THE IRISH TURMOIL.

Manawatu Times, Volume XLVI, Issue 1910, 2 September 1921, Page 5

THE IRISH TURMOIL.

HOPES FOR PEACE

BELFAST RIOTS. TROOPS INTERVENE. . HEAVY CASUALTIES. ■ [By Electric Cable —Copyright] [Aust and'N.Z. Cable Association.] (Received Thursday, 6.5 p.m.) LONDON, August 31. The "Morning Post's” Belfast correspondent states that the public welcomed the intervention of the troops, as it was feared that the disorderly elements were getting the upper hand. Soldiers, with fixed bayonets in principal streets, and armoured cars at vulnerable points of the city, prevented the trouble spreading. The disorders, how r ever, continued at many places, and women and girls were fired on as they went to Work, forcing the mill owners to forbid employees to leave the factories. Scenes of indescribable panic followed the invasion of the Protestant quarter of the City by gunmen. One party of Sinn Feiners, by a trick, secured admission to the York Street spinning mill, and shot down a worker. Attacks on the Unionists were repeated during the evening, when the shipyard workers and others were leaving the factories in West Belfast. The police in West Belfast were compelled to tire on the crowd until the shipyard workers Ijad passed the danger zone. The ‘Daily Telegraph’s” Belfast correspondent says that during the forenoon a couple of Sinn Feiners took up a position in Royal Avenue, and opened fire in tho direction of a crowd of people congregated to watch events. This encouraged other snipers to get to work. The crowd fled in all directions, but a number were wounded. First a youth who was struck, dropped like a log, and the crowd rushed and lifted him up, when another shot rang out, and a little boy screamed in terror. He also was wounded. The victims were carried into a chemist’s shop, upon which the gunmen fired, breaking tho window. The gunmen paid no respect to old age. They shot Jane McCracken, a centenarian, who was walking across the street. Finally an armoured car drove up, and the gunmen were cleared out of Royal Aventie. The casualties up to Wednesday evening totalled fourteen killed and about a hundred wounded. CATHOLIC POGROM. The "Daily News’ ” Dublin correspondent says:—"There is no doubt as to the meaning of the barbarous pogrom of the Catholics in Belfast. It is intended by the promoters, the most violent Orange leaders, to wreck the peace movement, by making any rapproachmenf betweefi the North and South impossible. "A more devilish, or more wicked device for enthroning a political feud, and bringing down the half-built edifice of Irish peace, cannot be imagined. At the same time, Sinn Fein is hardly entitled to complain, having itself taken up the sword. By keeping cool, and acting in concert with Mr Lloyd George, Dc Valera may stem tho flood, but he must act quickly and resolutely. Unfortunately', it rather looks now as though De Valera intended to use the trouble, in order to score off England, and gain a tactical advantage In the negotiations. If so, the consequences may be supremely tragic.” FIERCEST FIGHTING. The "Daily News’ ” Belfast corrcspondent reports that Wednesday’s was probably the fiercest fighting in the long history of Belfast rioting. The trouble broke out afresh in the evening, and the military fired ,on the mob. One person was killed, and four injured. The Ulster Cabinet, Lord Mayor, military and police chiefs held a conference, and arranged for additional troops to be drafted into the city, FLOURMILL SEIZED. SINN FEIN SOVIET SELLS CHEAP BREAD. (Received Thursday, 7.30 p.m.) , LONDON, Sept. 1. The “Morning Post’s” Dublin correspondent reports that the Transport Union officials and members, in consequence of the firm’s non-payment of claims made by the Union on behalf of dismissed employees, seized Messrs Cleeves flourmill and bakery business in Bruree, near Limerick, from which they are now selling flour, meal, bread and coal below normal prices. Over the entrance to the premises appears the notification: "Bruree Soviet workers’ mills. We make bread, not profits. The mills and bakery lire now the property of the workers. It Js hoped that prices will bo reduced, and profiteering abolished within a day. By order of the workers." Both Red and Sinn Fein flags flyover the building. The Union claims that since it took over cohtrol, it has doubled the bakery’s output, and intends increasing the staff to cope with the customers’ demands.

GENERAL SMUTS WELCOMED. REVIEWS IRISH SITUATION. (Received Thursday, 8.45 p.m.) CAPETOWN, August 31. General Smuts was accorded a civic welcome. 'ln the course of his speech he dealt with the Irish situation. He said that he had tried, on his arrival in England, to see if some moderating influence could not be brought to bear upon the horrible situation. He had adopted the attitude that if he had anything to do with it, it must be upon two conditions, firstly, that he would not take action unless invited by the leader of the Irish people themselves, and he had acted only when. he received that invitation, and the second condition was that he did not want to be connected with the British Government, but to act from an entirely outside point of view, as a third party, bringing to bear on an old situation, the peculiar experience acquired during the many bitter years in the history of South Africa. On those conditions he had entered into a discussion with all the parties concerned. He had succeeded in persuading the British Government that any. scheme of Home Rule, to give satisfaction in Ireland would have to go much further than they had gone before. He explained the Dominion point of view, and the Government agreed with him that that was the solution. Now they had reached a difficult, but by no means hopeless stage, but they must not be under the impression that what had been done had been a failure. He felt satisfied that success would come from the people talking peace, instead of murdering each other. There was a new atmosphere in- Ireland. T t would take time and perse-

veranoe, but they were on the rifht road. Ho believed that the British Government and other parties would be persuaded toi come down to bedrock, which wda Dominion Homo Rule. General Smuts also appreciatively reviewed the work accomplished at the Imperial Conference.

(Received Thursday,' 7.30 p.m.p LONDON, September 1. The King, replying: to an address from the Convocation of Canterbury, says: "Let us thank God that some measure of response has been vouchsafed to my appeal to the Irish people. With a full heart I pray that their reconciliation may be consummated by the deliberations now proceeding- , and that they may be united in making a new era for their native land. I welcome the recent settlements in the industrial affairs of this country. Without them we would not advance in rebuilding our commercial prosperity, which is our paramount duty, and upon which depends the very life of the country. It is a duty to which, in a spirit of sacrifice every citizen and worker of every rank and class must willingly contribute his or her portion, even as they did so nobly during the war.”

BLACK AND TANS SENTENCED. A court-martial at Galway sentenced two "black and tans” to ten years’ penal servitude for breaking into a house and compelling two men lodgers to walk naked arnongst broken bottles.