IRELAND AND EMPIRE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIX, Issue 21164, 22 April 1932, Page 9

IRELAND AND EMPIRE.

OATH OF ALLEGIANCE.

ABOLITION BILL IN DAI L. INDEPENDENT'S OPPOSITION. By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright. (Received April 21, 11.45 p.m.) DUBLIN. April 20. The galleries of the Dail were filled to-day' -when the bill to remove the oath of allegiance was read a first time. Mr. Frank McDermotfc (Independent) in opposing the measure, said he did not wish the Government to be defeated and have its prestige undermined, but he thought the bill was remote from the realities of the present situation. " Ireland is a great nation with a fine history," said Mr. McDermott, " but if we regard ourselves as belonging to tile British Commonwealth the bill is » breach of international good manners. Let us not behave like guttersnipes. If we cannot rid ourselves of the obsession that our rights are being trampled down and want to leave the Commonwealth let us say so and go out like men and be done with it. I believe England will not raise any legal or technical difficulties. the bill passes I shall move requHTOng that the Government proceed the removal of Ireland from tha British Commonwealth of Nations." Mr. McDermott urged the Government to open negotiations with Britain for some more acceptable form of undertaking than the existing oath. (This is taken to be a reference to a suggestion which Mr. de ~ Valera's paper, the Irish Press, pro- . minently displays.) Continuing, Mr. McDermott urged that if the Free State wished to delete the oath it should go to its other partners in tho British Commonwealth of Nations and suggest that the oath had become an anomaly, either because of the Statute of Westminster or for some other reason, and that another symbol of allegiance should be adopted instead of it. The Leader of the Opposition, Mr. W. T. Cosgrave, will speak on the second reading on April 27. The Opposition will challenge the future stages of the measure.