IRISH BOUNDARIES

Evening Star, Issue 18623, 2 May 1924, Page 7

IRISH BOUNDARIES

THE COHMISSIOy DWWODLTJ.

Press Association—By Telegraph—Copyright

LONDON, May I

’Mr J. H. Thomas (Colonial Secretary) had a conference with Sir Janies Craig. Tiio ‘ Daily Express ’ mSomtauds that tho Government intends to Institute a Boundary Commission, and will invito Ulster to appoint a representative. If it refuses to do this tno legality of the Commission to function, without an Ulster representative will be contested in tho court. An amending Bill will only become necessary in tho event of a ruling against the Government.—A. and N.Z. Cable. LORD BIRKENHEAD’S STATEMENT. LONDON, May 1. lord Birkenhead, speaking at Liverpool, said that as ono of- the signatories of the Irish Treaty he felt bound to make his own position clear. It was true that private interviews had occurred between Mr Collins, Mr Griffith, and himself. The difficulty of his la.sk now, was not lessened by the fact that both Mr Collins and Mr Griffith were dead. He denied giving any assurance to tho Irish negotiators that was inconsistent with the terms of the treaty—regarding the British Govern meat's intentions or in any way affecting the plain language of the article dealing with the Boundary Commission. He hoped that Ulster might yet be persuaded to appoint a Commissioner.—A. and N.Z. Cable. A LONG-STANDING SUSPICION. SECRET UNDERSTANDING ALLEGED. Lord Birkenhead’s statement forms a denial of a suspicion held by Ulstermen and others, which was referred to in the following terras some time ago by a correspondent of ‘ The Times ’ : There is a much more serious cause for that feeling of distrust which has before now wrecked many a promising Irish “ understanding." Those who were in Ireland at the time will remember the vigor with which the signatories to the treaty were attached in extreme circles for having definitely consented to the partition of Ireland, subject to a slight recti, hcation of frontier under Article 12. The answer came pat : Article 12 was merely eye-wash; there was a secret Article—or, shall we say an “ understanding ’’ —by which the Ulster question was satisfactorily settled. This might have been taken as mere political gossip, but it assumed a more substantial shape when Mr " William O'Brien’s latest volume of Reminiscences saw the light last spring. Mr O’Brien, who was understood to be on friendly and confidential terms with Arthur Griffith and Michael Collins, gave definite public form to the rumor. In tile course of some correspondence in ‘ The Times’s ' columns ho stated in a letter, dated May 19, 1923 :—■ What is alleged and what I her© repeat is that General ' Collins and Mr Arthur Griffith were induced to sign the treaty by the assurance, conveyed by two Ministers, who are named, that , . . the Counties of Tyrone and Fermanagh, the city of Derry, and tho town of Newry would be transferred to the Free State, and that the merger rf Northern Ireland must follow. Mr Austen Chamberlain, as might have been expected, promptly wrote (trom the South of France) denying that ho had any knowledge of such an oblique transaction; and he added, “ Before this letter can reach yon one or other of my colleagues in the Irish negotiations will probably have replied to him.” They have maintained a unanimous and eloquent silence. EXPLOSIONS ON FERMANAGH BORDER. LONDON, May 1. The ' Morning -Post’s ’ Belfast corre spondent says that a series of explosions, the cause of which has not been discovered, occurred between, Drummully and Wattlebridge, along the Fermanagh border. Tho explosions were heard at Belturhct, eight miles away, where pictures and crockery fell. The Ulster constabulary and the Free State military are both investigating.—A. and N.Z. Gable.