FUTURE RELATIONS.

Star (Christchurch), Volume LXVI, Issue 20275, 9 April 1934, Page 8

FUTURE RELATIONS.

An Independent Ireland and Dominions. DE VALERA INTERVIEWED. United Press Assn.—By Electric Telegraph—Copyright. (Received April 9, 1 p.m.) LONDON, April 8. Mr de Valera, in a special interview with the “ Sun-Herald ” News Service, disclosed the aims and future relationships of the Free State with other members of the British Commonwealth. The interviewer asked what could the Dominions expect would be his Government’s attitude towards relationships, say with Australia, on the attainment of its objective of complete Irish independence. Mr de Valera replied: “I am sinserely and genuinely anxious to secure good relationships with all States of the British Commonwealth. There is much in common to draw us together in free association. Ties of kindred and common interests merit recognition. All this, nevertheless, is secondary. Our paramount aim is to obtain real independence for our people, who have struggled for this for over seven centuries, and will not rest until they are successful. “If we are not allowed independence without completely severing relations with the countries of the Commonwealth. then we are prepared for that. Australians and Canadians find difficulty in understanding our attitude, because their past relations with Great Britain have been different from ours. Canada and Australia are prepared to regard Britain as the Mother Country, but to us Britain has been an invader who centuries ago robbed us of our national sovereignty, and has since resisted our efforts to regain it. “We are not bound to Britain by any ties of filial regard. We regard ourselves as much the Mother Country as is Britain. That is proved by the multitude of Irishmen, not only in the United States, but also in Australia and Canada. “ The fact that so many Irishmen are settled in the States of the Commonwealth is one of my reasons for believing that, once our independence is accepted, a practical scheme for association and co-operation in matters of common interest, obviously including trade and defence, could be worked out.”