Irish News

New Zealand Tablet, Volume LII, Issue 22, 17 June 1925, Page 47

Irish News

' 'CSHARGE OF, INTOLERANCE REFUTED—CRAIG'S MAJORITY VANISHING—SIX COUNTY FINANCES— AND THE FREE STATE—THE POPE | r ' AND IRELAND. I = - A~V -

v I Colonel G. O'Callaghan Westropp, at EnJ nis, indignantly denied a statement [made; at; •''.':i" a recent meeting of the Co. Clare ''. Board of } I Health, that in 1914 he said that a ProtesI tant could not go to bed in security in the= t-SouthTof Ireland, as he was liable to have ; | his throat" cut. This allegation': (said the : | Colonel) had been extensively circulated in r I England. 'He had never at ' any "'time*" said T that a Protestant in the South of Ireland ;| was in danger of having his throat cut. 1 His sleep had never been disturbed by fear I of his Catholic neighbors, ~with ~ whom ~he. I lived on terms of the closest friendship. I Whatever their faults were in Clare, : bigo- ,| try and religious persecution were not' inI eluded amongst them. As an (instance, he I recalled that in 1922 some anonymous rasI dais issued an order to the Protestants of | Kilrush and Kilkee to leave within 48 hours I if they wished to live. Forthwith General I Simon Mclnerney, who was' in command | of the local Brigade of the 1.R.A., published I a proclamation telling the Protestants 'toI stand fast, assuring them of protection and . I calling on well-disposed persons to aid in | discovering the miscreants responsible ferI tile bogus order. The miscreants removed I themselves with. speed, but the Protestants S remained, and still enjoyed goor health. f * * • L;J | It was stated a week or two ago that the |H Irish Boundary Commissioners would pro-f I' bably complete their report,within a couple I Irish Boundary is pretty definitely probably complete their report within a couple of months. It is now pretty definitely staI ted -that they cannot complete their inquiries I before the end of the present year, and that s after- that some time must elapse for the I framing of their report. , Meantime it is I hoped that the Nationalists in the Belfast I Parliament will take up their work there | without further delay. The recent opposiI tion to the Craig Government in the BelI fast Parliament materialised very strongly. ;| Sir Robert Lynn, who is an official Unionist i member, moved for; an independent ComI mission to .investigate :the staffing v ,of Gov-, I member, offices and the independent Com- - mission to investigate the staffing of Government offices and the expenditure thereon I in "Northern Ireland.". Sir James, Craig | resisted the motion, , and offered a. M depart- ; | mental inquiry. ..This, was refused, and on J ..the ,! matter going -to a i vote • the= demand for - independent inquiry was supported by three official " Unionists, four independent t Union:ists, and three Labor membersa minority '.{ of ten against the official majority of only j 22. It will be seen that if the eight Na- | tionalists elected took their seats 'in, the ,;f- Belfast Parliament ; Sir '■■^^ James' Craig's ' ma- ' jority would be reduced to a very narrow jjl limit. --'-.■■ -".■■■'.•• ■" - - t,-':- , '. , - j - | I ' . tniz .-iß;t.^.. ; '.u>v.iu • -,,ii .vit;y:| _ Ml' e : ■'i 'r : . • •«« * I]]. : Sir James -Craig j. is having rather* a lively ?*! time in his "Parliament" since the recent 1 .1 elections. Sir R. Lynn (official U.), calling [upon the Government to make such, econo- :■:■ I mies ; as ' would result in a considerable reduc- ; tion in public expenditure, the lowering of

