IRISH NEGOTIATIONS

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIX, Issue 21315, 17 October 1932, Page 9

IRISH NEGOTIATIONS

ANOTHER FAILURE ANNUITIES DEADLOCK iNO PEOGEESS MADE 'AEBITBATION SCHEME Situation unalteeed By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright (Received October 16, 5.5 p.m.) LONDON, Oct. 15 The negotiations about the land annuities between the representatives of the British and Irish Free State Governments which were opened at the office of the Cabinet's. Secretariat yesterday have failed. The British Government was represented by Mr. J. H. Thomas and other Ministers, and the Free State's principal delegate was Mr. de Valera. Mr. Thomas is to make a statement on the matter in the House of Commons on Tuesday. The Sun news service says the breakdown of the negotiations was singularly lacking in drama. Mr. de Valera advanced no new arguments beyond asserting that the treaty entitled the Free State to a share of Britain's assets in spite of the cancellation of liabilities. Recourse to the original proposal for arbitration also failed because Mr. de Valera maintained his previous attitude. He was never optimistic about the outcome of' the negotiations and considers that he was not responsible for their failure in view of what he regards as Mr. {Thomas' negative attitude. The Free State delegates went by taxi to their hotel after Mr. Thomas had said good-bye to them through a window of the vehicle.' They booked their return passages for to-morrow. Mr. -de Valera declined to discuss the breakdown, but will make a statement in the Dail. A COUNTER-CLAIM OVER-TAXATION ALLEGED RIFT REGARDED AS GRAVE i * (Received October 16, 10.5 p.m.) LONDON, Oct. 16 It appears that at the conference in London Mr. de Valera advanced a fantastic counter-claim for " over-taxation." The amount is stated by the Observer to have be£n at least £250,000,000. The British representatives held that the Free State was bound, both by law and honour, whatever Government was in power, to pay the sums in dispute. The breakdown of the negotiations has caused no surprise in political quarters. The Sunday Express says that Mr. de Valera was asked after the conference to define his intentions in regard to the future relations between the Free State and the Empire. Mr. de Valera said his ideal was an independent Republican State, if possible within the Empire. "When the Leader of the Free State Opposition, Mr. W. T. Cosgrave, was informed of--the failure of the conference, he said: "It is bad news. I fear it is bad for both countries." The question is being asked: What will Mr. de Valera's next move be? There is talk both in London and in Dublin of the possibility of an early election in the Free State, to be fought on the question of secession. There will be no surprise if a sensational announcement is made in the Dail on Wednesday. The Irish Labour Party at its conference in Dublin passed a resolution calling for the abolition of the office of Gov-trnor-General.