IRELAND.

Timaru Herald, Volume XC, Issue 13314, 17 June 1907, Page 5

IRELAND.

A MAGISTERIAL SPEECH. Press A*sodatiou-By Telegraph-Copyright LONDON, dune 14. Afr C. Craig (Conservative member for South Antrim), asked wlietliev Air Birrel! was aware Unit. Air P. .Kelly, si magistrate','''in a: 'speech in' Newinn, had declared that if Lord As! it own. a local landlord, who is under constant strict police protection, lived at Killane, or Ixiuobrea. lie would have- been on a xtrctcher long ago, the same as Air John Blak». who. Air Crais explained. was. shot <]p. ;l d in 1883. Air Kelly added that the men of Woodlawn lack the' courage and manliness to treat Lord Ash town as he should be treated. Ah- Birrell replied that the speech was under'the'consideration' of. the Government. SENTENCES FOR CATTLE, DRIVING. LONDON, dune 15. Two resident Magistrates at Birr. King » Gouiitv. sent fifteen persons to gaol tor »■ month' in default of being bound over for partiripatiyig in driving sheep---and cattle off Alichael. Bvmes grazing,farm-, lhere ate 300 hundred extra police, at Birr. -■ THE REPORTED INTERVIEW WITH FATHER MANIn view of the disquieting reports on the condition, of Ireland which have been received during the past week or so, a, "Herald" reporter called on Father luDman on Friday to ffeei if he could throw auv lip-lit on the matter from what he had observed-during his recent trip to the Old Country. The "cabled- reports were in his opinion greatly exaggerated. The acts which were reported as evidence of vthe- criminal propensities and rebellion. -j motives' of ,the people were so trivial, that if they bad happened in- any country other than Ireland, no oiie five'miles away would have heard of'tliem. The stories of cattle-maiming he considered ridiculous', while he did not the. Irish people had fired on the police. The Irish were nor. able to obtain serviceable arms of any description; all they had were a. few rusty guns, perhaps one among a dozen. In all his travels hehad nowhere met with such harmless, simple-minded and law-abiding people as the natives' of Ireland, and he. refused to | b&lieve; tha* there .avus any real foundation, "for \tlie 'reports 7 of conspiracy and crnne. was surprised that the New Zealand papers would accept and publish such trifling reports. Compared with what had taken _place in Australia, and New! Zealand recently the " crime" in Ireland was not worth considering. Someone tied the tails of two cattle together, and this-, was immediately cabled all over the world as showing the terrible condition of •Ireland, while- murder, theft, assaults oil women were passed over in New Zealand and Australia as of • little ' importance. \ Those who were responsible for the cables on these matters must either be inimical to Ireland or supporting her enemies, and [he thought that instead; of giving their I messages .the headings which would be appropriate under ordinary circumstances, -"faked" would ba more fitting.- The: Upper Houses in Canada and Victoria recently passed votes of sympathy with Ireland in Tier endeavour to obtain Home Rule, and in order to blacken the character, of the people hi the eyes of these two colonies and. others who sympathised, the Castle authorities and the anti-Home .Rule party were circulating these reports. They -might be said to have, obtained a telescope-such..as Sam Weller had imagined, and , with tills- were searching for every semblance of wrongdoing. That crime was practically non-existent was clear from the numerous occasions upon which judges received the white gloves of a non-criminal sitting. At present Ireland was fighting against the. Castle authorities and the landlord,.following, ,\yl\o were doing •everything iii their power to prevent anything in the shape of. Home Rule being allowed, and the English Government was doing- nothing, to assist her. They were in fact -seeking': cause for coercion and- in a : country of 4,000,000 inhabitants there were hardly . any laws. 'Anything -in the, way of a "Bill" fbr the betterment of the condition of the" Irish, people was thrown out by ■ the House of Commons and the country left.in the hands of the Chief Secretary. Regarding .the Land Bill, Father Tubman said it, was simply a. Bill for the landlords. While he was in Ireland, a \ commission was considering the question and they announced. that it would take more, to buy up the-landlords than-the land was worth, while the amount the tenants would have to pay in taxes, would be greater than the difference in rent. It would be 65 years before they could buy up the land for themselyes. • ", ": Returning to the reports of crime, Father Tubman said there was an army of police in Ireland absolutely ridiculous in proportion to the population. He was sure there were, quite five times as many policemen in Ireland as in New Zealand in proportion to the population. If the; Timaru district was placed under simijar conditions, there would be constables stationed at every little settlement at Adair, Washdyke, Gieniti, Saltwater Creek etc. Irekind was certainly in a disturbed condition, and this was due to -disappointment. Sir Henry Campbell-Bamierman had promised them Home Rule and a 'Catholic University and they got neither, and this very ' naturally disappointed and disquieted theiii. It was "simply the history of Ireland re-, pcatihg itself." The rebellion of 1798_ was purposely brought about,, and lie believed that the enemies of Ireland were endeavouring- to convince the world that ;tihe Irish were not to be trusted with their own Government. The -country was certainly in a poverty-stricken condition. There was nothing saved,- and the people got. into debt. Alanufacturies ;>nd industries were almost, non-existent, while the-.grass pastures, upon which the people principally depended, were failing. Hundreds were emigrating to America and other eountr'e-. until only the old people and young children' remained. Sir Horace Plunket had, done much to assist the people by having them instructed in agriculture, and dairy'farming. He also established a number "of model farms, and this no doubt resulted in good to them. The seasons however were against them. During the seven months of his stay in Ireland, Father Tubman said, it was" raining for six'months,, so that potatoes in 'the west were not worth digsring, and the grain crops were ruined. There, were, however, some pleasing features to be observed in Ireland at the present time. Temperance had made iireat strides, and vast numbers had signed the total abstinence pledge. Where it was once considered' bravado to be drunk; drunkenne.ss''Avas now regarded as a. thine to- be ashained of. . He saw a football, match at Irs and when th-. time for-refreshments came he was pleased to see. that the teams sat down to a. light meal with no whisky—only soft drinks. This kind of thing was fortunately fairly fieii-ei-al. '" A.'-ked whether any united effort was bein<r made to ameliorate, 'the condition of affair?. Father Tubman said the Sein Fein Society was seeking this. " Sein fein : ' me-int" " ourselves for ourselves" or selfreliame. and the aims of the Sein Fein were to encourage local industry, discour-■,i<-re, nnd prevent the general exodus from the country, and to generally improve the status of the people. In addition to endeavouring to establish industries, they the. people to use only what was manufactured or produced in. Ireland, as far a-s possible. There had been no sug-

ge-.tinii from, them. I bill- English goods should 1 be boycotted... Their idea was very simitar to the preferential tariff of New Zealand, and had they bean in :iny other country . than In hind," their effort* would ha,va been applauded instead, of censured. The Kein Fein Wa.s. not an aggressive body, but. merely self-defenders. It seemed- to him that the root of tlie /matter was that Ireland was Ireland, and 'nfftbing the Irish might- do would ever be f;iiiiy : received.