Volume 1 1919~1922


Doc No.
Date
Subject

No. 197 NAI DE 2/304/1

'Tentative suggestions'1 for a Treaty presented by Thomas Jones to Arthur Griffith

London, 16 November 1921

It is hereby agreed that :-
1. Ireland shall[,] subject to the provisions hereinafter appearing[,] have the status of a self-governing Dominion with a Parliament having powers to make laws for the peace, order and good government of the whole of Ireland and an Executive responsible to that Parliament.
2. The position of Ireland in relation to the Imperial Parliament and Government and otherwise shall subject an (sic) aforesaid be assimilated as nearly as may be to that existing in the case of the Dominion of Canada.
3. Ireland shall make contributions towards the service of the Public Debt of the United Kingdom and towards the payment of war pensions, the amount of such contributions being determined in default of agreement by the arbitration of one or more independent persons appointed from within His Majesty's dominions.
4. Until an arrangement has been made between the British and Irish Governments providing for the establishment by Ireland of a Naval force for the coastal defence of Ireland, the defence by sea of the British Islands, including Ireland, shall be undertaken exclusively by His Majesty's Imperial Forces.
5. The Irish Government shall at all times afford to His Majesty's Imperial Forces such harbour and other facilities as the British Government may require for the purposes of such defence as aforesaid.
6. If the Irish Government establish and maintain a local military defence force, the establishments thereof shall not exceed in size such proportion of the military establishments maintained in Great Britain as the population of Ireland bears to the population of Great Britain.
7. The Irish Government shall afford such facilities as the British Government may require for maintaining and developing the means of defence and communications by air.
8. No protective customs duties shall be imposed in Great Britain on Irish goods or in Ireland on British goods, but this provision shall not be construed as preventing the imposition of customs duties designed to prevent dumping or other unfair competition.
9. Neither Great Britain nor Ireland shall impose restrictions for protective (sic) upon the flow of transport trade and commerce between Great Britain and Ireland.
10. For a period of 12 months after the date hereof .x. or for such shorter period as His Majesty in Council in pursuance of an address presented to His Majesty by both houses of the Parliament of Northern Ireland may by Order fix .x. the powers of the Parliament and Government of Ireland shall not be exercisable as respects Northern Ireland and the provisions of the Government of Ireland Act 1920 so far as they relate to Northern Ireland shall remain of full force and effect.
(.x. The words between the asterisks are to enable Ulster if she wishes to come in before the expiration of the 12 months.)
11. If after the expiration of six months and before the expiration of twelve months from the date hereof an address is presented to His Majesty by both Houses of the Parliament of Northern Ireland to that effect, the powers of the Parliament and Government of Ireland shall no longer extend to Northern Ireland and the provisions of the Government of Ireland Act 1920 so far as they relate to Northern Ireland, shall continue to be of full force and effect and these presents shall have effect subject to the necessary modifications.

Provided that if such an address is so presented a Commission shall be appointed to determine in accordance with the wishes of the inhabitants the boundaries between Northern Ireland and the rest of Ireland, and for the purposes of the Government of Ireland Act, 1920 the boundary of Northern Ireland shall be such as may be determined by such Commission.
12. After the expiration of the said 12 months if no such address as is mentioned in Article 11 hereof is presented, or from such earlier date as is fixed under Article 10 if an address under that Article is presented, the Parliament and Government of Northern Ireland shall continue to exercise as respects Northern Ireland the powers conferred on them by the Government of Ireland Act 1920, but the Parliament and Government of Ireland shall in Northern Ireland have as respects matters in respect of which the Parliament of Northern Ireland has not power to make laws under that Act the same powers as in the rest of Ireland.

1 The document was referred to by this title in a letter from Griffith to de Valera on 18 November 1921 (NAI DE 2/304/1) _ No. 198.