IRISH FREE STATE

Evening Star, Issue 21890, 29 November 1934, Page 11

IRISH FREE STATE

THE CITIZENSHIP BILL BRITAIN'S INTERPRETATION Press Association —By Telegraph—Copyright LONDON, November 27. In the House of Commons Mr J. HThomas (Dominions Secretary), in reply to a question, said the Government had informed the Free State Government that the Irish Free State Citizenship Bill could not be regarded as providing maintenance of the common status of His Majesty as contemplated in the conclusions of the Imperial Conference of 1930. The Irish Bill could not in any case deprive any person of his status as a British subject. PAYMENTS' WITHHELD. LONDON, November 27. The total payments withheld by the Free State for the financial years 1932 to October 31, 1934, amounted to £12,000,000. Duties collected and special duties on Irish goods entering Britain in the same period amounted to £8,355,000.

BILL PASSES SECOND READING MR DE VALERA’S DECLARATION. DUBLIN, November 28. (Received November 29, at 10.20 a.m.) The Dail passed the second reading of the Citizenship Bill without a division. Mr De Valera emphasised that after it was enacted nobody in the Free State would be a British subject, and otherwise all the principles agreed upon at the Imperial Conferences would be jettisoned. It would be an impertinence if Britain claimed as citizens persons who were obviously citizens of another country. Not one comma of the Bill need be altered if Ireland was declared a republic to-morrow.