20 AUGUST 1921, Page 1

The Prime Minister's offer of full Dominion status to Sinn

Fein Ireland and Mr. De Valera's reply were published on Monday. Mr. Lloyd George, writing on July 20th, invited Ireland " to take her place in the great association of free nations over which His Majesty reigns."

" It is understood that Ireland shall enjoy complete autonomy in taxation and finance ; that she shall maintain her own courts of law and judges ; that she shall maintain her own military forces for home defence, her own constabulary, and her own police ; that she shall take over the Irish postal services and all matters relating thereto ; education, land, agriculture, mines and minerals, forestry, housing, labour, unemployment, transport, trade, public health, health insurance, and the liquor traffic ; and in sum that she shall exercise all those powers and privileges upon which the autonomy of the self-governing Dominions is based."

The offer was qualified only by six indispensable conditions.