London, January 21: Some opposition will have to be surmounted before “Pingin” or penny and “Leat Coróin,” or half-crown are finally sanctioned. The new Free State coins, which retain their present fractional value of sterling consist of 75 per cent fine silver and are thus intrinsically not more valuable than British coins, but the sterling basis of the currency is unaltered. British notes will still be used and generally recognised. The purpose of the change is purely sentimental. The coins bear a harp and the head of Griffith. Dublin newspapers oppose this development, both on the ground that it will create an economic barrier between the North and the South, and also between Ireland and Great Britain. The Irish Times says that if a distinctive coinage is inevitable, arrangements should be made with neighbours whereby silver coins will be interchangeable as in the case of Australia and South Africa though difference in intrinsic worth may make reciprocity difficult.
