DISTRESSFUL IRELAND

Feilding Star, Volume 2, Issue 317, 22 August 1924, Page 8

DISTRESSFUL IRELAND

TOWN EDITION.

STAR OFFICE, 3 p.m.

TEE NORTH v. THE SOUTH ON BOUNDARY QUESTION (By Electric* viable. —Gop.vrignt}. Aust. and N.Z. Gable Association (Received Auk. 22, 1 p.m.) London, Aug. 21. Air E. J. Duggan, one of the .signatories of the Anglo-Irish treaty, referring to the assertion that Northern .Ireland was nob consulted in the treaty settlement, emphasises the point that when the treaty negotiations wore in progress the Irish plenipotentiaries claimed all Ireland as the proper unit,of the Government, but ■Were compelled to recognise the fact of the existence, of a. section of “one people” who disagreed, at present, at any rate, with the majority’s aims. The British and Irish plenipotentiaries at first endeavoured to work out a echo me for tire unification of Ireland involving a continuance of local .selfgovernment in the north-east The representatives of Northern Ireland, 'however, refused point- blank to enter the discussions unless this, proposal was withdrawn. When it- is said that the North was not consulted, it .should bo remembered that this was mainly due to its own refusal oven to consider any possible lines ef settlement. It was clearly understood that, the purpose of the .Commission was not merely to rectify an. inconvenient border, hut to prevent the infliction of avoidable injustice on people desiring to remain in the Free State . The Irish signatories held and expressed this view from the first Moreover, the same interpretation was plainly put forward hv l.ord Birkenhead and Mr Lloyd George.