Claim of Canadian Indians to Rank as Independent Nation Hamilton, Out., Jan. 8.
A commission of three, all British subjects, will determine the status -of the Six Nations Indians in their dispute with the Canadian Government over autonomy, it was announced to-day by the Six Nations Council.
The Indians have accepted the proposal of Mr. Charles Stewart, Minister of the Interior, who announced that he immediately would name the members of the commisgion, and instruct it to begin the arbitration proceedings as soon as len Chief Deskahen, of the Six Nations Council, recently appealed the diplomatic representative of the Government of the Netherlands at Washington to present a petition of} the Indians to the League of Nations, asking settlement of the dispute by the International body. It was announced to-day. he had agreed to withdraw this petition and leave settlement of the dispute to the commission.
The Indians claim to be an independent nation, and not British subjects. It is understood one bit, of evidence to be submitted to the commission in support of this claim will be a passport issued by the Six Nations Council to Chief Levu General in July, 1931, when he represented the Six Nations at the court of King George. It is claimed that the passport was accepted in England as giving him diplomatic standing, and was vised Mr R B. Rhodes, United States Vice-Consul at London, and by the immigration authorities of Great Britain and Canada.—Reuter.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.