CRISIS IN IRELAND.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XLV, Issue 14586, 23 April 1918, Page 5

CRISIS IN IRELAND.

EXTRAORDINARY SCENES.

BISHOPS ADMINISTER PLEDGfB AGAINST CONSCRIPTION,

(Etec. Tel. Copyright— United Press -Assn.) (Australian and N.Z. Cable Association.).

LONDON, April 22. There wero extraoi'diiiai"y' sl 'sceri^s throughout Roman Catholic Ireland yesterday. In practically every ctturcli'tße priest celebrated intercession masses that tho people might be delivered from' conscription, and celebrants outside the churches wero administered" a pledge against : conscription The . Bishop of Coholan, in administering the pledge outside Cork Cathedral, advised Sinn Feiners to be on their guard against unauthorised orders. The Bishop of Ross administered the pledge to 3000 people at a public meeting at Skibbereen. Ho said' if ' the people of Ireland remained calm,- cool, and determined the conscription order would) never be made.

' Elsewhere' during mass the priests ! announced '■ f rom the- altars- that ,t;he people must assemble in certain halls and 'schoolrooms and sign a 'covenant * against conscription, which the Bishops . had 'drawn up on Friday, at Maynootlv,. 'and the political leaders had endorsed. Thousands of people waited in queues in order to' sign, and 1 where their menfolk were unable to attend, women signed instead 1 . Ten thousand .people attended a single meeting; at Tipjs|rary. ' jx ■'■;,. .„ . * A thousand d^legatesK^atyended 7ifchA Trade Union "C<mVentioh'^' Dublin, atid passed a resolution pledging the delegates to resist conscription in every }>ossible l lrifyvs ';Thel meeting; rallSd^ftfr subscriptions' id 1 finance itie« ; anti-coh-'! script ion campaign, and summoned .tli^e workers of Ireland to abstdn'froin wdi'k on Tuesday next as a demonstration of 'their loyalty^ tor the r cause » of labor.-of Ireland, and for purpos6M>f enabling every man andi woman to sign the pledge against conscription.* „,..:, , r v<., ■•-,; \. (Reutep's A "•^^ •-? ' • - r ' LONDON^ -April 21, • : Mr. Devlin^ TVEP^ni a s^eiscn Is>33|tf fast, advised the Irish to refuse'' *to register militarily, to spit on the tribunals, and' refuse t**?go£ ■