MALTA DISPUTE.

Press, Volume LXVII, Issue 20171, 25 February 1931, Page 11

MALTA DISPUTE.

V" 1 ■ ROYAL COMMISSION APPOINTED. POLITICAL POSITION TO BE INVESTIGATED. {BRITISH omcai, WiatLBSS.) ; (Received February 24th, 5.5 p.m.) j RUGBY, February 28. It was announced in the House of Commons that the Government had decided to appoint a Royal Commission to visit Malta in order to consider the existing political, situation there and to make a recommendation as to the steps necossary to deal with it, with special reference to the possibility ot the re-establishment of constitutional government. The personnel of the Commission will be announced shortly.PROTESTS AGAINST AMENDING CONSTITUTION. (UNITED ,pa 188 ASSOCIATION—B* ILtCTBIC lELEQBAFH—COPtBKIHT.) MALTA, February 22. Leaders of the Nationalist Party have dispatched cablegrams to the lcadltt of the three political parties in England stating that Lord Strickland's delegation of ex-Maltese Parliamentarians/ who are visiting London to interview Lord Passfleld to-morrow, represent a minority of the people in Malta. The Nationalists protest against any amendment to the Constitution curtailing religious and civic rights, and express the hope that the British Gov* eroment will refrain from interfering in local questions or from lending themselves to partisan intrigues to the detriment of Malta, whose religion and national rights England formally pledged herself to defend on' taking Malta under her protection. [Following violent discussions as to the rights and privileges of the Soman Catholic Church in Malta, the elections to-the Assembly whieh should have been held last May were cancelled; Threats of violence and disturbances so hindered the ordinary administration of tho island that on June 28th, on the recommendation of ' the Maltese' , Government, the British Government withdrew the Constitution of Malta. The country is now governed as a Crown colony.]