IRISH CONVENTION.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LV, Issue 16824, 15 April 1918, Page 6

IRISH CONVENTION.

'.REPORTS ISSUED! '|HE MAJORITY STATEMENT PLANS FOR A PARLIAMENT. V CUSTOMS A DIFFICULTY. ULSTER FAILS TO AGREE. (Received 5.5 p.m.) A. and N.Z.-Reuter. LONDON, April 12. ' Tho report of the Irish Convention has teen issued. A covering letter by the chairman, Sir Horace Plunkett, to Mr. liloyd George, summarises the main points. Sir Horace Plunkett says that while it fvas found impossible to overcome the objection/! of -the Ulster Unionists, the following parties wore agreed that a scheme cf self-government should be passed, fiamely, a majority of tho Nationalists, all tho Southern Unionists, and five out of tho seven Labour representatives. The minority Nationalist scheme differed only in one particular from the majority kcheme, therefore the convention had laid b foundation of Irish agreement unprecedented in history. ' Tho convention explored every possifcility of an agreement, and after eight months decided to issuo a report which fehonld be a mere narrative of the convention's proceedings. This report was * adopted by the majority, but there was ,Ho majority report in the sense' of a > \Jws&i4 v» tews® vsMi fa which the 'majority agreed. However, Vhter {Unionists and the minority of J. Nationalists ; had each presented a . minority report. The result was to minimise the agreement reached, and to emplia-1 iis& the disagreement.' ju : :;c. ; *, Two Possible Issues. i

... There were two possible issues to the deliberations. -, l lf a schemo of self-govern- ,', j taent could bo framed to which the Ulster ■ :■ .Unionists would give adherence, then the convention might produce a unanimous report. Failing this, it'was felt that the : - : . convention might secure some agreement, . a either complete or i ubstantial, between tie Nationalists, v Southern Unionists, and V"'; Labour representatives.; However, a por- :., tion of Ulster claimed that if Ireland had :'v ? " the right to 'separate itself from the United Kingdom, Ulster had the right to separate • itself from the rest of Ireland; but no other \ section of the convention would accept even >yo,temporary partition. Hence the Ulster ' Unionist members 'of the convention ret . ttamed there only in the hope that some ;,;.' form of Home Rule might be proposed :, .■which might modify the determination of those they represented to have/ neither part iter, lot -in'; an Irish Parliament. The s -'- Nationalists ' strove to win them by conv;f issions, but they found themselves unable -to ■• accept any. of ■--.•_ the schemes » dis■T-;;! cussed, .and the ;only* scheme of .Irish gov- ~ jr ernment they presented ,to the convention . "iwaa confined to the exclusion of their enQ :^|jre ( province. : -.'^l'-> '• 7^ y; \i-l-- ■■ \.. ;' • : Custom* and ; Excise. l ' ; y .The ; two great "difficulties' were Übtcr £nd -the Customs. c The 'letter became a ;v-y Vital question. s Sir Horace Plunkett con-' ; '-v linnes: / The tendency of l recent political .;thought among the constitutional Nation- '".'•■■; alists has been towards a form of government resembling as •' closely r as r possible .'_• •■_"■ that of the Dominions, and since the geo- ; graphical position ,of Ireland imposes -!,;■;,;' Obvious restrictions in respect to naval and ■:f '<-..military affairs, the claim for Domuubn'i 1 : , Home Rule was concentrated upon y the Idemand for unrestricted; fiscal! powers., v »" [Without separate. Customs and excise Ire*. land would, according :to this view, fail ,' ,f to ,'■} attain ; .national status like the Doy^aunioni': .Upon this issue the Nationalists ■ a made a strong. case. fe They proved that, a '-; considerable number of leading commercial / men now favoured fiscal autonomy, as part _'.;. iof; an' Irish settlement. In the present ?; J; etate, of ; public opinion 'in Ireland, it "was . n feared that without the "Customs no '):■ Scheme the convention i recommended S~i \ .would .receive-sufficient f popular .'• supports .To obvjal#/any serious disturbance of the 1 , ; r trade ;• of -....the United : Kingdom they ' Were prepared to .agree to „a free..trade , arrangement between.. the '■ two countries/but this did not overcome the ~; ; . (difficulties of the Southern Unionists, .;■■ agreed with tho Ulster ; Unionists on -this , point. * They were ; apprehensive .'■ that •11 -separate .system of Customs control, however guarded, impair the authority [:'■;, Of the United Kingdom over its external trade policy. Neither could they content v. r So any. settlement-which was, in their judgment, incompatible with Ireland's full ■■. ;■•'; participation : in ;-■ V- iicheme '}. of a United ; :'Kingdom: federation,, should that come to pass. >\;■■.".' ,-'-',"?, - ' ."■-, -. '"•.■'

