. It consisted of M. Clauzel, of France; Lord Eustace Percy, of Great Britain; Mr. Shepardson, of the United States, and Signor Ricci Busatti, of Italy.

After the first meeting of the Commission, it worked constantly and industriously, with the object of completing its report for presentation to the Conference before President Wilson's return to the United States on February 15th. In the eleven days which elapsed between February 3d and 13th, the Commission met ten times, many

of the meetings being held in the evenings and lasting until late in the night. When the first reading of the draft 10 was completed it was put into the hands of a drafting committee, composed of M. Larnaude, Lord Robert Cecil, Mr. Venizelos and M. Vesnitch. The second and final reading was completed on Thursday, February 13th, when the Commission authorized President Wilson to report the draft to the plenary session of the Conference to be held the following day, February 14th.

The third plenary session of the Conference met at three o'clock, on February 14th, for the purpose of receiving the report of the Commission on the League of Nations. The draft of the Covenant was read word for word by President Wilson, who interrupted his reading once or twice to explain his understanding of the meaning of certain phrases. After the reading of the document, President Wilson made a short address explaining the manner in which the Commission had worked and what it hoped would result from its report. He was followed by Lord Robert Cecil, of Great Britain, and Signor Orlando, of Italy, who expressed approval. M. Bourgeois, of France, next spoke and, while approving the document as reported, gave notice of two amendments which France refrained from pressing but reserved the right to propose at the proper time, and he requested that these amendments be considered in connection with the printed document. In substance, France's proposed amendments were, first, the organization of a system of armament inspection to ascertain if each nation is complying with the disarmament clauses of the Covenant; secondly, the creation of an international force,

10 In the official communiqué of the meeting of the representatives of the Great Powers on the afternoon of January 22d, it is stated that the plenary session of the Conference on January 25th, would discuss the subject of the League of Nations upon the basis of the proposals made by Mr. Lloyd George. The proposal presented to the Conference on January 25th took the form of the resolution authorizing the appointment of the Commission on the League. The official communiqué of the first meeting of the Commission announced that "it was agreed that an accord in principle had been reached by the resolution previously passed by the Conference, and that discussion would proceed accordingly at the next meeting." According to an unofficial report of the first meeting of the Commission, the draft plan for the League of Nations which they agreed to use as the basis of discussion was laid before the Commission by President Wilson.

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