POPULAR INTEREST IN IRISH PEACE MOVE

Bay of Plenty Times, Volume 49, Issue 7743, 12 July 1921, Page 3

POPULAR INTEREST IN IRISH PEACE MOVE

TURBULENT elements con 1 TINUE CONFLICT IN BELFAST.

- fl-eocUtu-n —Conyn7Hto ton cade Aeeocmion Rec. July, rj > mormug. London, Julv 11.

Iridi popular interest continues • Ihc peace negotiations. Praying nueues are not only to be seen in Dublin C, ' A ' , s ° ; n lutrchcs of the poor m the London Strict*, where humble folk crowdfall day. on Sunday, praymg Abundant evidence accrues, that truce is making a pathetic apal to the sympathies of the compeople- Meanwhile the urUulent elements contmue warfare BdfaSt, where il is said the deaths total nine and more than one hundred wounded are in the Loitals. The situation is rapidly & •*** ■was ordered to turn out. An outbreak occurred m Cork, ...here a young boy was killed. The body of a chauffeur, labelled "'convicted spy/' was found neat Cashel. , Two brothers, dinners, were shot, h y masked men near Roscommon.

TEKMS OF TDK TRUCE

Loudon, July*lo. ' Eamonu de Valera, the-Sim. Fein president, has written to Mi Llojd George accepting the Prune Mtms'/ter’s"invitation to a conference. It is officially aniioun-ced that a mice in Ireland has been concluded, , md will be effective from noon on Monday. . e , . De-Valera has instructed Ins suopoiters as follows:--Firstly, to cease attacks against. ' the Crown forces and civilians; secondly, to-prohibit the use of amis; thirdly, to cease military manoeuvres; fourthly, to abstain from interference with public and > private property; fifthly, to discountenance and prevent actum likely to cause disturbance of. the peace which might necessitate military interference - The Government has issued Mie following instructions: - Firstly, raids and searches shall cease ; secondly, military activity shall be restricted to'support'of the police m their normal civil duties ; thirdly, curfew restrictions shall be removed; fourthly,. dispatch of reinforcements from- England shall be sus- . pended"; fifthly, police functions m Dublin shall be carried on by the Dublin metropolitan police. The above instructions come into force at noon on Monday. The arrangement for a tmee resulted from the following correspondence Mr. Lloyd George, writing to Lord Midleton, one of the Unionist representatives who took) part id the conference with De Valera in Dublin, on July 7, said‘The Government, fully realises that it is impossible to conduct negotiations with any hope of satisfactory insults if "there is bloodshed and violence in Ireland. It will disturb the atmosphere and make the attainment of peace difficult . As soon ■as 1 hear that De Valera is prepared to enter into a conference with the British Government, and that he has given instructions to those .under his control to cease of violence, we shall give instructions lo the troops and police to suspend active operations against those engaged in this unfortunate, conflict. De Valera replied: —“The desire Vol i express on the part of the "British .Government to end the centime Afflict between the people of tlie two isK™*-, ,UK ! to f l “ b “ „ ,* g ■ -hbourly ham.on y - relations of neig. •/. Ac ; . A ■ •of the people is the genuine desire ' * „{ r i i r i '’suited ni) of.lreland. I have co,. * colleagues and obtained the’ 'ty t representatives of the minoru , our nation with regard to the . vilaiion you sent. I desire to say that I am ready to meet you to discus on what basis such conference ns that proposed can reasonably hope to achieve the object desired.” , De Valera notified-Hhe conference in Dublin of the terms of his letter. Mr. Lloyd George’s letter was also read.

Be Valera, in a proclamation, states; “In the negotiations row initiated your representatives will do their utmost to secure a just and peaceful termination of the struggle, but history and the character of the issue to be. decided are a warning against undue confidence. Should force be resumed against our

nation you must, be ready on your ■v part once more to resist. ' Thus alone will you secure a final abandonment of force and the acceptance of justice and reason as arbiters.” The Irish truce, though officially commencing on Monday, has already begun in Dublin. Military patrols , have been withdrawn, and the auxd- - iary police are fraternising with civilians and amicably discussing i the prospects. Lord Midletou, in an interview, said that the feeling outside the conference was overwhelmingly in favour of settlement. The Dublin conference was arranged for the purpose of bridging certain difficulties and creating a favourable at- - uiosphero, fie thought that these objects had been accomplished. / Lord Midleton had an audience with the King to-day.

CONFERENCE ON THURSDAY.; Loudon, July 10. Wednesday is the probable date °f the meeting between Mr. Lloyd i George and de Valera. It is understood that Michael Collins, the riiief of the rebel armv, accompanies de Valera. General Smuts will probably be deputy chairman. Mr. Lluy.i Gi-org.- Ina written to , pe Valera: "I received ygyr letter

of acceptance, and will be happy to see you and any colleagues you wish to bring to Downing Street any clay (his week." Rec. July 12, 9.25 a.m. London, July 12.

Air. Lloyd George, in the'House of Commons, announced the receipt of de Valera’s telegram, stating he was arriving in London on Thursday. The Sinn Fein delegation consists of de Valera, Arthur Griffiths, Stack, and Barton, all members of the Dail Eireaun.

GHASTLY DAY IN BELFAST. ’ London, July 12. Jay was the ghastliest day m lt b “ n 'T, history. Unionist mobs Belfast s forty-two houses, of burned do* t ie i oJ jg e d to Catholics, (which twenty - a]olle> The ]loSin Cupar Street ■ cml jj nUO us work pital surgeons had hospitai anfor nine hours. One jn lhe nounced at seven o’clo, , ccommo . evening that it could not . nrivati<l date further cases, and the , , t p ( ,_ hospitals had to be Ca lie refugees, from their bun lit, down hoines had to seek a spot to lay their heads. Sunday afternoon’s bombardment of "an area, comprising threeeighths of 'the city, was reminiscent of France for more than three hours. Nobodv except the Crown forces went out of doors. It is estimated that leu thousand rounds of ammunition swept the streets in that locality.

Fourteen persons are known to be killed and others dead arc believed to have been carried into houses during the firing. Shots were fired at an ex-police-man’s house in Kilcash and killed a fifteen-year-old ghl. Major O'Connor, a retired oflicer. was taken from his bed at Rochestown, Cork, and shot dead. Four soldiers, who were kidnapped ai Cork on Sunday, were found shot two miles outside the town.