Scheme o! Home' Rale. .-•> .'. ■ '_■'. Sir ; jHoraco]Plunfcctt proceeds 'to; refer ;', to & series; of resolutions passed regarding Iself-goycxhraent. The scheme provides for :':•"..;•• tho establishment of a Parliament for the .: .whole of Ireland, with a responsible execu. V ' ■■ tive and full ?powers"-over all * internal ;■■;:' legislation, administration, and direct taxa- ;' ■: 1 tion. Pending a'• decision on the ■ fiscal ['■: jquestion, it provides that the imposition - ■■■■'"'of Customs and . excise duties shall remain - .with the' Imperial. Parliament, but the h -.• iwholo proceeds '■ 'of'these duties shall be " paid into the Irish exchequer. ■■A board f-._. .will be appointed to determine the true ; Irish revenue, and Ireland will. repre- • sented on' the Board of Customs and Excise "\ pi the 'United Kingdom. The principle of representation in the Imperial Parliament was * insisted \J upon by' the' { Southern Unionists,land,>he Nationalists conceded it. It was felt, however, that there were Strong reasons for 1 providing that Irish representatives it Westminster slould be (elected by the Irish Parliament rather p , than directly by the constituencies. This Iy>as adopted. It was accepted in principle vf'-iljat Ireland should contribute to "the cost ;•,..; of Imperial services, but owing to the lack ;;•'>; data it ? was impossible to fix a 'definite . pum. ij . vr, a, - - ~, ■

: r : ; i lt was ; agreed;,.that, tha Irish ■< Parliament should ;>, consist ;.• of - V, Senate ■';.''#• 64 J; members, : .and; ; a House of .ni Commons of 200, the principle under- ;. -; lying the composition of the Senate; being ',- its representation lof the interests of com- '' merce, industries, ! ;'j Labour, r the ■. county councils, the churches, the learned 'instil tutions and the peerage. , *;. offeredj to guarantee' 40 por cent, of the :. membership of. the House of Commons to •; the Unionists. It was agreed that in the ■y. south adequate 4 representation % for the -'' .Unionists could ' only , be secured by ■ nomif: nation, but as. the ; Ulster' representatives . informed 1 the convention that those for ■whom .they spoke could not 2 accept the ":;'principle •• of , nomination, provision ,was ■■■;•"made in ; the '.scheme for the extra representation of Ulster by direct election. "A v' majority \of • tho Labour representatives \£ frankly (objected; to the principle of nomir nation, and what they regarded as the ■;. v inadequate representation of Labour in the Senate, -^

Sir Horace Plunkett, in conclusion, points out that the convention, had to find n way out of the most complex 1 and anomalous political situation in history. "We are living under a system of government which survives only because the Act abolishing it cannot, consistently with Ministerial pledges, be put into operation without further legislation no less difficult and controversial than that which it has to amend." H declared: "In attempting to find a compromise which Ireland might accept, and Parliament pass into law, it has been recognised that tho full programme of no party could bo adopted. Tho convention was also bound to give duo weight to the opinion that to press for the settlement at Westminster during the war of financial questions would imperil tho prospect of the early establishment of self-government. Notwithstanding the difficulties with which the convention was surrounded, a larger measure of agreement was reached upon the principles and dotails of Irish self-government than had ever yet been attained."