VISCOUNT GREY REPLIES

Evening Post, Volume C, Issue 87, 9 October 1920, Page 5

VISCOUNT GREY REPLIES

CONTROL OF NAVAL BASES

FAILURE OF BRITISH RULE,

(¥KIIS» MISS ASSOCIATION.—CBPIMSnT.)

{Australian ■ new Zealand cable association.)

(Received October 9, 10 a.m.)

LONDON, Bth October.

Replying to criticisms of his Irish polioy proposals, particularly Mr. Asquith's suggestions, Viscount Grey says "There are in Ireland ports which, if effectively equipped, can dominate our communications with the greater part of the world, and are, in fact, gates between us and the outer world. The keys of these gates must be held in London, not in order to lock them, but to prevent them being looked against us. We cannot let a submarine base be established in. Ireland which is not under the control of the British Admiralty."

Regarding British Tesponsibilty for the Homestio government of Ireland, that, rrorally and politically, he said, was a failure. The truest way to fulfil the British trust in Ireland 1 was 1 to wind up British management of purely Irish affairs as Boon as possible. "It must be made clear that the starting point of our policy is our conviction of the incapacity of the British Parliament to manage purely Irish affairs; and that the determination to -end this tragic failure ■within certain limits is frankly stated ■by us. Irishmen must arrange their own Government. In no other way can Nationalists and Ulstermen be made to realise that they must make concessions %o each other."