HOME RULE.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1387, 13 March 1912, Page 5

HOME RULE.

BILL AFTER EASTER.

By Tclceraph-Prcss Associit'.aji-CopTrlehi London, March 11. In the House of Commons, the Prime Minister stated that the Home Rule Hill would be introduced just after Easter. FORECAST OF THE BILL. FIX,\XCL\ L' ARRANGEMENTS. The London "Dailv Chronicle" published on February 2 the' following forecast of tho coming Home Rule Kill, and in wellinformed quarters it is accepted as approximately correct :— 1. The new Irish Parliament to have full control of Customs and Excise. 2. Provisions will be contained in the Hill (o ensure tho continuance of complete free trade between the two countries. 3. Ireland to receive an Imperial subsidy of .£2,000,000 per annum for 15 years. Tins subsidy may be in (he nature of a lump sum or an' annual subvention. (It should be pointed out that the British Treasury is already losing <£1,3a0,000 per annum on Ireland; that this deficit is bound to increase in future years; and that in loss than ten years' time if the present divorce of the Irish people from the management of Irish affairs were to continue, Ireland would be run at. a loss of .£2.500,000 per annum, every penny of which would have to bo found from (he British Exchequer.) 4. After the expiry of tho period covered by the subsidy Ireland to make a contribution to Imperial expenditure based on a percentage of her revenue. "We believe that the new Irish Parliament will consist of two Houses, a Legislative Council, and a Legislative Assembly. It is probable, that the Council will have a membership of about SO. The Assembly will have 103 members, which is the number of representatives Ireland sends to the IJrilish House of Commons. Under Mr. Gladstone's 1803 Bill the Council was to be elected by county constituencies, and the qualification for voters was the ownership, or the occupation of hind with a rateable value of ,C2O. For the Assembly the. voting qualification will bo the same as that now existing for tho election of members to serve in Westminster. "The Irish second Chamber will havo a suspensory veto on legislation. In tho event of a'disagreement between the two Houses continuing after a second rejection of a Bill by the Council, the Bill to bo submitted to tho members of tho two Houses, delibsrating and voting together, and to be adopted or rejected according to the decision of the majority. "After the creation of an Irish Parliament, Ireland will continue to bo represented in the Imperial Parliament, but in greatly diminished numbers. "The new Irish Parliament will have no control over navy, army, militia, foreign policy, coinage, military camps, dockyards, lighting of coasts. "It will be forbidden to establish or endow any religion, or to impose-any disability or confer any advantage, or benefit on account of religious belief, or to appropriate any public revenue for any religious purpose. "It is generally believed thai: the Royal Constabulary will bo controlled bv ''ho Imperial authorities for twelve years."