TO APPLY TO IRELAND

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 176, 15 April 1918, Page 5

TO APPLY TO IRELAND

THE HOME RULE ISSUE DETAILS OF CONVENTION'S WORK AGREEMENT IMPOSSIBLE (Rec. April 14, 5.5 p.m.) London, April 13, In the House of-Commons tne provisions of tho Man-Power Bill continue to bo keenly discussed. Practically all the members ol the House ot Commons available took part in the division. An amendment exempting doctors over fifty years of age was defeated, also an. amendment rendering the clergy liable to combatant service. The firßt clause was then carried, but Sir George Cave, Secretary of State for Home Affairs, suggested that tho question of the clergy being liable for combatant service should be discussed later. Ireland and Conscription. The Committee then considered the second clause, extending conscription to Ireland. ' . Mr. J. C. R. Lardner (Nationalist) moved an amendment that conscription should not apply to Ireland until the Irish Parliament approved. A lengchv de.bato ensued. Mr. J. M'Vcagh (.Nationalist) declared that Ireland would become a shambles. Mr. A. Henderson said ha never remembered, a clause so fraught with danger and disastrous consequences. Mr. Asquith said in iiew of the urgency and the perils of tho war situation he'could not be a party to •. Instructing thoso responsible for extrbating the country from its peril. He had not in tho least modified his views i:s to tho responsibility the Government was assuming. He asked why should not a generous measure, of self-government, which Mr. Lloyd George promised,, bo passed without delay while preparations were being made to put compulsion in Ireland into force. Ho appealed to the Government to' state explicitly that this would bo done. He believed that by this means serious trouble would bo avoided. Tho Right Hon. H. R. Duko (Chief Secretary for Ireland) said the Governnrent was dotermined to deal with its pledge in regard to Irish self-;overnmeut in such a way as would satisfy Irish aspirations. Tiiero was no reason why the Self-Govermnent Bill should not ]» on the Statuto Book at an early date. The Bill would be presented and prosecuted with tho greatest dispatch. Nothing would be more. satisfactory to the Government than to see a Parliament established at Dublin before any man joined tho colours. ■ Mr. Devlin declared that Ireland wanted the same status arid power as Australia and Canada. Let Mr. Duke satisfy Irish aspirations that way, leaving Ireland to decide conscription, and Iraland to start anew a friendly relationship with Britain. If this was done he would join the Army forthwith as a private, and persuade others to do so. Mr. Lardner's amendment was negatived by 2SO votes to 108. Mr. Bonar Law, in closing the debate, said the Government would be craven not to try to get .troops from Ireland. No other constituted authority could do it as tho defence of the. Tealm remained with the British Parliament. There was no validity in the Australian analog)'. America was conscripting its citizens, and it wes impossible to say America ought to do this while we should .not. Conscription Clause Adopted. London, April 13. The clause applying conscription to Ireland was adopted, by 2RI votes to 115.Reuter.