IRELAND.

Taranaki Daily News, 23 September 1920, Page 7

IRELAND.

■ POLICE REPRISALS. 'STRONG CRtTIc'ISMS. ; Pieu Aun.—Copyright, jj ,'"■■"*,■..'.' London, Sept. 21}] Interviewed by a Parisian correspondent,; Sir-Neville Macready said: "Yea, .thetfe.have been some reprisals in IrejlamU;, 3ay three at the most." ' v Jfjßef.added: "We are taking every djep a recurrence. The trAps'l •arf*»n is to help proteot the pfulpej which are insufficient to maintain,older.,; The British Government is faced* jpvfthf l ,the Sinn Ferners' practical declaration:' not wish to retaliate' .ilLthe manner, but in the eveitlofj I revolt we are perfectly reaVl!.",: ■ -fie- insisted that Ireland really Jde-S sired peace, but a very small banfflfoli terrorists was imposing a violent polity.' "We know most of their names, and t the day may taine when we shall effect a clearance, --fc so, Ireland would' a moirth later know) tranquilityf and )t*&*.%-s..\;i "■,-:: ... Correspondents frankly disagree with ;SirtNeyillevSMajßeady's first statement. tTm Dublii corresßondent of the Times jtefersjhtjg "There have been a good •mJ6y 'repjasals by police and a few by 9013ier9 Bince the Sinn Feiners began the campaign. Of .political murder and: outrage.!!? Such reprisals are at least intel-iligibje-to all whe.know the present conditions of life in Jrelafd.' Police in lone h«slKces are martyred. ■fShwMrould be more dr less than human ;l*s*tt* passion of fesei>tmfent did not strain the bonds, of discipline. "People again argue that reprisals are having the merit of checking outrage where vigilance and discipline failed. Many towns are now quite peaceful. In other'places .outrage has been discourTgeS- by a livery fear of retaliation. None the less, reprisals are deplorable, because' they are creating permanent 'bitterness between classes of Irishmen, and are Weakening to a dangerous degree any respect surviving for constitutional law and order, The public is forced to infer that tie executive either regards the reprisals leniently or is powerless tOPsevent theSfe- Both theories ,work greav- the splendid tradithe 'R%£l Irish Constabulary jire dKnkged.'' : a The Boblin correspondent of the Daily !J&ail states that the Engliah auxiliaries ffi the Ipsh constabulary are responsible 'jw the? reprisal tactics' which have 'spread terror throughout the country districts! Whenever a policeman or a soldier is .shot, the nearest community ■iiveß through a night of f^ar," believing 'that the curse/of ,'Crojnwell has -been revived. The/cortespondeiit adds that SinaFeiiv into two camps. J& fighting for leadership against the .vMent-and influential leaders of tiie RfDMlican v 3E rln 5 r '' Meanwhile the British military system has markedly improved;— United Service,

BALBRIGGAW^SACKED. • LdTKtott, Sept. 21. Police Inspector Burke and Sergeant Burke, who are brothers, _ were shot dead jn Balbriggan. *{ /' ' At midnight, uniformed men sacked Balbriggan. Two civilians were shot dead and several were wounded. Many business houses were destroyed. About 50 constabulary and recruits were engaged in the sacking. A Balbriggan dairyman (Gibbons) and a barber (Lawless) were dragged out from their houses and shot dead. Twenty-eight houses, mostly belonging to prominent Binn Feinen, were burned.—Aus.-N.Z. Cable Assn.

McSWEENEY'S PAST. London, Sept. 21. On behalf of McSweehey's friends it is stated that nothing is passing his lips except pure water, and medicine, composed of carbonate of soda and bismuth (to counteract the gastric juice), and the sacred water of the Holy Communion. Even if his friends tried to introduce nourishment he would refuse. His friends deny that alcohol is used during massage.—Times.