The Struggle For Peace

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generous than we should have been able to submit to this
House for approval if a more limited agreement had had to
stand entirely upon its own merits.
" In order to obtain a complete general settlement, four
subjects came up for review. The first was the question of
partition; the second, of defence; the third, finance; and
the fourth, trade. With regard to the first, the question
of the ending of partition, Mr. de Valera and his colleagues
attached to that subject primary importance, and they
repeatedly told us that if that question could be settled to their
satisfaction, as far as they were concerned the Irish question
would be at an end. But on our side we took the view that
the question of partition was not one for us; it was one which
must be discussed between the Governments of Southern
and Northern Ireland. Any question of our putting pressure
on Northern Ireland to come into an arrangement did not
commend itself to us; we could not even think of such a
thing. But when we had made that perfectly plain, the subject
of partition was laid aside, and we proceeded to the discussion
of the other three subjects that I have mentioned. Those
subjects we were able to agree upon, and they form the
substance of the three Agreements, which are indeed separate
Agreements but are linked together by a general Preamble
saying that they are to be treated as one interconnected whole.
" If I may take first the trade Agreement, I would say that
it is an arrangement which can stand on its own bottom. It
is one which may be considered to be equally beneficial to
both parties. Broadly speaking, it provides that goods from
Eire can be admitted to this country free of Customs Duty
other than revenue duty and subject to certain quantitative
regulations on agricultural produce. On the other hand the
Government of Eire guarantees the continuance of free entry
nto Eire for United Kingdom goods which already enjoy entry
tee of duty. The Eire Government undertake to remove or
•educe their duties upon certain other United Kingdom
mports and to arrange for a review of the existing protective
ariffs by the Prices Commission. The existing preferential
nargins are to be maintained, and a preference is assured
or United Kingdom goods in any new duties or any adjust-
lent of the duties which already exist. In case of any