REPLY TO BRITAIN

Otago Daily Times, Issue 21612, 6 April 1932, Page 7

REPLY TO BRITAIN

THE FREE STATE CABINET UNANIMOUS APPROVAL (United Press Association.) (By Electric Telegraph—Copyright.) LONDON, April 4. The Free State Cabinet sat until 11 p.m. It was officially announced that the final draft reply was approved unanimously, and will be forwarded to Mr Thomas to-morrow. TENOR OF THE REPLY. LONDON, April 4. (Received April 5, at 8 p.m.) It is understood that Fianna Fail’s reply, while reiterating a determination to abolish the oath and retain annuities, lengthily argues that neither constitutes a breach of the treaty and intimates that the Free State is not averse to holding a conference to discuss annuities. It is reasserted that the oath concerns the Irish people alone. AUSTRALIA’S VIEW. NOTE TO MR DE VALERA. CANBERRA, April 5. (Received April 5, at 10 p.m.) The Prime Minister (Mr J. A. Lyons) announced that he had cabled to Mr de Valera expressing Australia’s deep concern at the situation which was developing in Ireland, and expressing the earnest hope that the Irish Free State would take no action which would endanger the existing unity of the British Commonwealth of Nations and the relationship of the Irish Free State to her sister dominions and to the United Kingdom. He pointed out that Australia had co-operated with the Irish Free State, her sister dominions, and the United Kingdom in removing constitutional difficulties, and had hoped as a result of the Imperial Conferences of 1926 and 1930 that a position had been reached where the full co-operation of self-governing peoples under a common crown had been achieved. Therefore any attempt to weaken the unity of the British commonwealth of nations would be profoundly deplored by the people of Australia, Mr Lyons emphasised that Australia contains' a large proportion of people of Irish birth who might be vitally affected by any constitutional change involving their rights and privileges as citizens of a member of the British Commonwealth of Nations. NOTE FEATURED IN AMERICA. NEW YORK, April 4. (Received April 5, at 9 p.m.) The New York Times prominently displays on the first page the Australian Government’s Note to the De Valera Government, printing the entire text. The news arrived too late to comment on tho reaction to-night. However, it is expected to attract great interest.