IRISH FREE STATE BILL.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 16662, 18 February 1922, Page 17

IRISH FREE STATE BILL.

DISCUSSION IN HOUSE. MR CHURCHILL'S SPEECH. Ry Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright. Australian and N.Z. Cable Association. LONDON. February 16. Mr Churchill. moving the second reading of the Irish Free State Agreement Bill, pressed its ivgencr. The IVovisional Government was not sanctioned by law and was an anomaly unprecedented in the history of the British Kmpire. Its continnance one day longer than necessary was derogatory to Parliament and the nation. The frown could not expect the- Provisional Government to restore order until it had proper legal powers- One of the most important results of the bill v oul,d be an election in Southern Ireland and he hoped the people through an election would finally put aside tfte idea of an Irish Republic. He also hoped the election would result in securing a fresh, normal, sensible parliament for Southern Ireland. The men at present in that Parliament were cnosen, not because of special fitnese, hut because they were thought to ire the most obnoxious to British power. If Ireland repudiated the treaty the position of Southern Ireland would be • in" of great weakness for she would be i-elated from the world. It had been suggested that the present Irish Government would be upset by a coup h etac and that a red soviet would be « rented. He thought no people in the. world less likely to turn Bolshevist than the Irish. Since the treaty had been signed the position in Ireland had improved. Ireland was on her trial l»efore the world, whereas six month* . go. it was Britain who had to justifv lierself in the eyes of the world. position to-day was one of great moral and military strength. The Provisional Government should receive every possible assistance. While the position of the northern frontier had recently improved, the position in Belfast was horrible and he hoped there would be sonrj sort of narley with a view to ending l lie vendettas rife in Belfast. THE BOUNDARY QUESTION. Alluding to the boundary question, ho said no expression of opinion now could affect the treaty. Had they waited to refer the boundary question to I'lster. there would hare been no tieaty. Continuing. Air Churchill said it would hare nv?ant a reeonquest of Soul hern Ireland at an enormous cost • I blood and treasure, when the only difference was the right of the people in certain districts to exercise their option regarding which government tb\v diould lire under It had been a reed that the month’s option in ' It 'oh Ulster should decide whether to inir, the Free State or not should run from the final net recognising the constitution of the Free State. The boundorv commission could not begin its work until August. Sir F. Banbury fCo.UA intersected They w ill all have killed each other in Ireland by then.” Mr Churchill: “On the contrary, we hope things will improve ” SAFEGUARDS FOR ULSTER. Mr Churchill said it- would be much b* tter to try for an agreement on the boundary question. The endeavours of Sir James Craig and Mr Collins to reach a settlement on outstanding roatlers. including the Oouncil of Ireland, bad not tinaJlv been abandoned. Surelv it would be better to leave the boundary question until after the election. Tilings must be better after the election than now. when that renegade Englishman. Erskine Childers. was doing his best, to poison the relations between the Trish leaders aDd bis own people- If fin ally the British Gov eminent saw that Ulster was maltreated and mutilated by the boundary coin mission they were bound to reconsider her whole financial and economic position .so as to ensure Ulster not Icing ruined by her loyalty to Britain “DIE-HARD" AMENDMENT. Captain Craig moved an amendment that the House do not proceed with the Bill until the Government gave an insurance that no decision of the bound.irv commission would take effect uithoufc the approval of the Northern Parliament. He argued that the negotiators with Sinn Fein had no right to include a boundarv clause in the treaty or make any disposition of thr Northern Government's property. Ti was like dealing with stolen property, lit- said. He was in Mr Lloyd George'* h« use the night the treaty was signed and could easily have voiced Ulster’s opinion. They would never settle the issue on the lines of the proposed treats. The boundary commission would load to nothing but bloodshed and chaos. The Attorney-General, Sir Gordon Tfewart, Tv.C-, said it was no part of ill** duty of the law officers to interpret Article 12. It might be for the boundary commission to interpret the

