Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Friday, 4 Nov 1932

Vol. 44 No. 9

Vote 67—League of Nations.

The President

I move:—

Go ndeontar suim ná raghaidh thar £4,386 chun slánuithe na suime is gá chun íoctha an Mhuirir a thiocfaidh chun bheith iníoctha i rith na bliana dar críoch an 31adh lá de Mhárta, 1933, chun Deontas i gCabhair de Chostaisí Chumann na Náisiúin, agus chun Costaisí eile mar gheall air sin.

That a sum not exceeding £4,386 be granted to complete the sum necessary to defray the Charge which will come in course of payment during the year ending on the 31st day of March, 1933, for a Grant-in-Aid of the Expenses of the League of Nations, and for other Expenses in connection therewith.

The total expenditure on this Vote for 1932-33 is £15,886 as against a total expenditure in 1931-32 of £12,480, made up of £11,355 original estimate and supplementary estimate of £1,125. There is, therefore, an increase of £3,406 as against last year. As regards the Grant-in-Aid of the expenditure of the League of Nations for the current year it will be seen that on a par rate of exchange the contribution would have been £9,771 or an increase of £728 as against the contribution in 1931-32 at a par rate of exchange. Owing to the abandonment of the gold standard in September, 1931, it has been found necessary to provide for the current year an additional sum of £4,011 for loss on exchange. The Note on page 314 of the printed estimates explains the basis on which the Saor-stát's contribution is arrived at. As regards the sub-head providing for the travelling and incidental expenses of delegations to Geneva—normally there would have been a decrease of £735 on this sub-head, but as in the case of the contribution to the League, provision had to be made for extra expenditure on account of depreciation in the national currency, following the abandonment of the gold standard. This extra sum is £527.

Mr. McGilligan

I just want to ask two questions. I would like the Minister to tell us whether he has taken action at any meeting of the League to assist the people of India in their struggle to obtain the independence of their country. That is a quotation from the speech of Deputy Lemass, the present Minister for Industry and Commerce, made on the 29th May, 1930, as reported in the Official Reports, Vol. 35, cols. 193-4. This is a further quotation from the same speech:—

One of the purposes for which the League is supposed to exist is to rectify the grievances of minorities. There is a minority in this country with a grievance. As Ministers are aware, a certain section of the population of the six north-eastern counties are of opinion that they suffer political disabilities which are imposed on them because of their religion.

This was Deputy Lemass's view then:

It should be the duty of the Minister for External Affairs to take up with the League of Nations the question of the disabilities without waiting to be asked to do so.

I would like the President to tell us whether he has taken any action at any meeting of the League to assist the people of India in their struggle to obtain the independence of their country, and, if he has, without waiting to be asked, taken up the question of the disabilities of certain people in the north-east of Ireland. These are two items.

There are two other questions I should like to ask. I should like to know is it a fact that the President, when in Geneva as Minister for External Affairs and President of the Council of the League of Nations, was given a certain responsibility. As far as I can make out from reports I have seen in the foreign Press, a certain boundary dispute occurred between Iraq and Syria, and the two mandatory Powers for these two areas are Great Britain and France. What I have been able to get from the foreign Press leads me to the conclusion that a proposal was made that, not a boundary commission, but a de-limitation commission should be appointed to determine the territory which is in dispute between the two mandatory Powers, or the two areas in question; that on the proposal of the French Prime Minister it was agreed that the commission should consist of three members, one to be appointed by the French Government, one by the British Government, and a third to be agreed upon; that that proposal was, in fact, accepted, and, after being accepted, the French Prime Minister said he would appoint his nominee; Sir John Simon, on behalf of the British Government, said he would appoint his nominee, and then, on Sir John Simon's proposal, it was agreed that the President of the Council of the League of Nations, who was President de Valera, should appoint the chairman. Is that a fact? Could we have any indication of the feelings of President de Valera on being asked to take on that responsibility at the request of such a person as Sir John Simon? I should like to know, lastly, if it is a fact that, on the President retiring from Geneva, his place was taken as President of the Council by Senator Connolly, and that Senator Connolly had the invidious task of presiding one day at a meeting of the Council, when certain people who had repudiated debts due by them to the League of Nations, were brought up and criticised. Will the President state what he imagines were the feelings of Senator Connolly on that occasion?

The President

With regard to India, I can only say that the opportunity did not arise, but I am willing to say that if an opportunity does arise at any time on which we can help the people of India, we will do it.

Mr. McGilligan

Will you not make it, if it does not arise?

The President

If we can make it with the hope of success, yes. With regard to Northern Ireland that matter did not arise either; but if any opportunity for undoing some of the work which was done by the previous administration should arise in that regard also, we would be very glad to avail of it.

Mr. McGilligan

But, again, only if it arises?

The President

And if we can make it arise, we will do it too. The next point is with regard to chairmen. As a matter of fact, it is the President of the Council, whoever he may be. When that matter comes up for determination, I may not be Chairman at all. My period will expire in January and this matter may not come up for decision for a time after January, so that the proposal has no effect whatever on me. It was quite impersonal and I took it in that particular way. As regards Senator Connolly, of course, it does fall in with the type of thing we hear from the Deputy who suggests that Ireland is repudiating her debts. We are not repudiating our debts. That is, of course, the attitude that those who wish to make them appear to be debts want us to take up or would like to assume is the position. Our position is that these moneys are not legally or morally due and that was not the position of any of those that were brought up before the Council of the League when Senator Connolly was presiding.

Vote put and agreed to.