TREATY WITH BRITAIN

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LV, Issue 17747, 6 April 1932, Page 7

TREATY WITH BRITAIN

FREE STATE ATTITUDE AGREEABLE TO CONFERENCE LONDON, April 4. It is understood that the Fianna Fail's reply, while reiterating the determination to abolish the oath and retain the land annuities, lengthily argues that neither constitutes a breach of the treaty, and intimates that the Free State is not adverse to holding a conference to discuss the land annuities. It is reasserted that the oath concerns the Irish people alone.

AUSTRALIA’S CONCERN CABLE TO DE VALERA WEAKENING THE EMPIRE CANBERRA, April a. The Prime Minister announced that he had cabled Air Be Valera express 1 ing Australia’s deep concern at the situation developing in Ireland ami 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.

lie 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 the result of the Imperial Conferences of 192(5 and 1930, that a position had been reached where the full co-opera-tion of the 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. Air Lyons emphasised that Australia contains a large proportion of people of Irish birth who might vitally be affected by any constitutional change involving their rights ami privileges as citizens and members of the British commonwealth of nation;:.

INTEREST IN AMERICA NEW YORK, April 3. The New York Times prominently displays on its first page the Australian Government’s note to the De Valera Government, printing the entire text. The news arrived too late for comment, but to-night, however, it is expected to attract great interest.