SPEEDY VENGEANCE.

Star (Christchurch), Volume XLIV, Issue 494, 1 July 1932, Page 1

SPEEDY VENGEANCE.

British Government Will Take Action. IRISH LAND ANNUITIES. United Press Assn.—By Electric Telegraph—Copj-right. LONDON, June 30. Mr Baldwin made an important announcement in thfc House of Com- j mons to-day regarding the measures to be taken to recover moneys due j from the Irish Free State for land ; annuities. These are being paid to stockholders | as guaranteed by the British Government, but, in order to safeguard Brit- j ish taxpayers, Cabinet has decided to j introduce immediately a Bill, which is j to be passed through all stages with- j out delay. On Monday, Cabinet will decide the nature of the levy to be made. This may be either in the form of import dtities on certain classes of Irish goods j or a levy whereby half the purchase j price of imports will be payable to the j Board of Customs and Excise, leaving the Irish exporter to recover the amount from the Free State Govern- j ment. Members of the British Ministry ex- i pect that there will be a speedy disso- I lution of the Irish Parliament. Mr de j Valera hoped to make the oath an j issue at the election, but now he will j be forced to test Irish opinion on the : question of land annuities. Britain bought £23,500,000 worth of I food products from the Free State annually, which is 96 per cent of the total exports. It is unlikely that a definite procedure will be embodied in the Annuities Bill. Instead, the Treasury will be authorised to take any steps it deems proper to recoup itself for the loss of money due to the Treasury, being given power to withdraw Dominion preferences from the Free State or to remove Free State imports from the existing free list. The Government may not immediately put the powers into operation, but will use the Act as a bargaining weapon to bring the Free State to heel.