IRISH TURMOIL.

Waimate Daily Advertiser, Volume XXIII, 19 May 1922, Page 5

IRISH TURMOIL.

CURFEW TO RING AT TEN. TO MAINTAIN ORDER. (Per Press Association—Copyright.) London, May 17. In consequence of the abnormal number of police necessary to maintain order in Belfast during noncurfew hours the Northern Parliament has decided that the curfew will begin at 10 o’clock instead of 11 in the evening. The Government is defending the action of Parliament and declared that it would close the public houses altogether if necessary.

TRADERS’ ASSOCIATION’S BOY- .. COTT OF SOUTH IRELEND .. GRAVE DEVELOPMENT FEARED London, May 17. The Ulster Traders’ Defence Association has issued a manifesto declaring an absolute boycott of the whole of South Island. Grave developments are feared at Ballinrobe, where the rebels are in possession of the barracks and refuse to release the Regular prisoners. The commandant of the Regulars has given them 24 hours’ ultimatum whereafter he will launch an attack. POLICE BARRACKS RAIDED. London, May 18. Men wearing police caps gained admision to the Musgrave police barracks, Belfast, and rushed towards the arms room. The inmates of the barracks were aroused, but the raiders escaped over the walls. One constable wag shot dead. SHOT ON TRAMCAR. Armed men boarded a tram-car in Belfast and shot tw opassengers dead. The police and military are making a house-to-house inspection of the city.

MORE SHOOTING IN BELFAST. SEVERAL KILLED. London, May 18. Further shooting occurred in Belfast streets to-day. Mrs Brown, a Protestant, saw seven men fire at the window of their dwelling and she shouted to her daughter to lie down. The latter who was overlate in obeying, was wounded. Three armed men entered the residence of Josephine Keown, a Catholic, seeking her husband. They shot and dangerously wounded Josephine, and slightly wounded her son. It is believed that several men were killed last night in a prolonged struggle between the military and gunmen, the former using machine guns. LONDON, May 17. Belfast last night was the scene of many sanguinary encounters between the Sinn Fein gunmen and Crown forces. There were many casualties in the southern area, which included one woman killed and another wounded. Indendiarism was freely indulged in. The northern area was next involved, large military detachments in armoured cars engaging armed mobs. Terrible fighting continued until 10 o’clock curfew. The casualties are believed to be grave, but are so far unascertained. BRITISH TROOPS AVAILABLE Sir William Dakison asked in the House of Commons, whether British troops had been offered to the Ulster Government to repel organised raids by the Republican Army, also whether adequate forces were available in the event of a massed attack on the Ulster border. Mr Chamberlain said that British troops had not been offered to Sir James Craig for any specific purpose, but the troops stationed in Ulster were available if civil powers requested their aid. The Government had no reason to believe that the available forces were inadequate.

PEACE NEGOTIATIONS BREAKDOWN. CAUSE OF THE SPLIT. The breakdown of the Irish peace negotiations was due to the antiTreatyites’ insistence on maintaining the present strength of representation in the Dail Eireann and the refusal of the Treaty Party’s offer of representation on a basis of six to four. Mr de Valera, speaking in the Dail Eireann after the breakdown of the Peace Committee, said: — “We realise that the majority of the Dail Eireann accepted the Treaty. If we had the power we would reverse that majority. What we desire to know is, does the Government desire our co-operation? “I take the responsibility of offering it.”

COMPENSATION AWARDS. LONDON, May 17. Sir Hamar Greenwood, in the committee of the House of Commons, submitted a vote for £750,000, representing half of the grant to assist the Ulster Government to meet compensation awards under the Malicious Injuries Act. Discussing Sir Hamar Greenwood’s proposal, Mr Devlin pointed out that the Provisional Government was undertaking to pay for the damage done by Sinn Feiners in Southern Ireland. Britain was paying for the damage done by the Black and Tans and the Imperial Government was now coming to the Ulster Government’s help. That was the British taxpayers’ affair, but what provision iwas being made for Roman Catholic sufferers in Ulster, who only received the most meagre compensation under County Court awards? A commission should be established in Ulster to deal with such cases. Captain Craig said that there was an obligation on the part of the Imperial Government to assist the Ulster Government to remove the heavy burden from a young Government just functioning. Commander Kenworthy opposed the vote as the beginning of a vast system of subsidies to Ulster, and moved a reduction of the vote by £500,000. Colonel Ward said that as disorders in Ulster were due to the British policy the Northern Government was taking an adequate share of the liability in undertaking to pay one-third of the damages. » Mr Godfrey-Collins pointed out that during the current year £6,750,000 (was paid to sufferers in Ireland, and the British Exchequer would have to find £3 for every £1 by the Ulster Govern-, ment. Sir Hamar Greenwood said that thJ grant was to relieve local ratepayers of a burden which would mean bankruptcy to the local authorities. The cost of making peace in Ireland would be £10,000,000, assuming that there were no untoward developments. Commander Kenworthy’s motion was negatived without a division.