“WITHIN SIGHT”

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 55, Issue 285, 14 September 1935, Page 5

“WITHIN SIGHT”

REPUBLIC IN IRELAND.

REVISION OF CONSTITUTION.

MINISTER/ STATES HIS VIEWS

(United Press Association—Copyright)

(Received This Day, 10.55 a.m.) DUBLIN, September 13

“The Constitution will be further revised, producing a Republican Constitution,” said Mr Sean Lernass (Free State Minister of Industry and Commerce) at a meeting of the Fianna Fail.

Mr Lernass added: “We have reach ed a stage at which complete achievement of our national objective is within sight. The Free State Constitution, which has undergone many changes, is to-day, very different from the document published on the eve of the civil war, but even at present it is not acceptable to the Irish, and accordingly it must be revised.” Reverting to the Privy Council judgment in the fishery rights appeal case, Mr Lernass said that the Treaty, which the Fianna Fail did not regard as morally binding, was now recognised as not binding by the supreme British tribunal. The Free State now completely controlled its own affairs, except for certain formal acts executed in the name of tlie British King instead of in the name of the Irish people..

A London message dated June 6 stated: The effect of the Statute of Westminster was to remove the fettei upon the Irish Free State Legislature by reason of the Colonial Lav s \ aliditj Act. The Legislature can now pass Acts repugnant to the Imperial Act. The foregoing is the kernel of an important judgment of the Privy Council on an appeal in relation to the liee State fishery rights held by Robert Moore under grants, of 1622. The iree State Supreme Court lieldi that the grants were null and veil. The Judicial Committee granted leave to appeal. Shortly* afterwards the Irish Parliament passed the Constitution (Amendment No. 22) Act, 1933, which Moore petitioned to have declared no bar to the maintenance of the original appeal. The petition was dismissed.