IRISH GOVERNOR

Hokitika Guardian, 5 October 1932, Page 5

IRISH GOVERNOR

RESIGNS OFFICE * h ..< ' A LONDON CONFERENCE. (United Press Association—By Electric Telegraph—Copyright.) - LONDON, October 3. The Governor-General of the Irish Free 'State, Professor, James McNeill, has resigned.. Professor* McNeill visited London, where - he Tufrched with Jfis Majesty, and submitted his resignation.'(lt is understood that the King approved of Mr McNeill's relinquishment of office. PROPOSED COMMISSION. INSTEAD OF- GOVERNOR. LONDON, October 3. According to a statement- issued in Dublin, ,■it is proposed that'the duties of tlje -Governor-General be temporarily discharged by a comhiission of three Judges, including the Chief Justice. ;;ri . '■ [■. It is suggested that Mr McNeill’s audience .with the Kifig was due to the Free -State Cabinet’s request for his recall, interpreted as a prelude 1 to the abolition of the office of' - Governor* General. - It is stated that Mr O’Kielly, when he discussed with Mr Thomte, at Ottawa, the renewal'Of negotiations regarding the land insisted that a -preliminary condition was the removal-‘of Mr McNeill. ‘ - r MEETING ARRANGED. ' LONDON, October 4. Mr J. H. Thomas (Dominion Secretary) has informed the Daily Telegraph that he is meeting Mr De Valera (at London on Wednesday. -’1 - V ■ i,-PR-ESS COMMENT. ; DUBLIN, October 4. The ‘fitish Independent 1 ’; says : “This dismissal of' Professor McNeill is de Valera’s mean, -petty, revenge for Professor McNeill’s exposure of their correspondence in July last,” The “Irish Times” (Dublin) says: “Professor McNeill was , but made a target- of neglect ■ and. insult by men Ito whom his representation of the King is an offence.” UNSUITED FOR OFFICE. , DUBLIN,- October 4. The '“lrish Press” (Dublin) says: “Although the July - correspondence disclosed' Professor McNeill’s ’tihsuitability for his office, it was his-publica-tion of.ifc which brought; aho-ilt" his recall, , in that he rode oW ; his elementary duty of being figure* head, . .and .he.-ignored instructions, letters And qoflftdeoti*! state* doeue V ’- - ■ ■ ■ eiior McNeill's retirement has consternation in constitutional in Dublin. .mlf TIMES’S’.’-PLEA. - • ' PEER IMPORTED GOVERNORS. I)ONDON ; - October 4. “The real moral cf the de. ValeraMcNeill incident,” says “The Times’’ “is that there is always-a risk of similar friction where the . position of His Majesty’s representative is filled hy the local choice of a. party Government. The practice, till lately, universal, of sending eminent , men from this country to lie the Governors overseas had a solid practical advantage in relieving Dominions of serious embarrassment. These ‘imported’, men have not only been competent, but in many instances supply ripe experience in. constitutional procedure, ‘but ore free from all suspicion of -party bias in,the countries where they preside. They stand in a relation to local which is precisely, -analagous •to the King in. this country. This can seldom be accented of-any local Governor, however detached his record, even the 'Chief Justices, to whom resort is-commonly made, and as seems likely now to- be .made in Ireland, have generally some remote political past.” ' :; DE VALERA’S POWER. (LONDON, October ,4. The ‘Daily Telegraph’s” political correspondent says,: “Mr, de, Valera’s power to advise the removal of Professor McNeill as Governor-General, is governed -hy the resolutions, of the Imperial Conferences of 1926 and 1930. Therefore, it is quite constitutional. The British Government has no voice H the appointment of '.a Governor General,! and it cannot inttervene in 'the preset;,case.” “The gfttst example in the country of the' adoption of the new procedure following the 1930 Imperial Conference was Sir Isapp IsiaPp’s. oppointment as AustraJiain-.-i;;Governor-General, , when the King noted on the advice of the Commonwealth Government.”