SETTLEMENT ATTEMPT

Rotorua Morning Post, Volume 2, Issue 277, 18 July 1932, Page 3

SETTLEMENT ATTEMPT

(British Official Wireless)

DE VALERA IN LONDON

RUGBY, Saturday. Strong hopvs are entertained that a settlement of the difference between the Free State and Britain may result from discussions which opened to-night at 10 Downing Street between the Prime Minister and Mr de Valera. Mr. de Yalera, who during his stay in London is the guest of the Government, arrived from Dublin this evening in response to an intimation that ths Prime Minister would be most happy to see. him if he wished to discuss the present situation between the two countries, with a view to coming to a settlement. He was met on arrlval by the Solieitor-Gsneral, Sir Thomas Inskip. The meeting was brought about through the intervention of Mr. William Norton, Leader of the Irish Labour Party, who, after meeting the Leaders of the British Labour Party in London last night, had an interview with Mr. Ramsay MacDonald. Lord Sanksy, who is acting-Secre-tary for Dominion Affairs in the absence of Mr. J. H. Thomas in Ottawa, and Sir Thomas Inskip were present at last night's meeting, which authorIsed Mr. Norton to convey an intimation to Mr. de Valera of the Prime Minister's readiness to meet him. The offer of arbitration by an Emplre tribunal, which was made to Mr de Valera during his last visit to London, having been rejected, the British Government felt that it had no option but to proceed with the policy of collecting the money by special duties on imports from the Free State. The duties became operative to-day. Meanwhile, an emergency Tariffs Bill had been introduced in the Free State Dail, empowering the executive council to impose a Customs duty of such amount as they think prcper, and to-day, in the absence of Mr. de Valera, the Bill was passed through its final stages. The situation thus created has caused grave uneasiness in Ireland, which was greatly relieved when Mr. de Valera's visit was announced. The importance of to-day's debate

in the Dail was over-shadowed by the prospect of the renewal of negotiations, which it was generally assumed would be successful. A Labour deputy who asked for an assuranee that the Bill would be repealed immediately the propose.l Arbitration Court and the terms of reference thereto had been agreed upon was informed that the Government had no desire that the Bill should remain in force longer than the Government considered necessary.