sir William Davidson said there had been a distinct breach of faith with Ulster regarding the boundary. Sir William Allen fUA said Ulster would fight to the death against a serious disturbance of the boundaries. Mr J. Devlin .said it was the patriotic duty of everyone to assist in carrying out the treaty. He denounced the criticism of the Provisional Government for not putting, down crime. They had only recently come into being, lie said, and bad stupendous difficulties to encounter. W hen Unionists turned up the whites of their eyes at what was occurring in .Southern Ireland they did not mention what was going on in Belfast. There were a hundred thousand Roman Oat holies in Belfast out of a population of four hundred thousand, who* for eighteen months had been treated as outlaws, hunted and perseuted. murdered and attacked by assassins. some of them in uniform. “ I rule the Northern Government, 5 * he said. “ what they propose to do to end this reign of terror, this saturnalia of blood and assassination." (Article XTT. of the Treaty, referred to above, reads : If before the expiration of the said month, i.e., a month for the passing of an Act of Parliament ratifying the treaty, both Houses of the Northern Parliament present an address to his Majesty, the powers of the Parliament and Government of the Free State shall no longer extend to Northern Ireland, and the provision of the Act of 1920, including those relating to the Council of Ireland shall, so far as they relate to Northern Ireland, continue in full force , provided, if such address be presented, a commission of three people, one appointed by the f ree State another by Northern Ireland, and a third, the chairman, appoints! bv the British Government, shall determine in accordance to the wishes of the inhabitants, so far as they may be compatible to economic and geographic conditions the boundaries between Northern and the rest- of Ireland. fcuch boundary applies to the

purposes of the 1920 Act, as well as this instrument.) TRICKERY SUSPECTED. MESSAGE FROM MR COLLINSTX)NPON. February 16 Mr Collins last night.- telegraphed to Mr Churchill ns follows: “The beet wav the British Government can help us is not hv suspending the carrying out of the treaty regarding evacuation but, by so adhering to its spirit and letter, that Ireland will be convinced Britain is really ‘ delivering the goods ’ this time. Many people in Ireland believe England will again trick us and this belief is being used t-o our disadvantage. We who put our hands to the treaty do not intend to turn back, but we must insist that the other side shall also show absolute goodwill in this regard. It is high time the English people should view the so-called 1 Ulster question * in its true perspective. T ■ protest strongly against the campaign of slander that is proceeding in connection with the trouble between east and west Ulster. It was inevitable that the detention of I.R.A. officers going t-o a football match and the failure to notify the Free State in time of the reprieve of the Derry prisoners should be met locally by the seizure of prominent Unionists. It, is equally unavoidable that the Nationalist minority in Belfast should defend themselves. T and my associates are working in the teeth of many difficulties, and are ready to settle all matters in the spirit of peace and goodwill. We have already proved our sincerity by the withdrawal of the boycott and there will be no real peace until the Ulsterites display the same spirit." BELFAST WARNING. LONDON. February 16. The Ulster Government has issued a. notice fixing the period of grace till Saturday in Belfast and Tuesday ill the country for the surrender of arms and ammunition. After those days all persons found in unauthorised possession of weapons will be prosecuted under the Firearms Act. Mr Churchill said that twenty-six kidnapped persons had been, released owing to the exertions of the Free State Government. A battalion of Warwickshire;; has reinforced the Belfast garrison. AN INQUIRY. LONDON, February 16. In the House of Commons, Mr Churchill said the Northern and Provisional Governments desired an impartial inquiry into the Clones outbreak. The British Government had therefore offered a suitable judicial officer to conduct a public inquiry. AH ULSTER MANIFESTO. LONDON, February 16. The Ulster Unionist- members of the House of Commons have issued a manifesto to the Unionist Party, asking for help on the ground that Unionists only supported the Treaty with Sinn Fein because they believed the boundary commission would only deal with small rectifications of the frontier which might be as advantageous "to Ulster as Sinn Fein- Tt is now evident, said the manifesto, that Mr Collins took a very different view.