INCREASED DUTIES

Hokitika Guardian, 10 November 1932, Page 5

INCREASED DUTIES

ON FREE STATE

PASSED BY HOUSE OF 'COMMONS

(United Press Association—Fy Eleatrio Telugi pn—Copyrignt.j

LONDON, November 8.

In the House of Commons, Mr J. H. Thomas moved for the House's approval of the increase of the duties on iris'.) goods to take effect on Monday, ?u* inst. He said that the Government,, had reluctantly imposed its first series ~of, the Irish duties owing to Mr de- Valera’s refusal to pay five millions a year in land annuities, which, he said, was due to British taxpayers.

Tho receipts from those duties up to date showed that Britain did not receive a full fiv© millions from them. Therefore, he said, other means had to b e found. The Irish Free State as inevitably hid ret-Rated by. duties •which unquestionably had affected Britain’s Irish trade, in coal and other commodities, and had caused unemployment in Britain. There was no other course available than these new duties. 'Even at this stage, they haa not closed the door to a settlement, but they felt that this was the only action that they could honourably adopt. Mr Morgan Jones eaid he regretted this continuation of the Anglo-Irish economic war, It was causing both sides to suffer? He said; “As an exceptional measure, could be not accept a chairman from outside the • Empire for the arbitrational tribunal whereto th© Irish Free -State is willing to consent.”

M r Thomas, in reply, recalled that there was a Geneva agreement that Etmpire disputes must be settled by Empire tribunals. Mr Thomas’ resolution was carried by 256 votes to 37,

“ANNUITIES WILL NOT BE PAID.”

DECLARES MR DE VALERA.

\ DUBLIN, November 9

“Ab far a,s this Government is concerned, land annuities will never be paid!” declared Mr Eamonn de Valera, at the Fianna Fail Party’s annual conference. “W© are not a lot of impossible people. We have not engaged In. this conflict unwittingly. Fundamentally, our people have no hatred for the Bri+ : «h but w© hate tyranny, and we hat© the attempts of people t 0 dominate us when they have no right to dominate us ! We are prepared to live sid© side with Britain as neighbours on terms of equality and of friendship ; but w© are not ' going J to pei-mit ours elVes 10 be 1 exploit l ed.”

HUGE RUSH OF STATE stock

TO ESCAPE BRITISH DUTIES,

[LONDON, November 8. A Dub-in message states that there are 'BO thousand cattle in the Free State. These will now be unexportable and must be sold internally at knockout prices. There is a big rush of cattle from the Free State to Ulster, to escape the new British duties, payable at midnight. Special truck trains were loaded to capacity, and hundreds o' other cattle were hurriedly driven over the border, and left to graze in Ulster fields. Even de Valeraites admit the new British tariff paralyses th e system of bounties, whereby the Government was seeking to keep the export trade in cattl© alive. Cattle will have to be sold at give-away prices in the Free State, probably forty per cent, below the British prices. Owing to tho increase in tile British duties'on Irish live stock, the sailing of fiVe cattle boats from Dublin for England was cancelled desp'te the fact that two thousand beasts were aboard, nfter hurried nocturnal loading. Shippers are heading othei stock, intended for shipment, the Ulster bbrder.

DE YALERA GIVES WARNING

TO INTERNAL DISSENTERS

LONDON, November 9,

“We could not have gained success at the last election without the help of our American friends, and ‘also the o-reat supoort of friends in Australia,” Said Mr de Valera, addressing the Fianna Fail convention. His suggestion to convey to- Australians a message of greeting through Archbishop Mannix was adopted with cheers. After emphasising the need for patience, de Valera said that the Onvermneut was determined to main-, tain free speech and Democratic rights, and no section of the, peonl-e would be permitted to interfere- with functions of the Government. “Anyone found in possession .of arms will be proceeded against with the full rigour of the law, and anyone trying to intimidate our opponents rsbows that he is afraid, and we won t allow tlia.t,” he added