We are heartily glad to record that the Council of
the League of Nations on Tuesday agreed to hold an inquiry into the administration of the Saar Valley, for which the League is ultimately responsible under the Treaty of Versailles. Lord Robert Cecil asked for an inquiry mainly on behalf of the inhabitants of the Valley, and he drew attention to the recent decrees of the Governing Commission, restricting free speech, which "seemed rather fantastic" and had been withdrawn. The essence of the complaint is, of course, that the Commission though nominally international, is in fact controlled from Paris, and the Canadian representative is the only independent member of the body. M. Hanotaux defended the Commission with some warmth, but he did not go so far as to refuse his consent to an investigation by the Council itself, before whom the Governing Commissioners will attend. The discontent in the Saar may have been wilfully exaggerated by German propagandists, but it is the plain duty of the League to remove any genuine grievances. Lord Robert has shown courage and good sense, and deserves our warmest thanks.
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