prices and the cost of living, stated that the running of the House cost £146 per hour in salaries, or £19,400 per annum. Other figures under the heading' of salaries, , and allowances were: 'Cabinet Office £lO,500, : Finance Department £96,200, Excheqer and Audit £3389, Home; Affairs ia £55,200, : Law Charges £9BOO, Pensions £37,347, Special Constabulary £1,300,000, R.U.C. £692,000, Labor £156,000. ~. """Warming to his work," Sir R. Lynn said: -., "I raised the question of expenditure J here four' years ago, but I was unable to "continue? 'to ventilate it because of the gunmen. The gunmen made it .impossible for me, and independent ~ members like me, to take the course wo wished to take in those matters, but -L tell you now that even though I may be defeated in the Lobby this afternoon the fight is not going to end there, it is going to the country, and I am convinced ri that in tho end it will prevail." *'--• Colonel } Woods (Ind. tJ.), said £lO per head on the population of the province was too much! for administration. The officials of the House cost £1 per minute for the time the House sat. A professional soldier t might be all right as a»soldier,- -but what qualification' had ho to place him at the head,of their Finance Department? "'" Turning to -the police forces, he, said; the staff of the Cl class was composed of men from Great Britain; and lie did not understand how there could be difficulty in 1 getting tho Imperial Parliament to-vote money for them, seeing that the force was a home for Englishmen. "We have - nothing but scandals in the Cl Division since its 'formation —it is a home for men who l do ! not want 'to work, and as long l as they are allowed to remain 'there so long will the scandal last." * • • The .Ulster., correspondent 'of-' the * Catholic Herald expresses some interesting views with regard to' the effect of the Irish Free-State Budget on Orange opinion in Ulster. The abolition or reductions in food taxes introduced in the Free State Budget by Mr. Ernest Blythe (who, iby the way, is i himself an I Ulster - Protestant) '■ have given "' Orange : wage-earnersiff Ulster "furiously to think." »Our Ulster correspondent says that Mr. Blythe's Budget proposals will considerably modify Ulster opinion- with. regard ; to the merging^of s "Northern Ireland" in the Irish Free^State>' He adds:— .. > i' |l "The "Derry bigots are beginning to realise that. After ] perusing the Budget proposals, one of them, who is very closely associated with a member.. of the Belfast Cabinet, admitted that national union was coming. He said that the Six Counties would be in the Free State within seven years. As his formula'- a short 1 time ago was probably "Never! Never!" there i s a big margin for subtraction from his latest 5 ' figure. 1| His change s of tune is not unique. The whole outlook of the Ulsterman towards the Free

State .is changed. : ? So dense *was* his ignorf' ance in the past that. lie believed- the South and West of Ireland to he inhabited by ?an .: incompetent, half-savage race that dwelt: in ; mud cabins and amused themselves by shooting one another. Now he sees a "papist" : Cabinet that, having successfully pulled the country through such a crisis as few Governments were ever faced with, has placed the |National Finances on a secure basis (as the price of National Loan shows), and is tackling one after ; another with skill and origin* ality the various problems of reconstruction and development. So he rubs his eyes in ' wonder, and: several times last week we have had the strange spectacle Jof members of the Belfast-Parliament! urging on their own Ministers the advisability of taking leaves from the Dublin book. There never was such a chance of bringing real peace to Ireland and such an atmosphere in which to do it as there is now. England can secure a. lasting peace between herself and the sister. nation; :iffshe will simply refrain from interfering in -Irish disputes and refuse to bolster tip the impossible financial and economic position of Ulster by her I"subsidies.1 "subsidies. But if her statesmen- think that their policy should be to continue to keep Ireland weal? by keepfing her divided they are making one of the greatest blunders , in history, . and> they arc preparing for themselves such a ;> storm as will eventually burst up the British Empire." , j. • » '• : ■ 4 i. The following letter has been addressed to the Most Rev. Charles McHugh, D.D., Lord Bishop of Deny, chairman of the committee of the Irish National Pilgrimage to Lourdes, 1924, by the Right Rev. Mgr. J. Hagan, Rector of/the Irish College, Rome: I I / Collegio Irlamrlese, Rome 3, . 1 J 2 V;/. A >!>'£■ ;:,ijjii April 15, 1925. |: Tj My dear Lord,—ln : the course; of a recent audience, I presented to the Holy Father the address signed by your Lordship and Father Lockhart on 'behalf of the f committee and members' of the Irish National Pilgrimage to Lourdes, together with a replica of the pilgrims' badge in solid gold. l / j -~ His Holiness, directed me to make known that he greatly appreciated the kindly thought, reciprocated the welcome greetings and gratefully accepted the homage of the committee and the pilgrims, to each and , all of whom he cordially imparted the Apostolic Benediction.—l have the honor to remain, my dear Lord, your very faithful servant, - I

J. J. Hagan. I The address referred to was- expression of thanks to his Holiness for the privileges and favors so generously granted to T. the members and associates 'of. the pilgrimage, ! including a special remembrance in his Mass, and a plenary indulgence on each ■of the days of the pilgrimage. !

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