ANGLO-IRISH TREATY

Taranaki Central Press, Volume IV, Issue 336, 18 January 1937, Page 5

ANGLO-IRISH TREATY

MUCH HOPEFULNESS NAVAL DEFENCE. Suffering People Tired Of Economic War. Press Association—Copyright. London, January 16. The Dublin correspondent of the Sunday Dispatch believes that thie Anglo-Irish agreement is possibly leading to the settlement of the main problems. It includes lower duties, the Free State paying a sum almost equivalent to that withheld I in land annuities for the defence of i the coast by the British Navy. I The Dublin correspondent of the I Times says after five years of disapI pointments it would be overmuch to I expect the people of the Irish Free I State to be over-sanguine over the Anglo-Irish conversations, yet there is a distinct hopefulness regarding them. The Free State distinctly suffered l worse than Britain by the action of Mr de Valera in withholding moneys as he retained £14,531,000 in three years for which figures were available while Britain collected £14,661,000 by tariffs. Moraover the Free State was farced to pay heavy bounties to retain her position on the British market. Although land annuities have been halved the Free State farmer has been forced to pay them several times over in taxes to assist native industries established undfr heavy, ' tariffs, continued the message. The cost of living has risen considerably, the small farmers suffering. The majority are tired of economic war but it is nevertheless feared that Mr dei Valera’s insistence . for a united Ireland is an insuperable obstacle to settlement. Although the desire for peace is so great the Free State needs powerful evidence to convince It that British obstinacy is not a stumbling block. ,