IN IRELAND,

Hokitika Guardian, 26 July 1920, Page 2

IN IRELAND,

vlulled service telegrams; BELFAST RIOTS. LONDON, July 23. Rioting continues in Belfast. it is. tlie most serious since 1907. At ieast eight were killed and seventy sent to the hospital, though the death roll and casualty list is still incomplete. Disorders continually broke out in new quarters. (several priests practically invaded the danger zones and implored rioters to go home. This, however, hud no effect. When the police were badly stoned they made buton charges, but finally soldiers, wearing steel helmets, in an armoured car, with a Lewis gun were called out. After repeated warnings, they fired over the heads of the crowd, and the mob fled, but returned to tlie attack when they found no ono was hurt. Warnings were renewed, and the soldiers then fired into the erowd. Catholic shops suffered in the looting, which was serious. Part of the rioting was young hooligan's, who swaggered about with whisky bottles in their pockets, and girls flaunting finery from the looted lumps. Tho streets were also littered with broken goods.

' ORDER RESTORED. , LONDON, July 23. Order has been restored in Belfast. A force of cavalry have arrived. Between two or three hundred were, wounded by the military’s firing and J Sinn Fein sniping. Curning, a soldier going to bring his child home, hat) his head partially blown away by a Sinn Fein sniper. The man who helped to carry the body to the house afterwards was shot dead. During the soldiers’ firing upon th© Sinn Fein snipers, some shots entered two storeys of the Donard Monastry,. and killed a Rcdemptionist priest. Thp Fire Brigade had to deal with fourteen fires during the night.

I IRISH COURTS SUPERSEDED, i -LONDON, July 24. In the House of Commons, replying 1 to the motion to reduce his salary as a mark of condemnation of his military policy in Ireland. Sir Jflamnr Greenwood (Chief Secretary for Ireland), said that 57 arrest? had been made in BeJi fast. He said mpre woujd he pecesr i sary. He wpulcl shorty ask the House ; to pass certain legislation, as soop as i possible. Tlie Government had infror duced its Criminal Injuries Bill, would enable them to Intercept every franc from the Exchequer to any persqii in authority in Ireland who was acting A illegally. -Th© actipn of every £opngj| and other publip authority was bping examined and drastic action wpuld be taj* en to upheld the authority of the Qrown. Anoher Bill, lie said, would establish a new tribunal for the superseding of the Law Courts. The Courts, he asserted, failed in their functions. At the recent Assizes there was an absence of jurors. These were intimidated by a reign of the Irish revolution. .Tlie Government would also submit an other Bill to enable the Lord Lieutenant to establish a military tribunal to deal quickly with every criminal offence committed in Ireland, He |o there being widespread terrorism, jyhicjj had prevented people giving evidepep in cases and there wpre djfficultips in thp way of laying charges. But under tile legislation which was now proposed it would he possible to mete ment in any proven eases, adequate tq crime. In the meantime, he declared, any decision of flip Sinn Feip Courts, or any transfer of title thereunder, p-onld bo illegal, and would he upsej, as soon as possiblp. He denied any coercion in Ireland. There was no soldiers there, except to preserve life and order, flip people of Ireland were terrorised, tpi| only by a few. It was the Govprnnieqt’3 J.' duty to break that terror. They yopld give the Injsh people p. phapee tP VPice their real vjews. Sir Hamar Greenwood pqntlpupdj “The situation ip bad. It may grow wqfseisiinply because the military forces of the Crown are asserting this Government’s authority. I regret to say to 1 Uis House that the United Kingdom must brace itself up' to face a bitter period in Irish history. There will be a determined and organised attempt to establish an Irish Republic. It will ba by means of murder and intimidation. That. attempt wiljnot be abandoned without struggle.’/' ‘ * * He asserted tjiafc -Republican aspirations could be defeated by the united determination of all parties and creeds to condemn and resolutely oppose such savage methods. He-extended an invitation for representation from every quarter, pa rpgardg the best way of settling t’hp question. He said this wou’lfl be saving Ireland from' ruin. He cog-

eluded his speed), ivith ijn appeal to Housp for united support, 'J'lie Nationalist motion to reduce the Chief Secretary’s salary was rejected by 181 votes to 43.

DISORDERS IN BELFAST. LONDON, July 24. Though the worst disorders have ended in Belfast, occasional outbreaks continue. It is estimated that fourteen persons wen* killed and three hundred wounded; but the Sinif Feiirer? arp bejjeyed to have taken away a number of dead, so that they arp not included ip tbp casualty list. Some of the Sinn Feinprs’'' snipers, thy accuracy of whose aim, showed that they were ex-soldiers, fired upon the troops from housetops, until volleys from machine-guns dislodged them.

Acting under Sir Edward Carson’s orders, patrols belonging to the Unionist Clubs and Orange Lodges are now assisting the military authorities to preserve order. A number pf girls in Belfast hejd an indignation meeting against tile Siiin Foin outrages. The girls sang ioyujisj, songs and passed a resolution that they would not work with Sinn Feiners. Returning from tho funeral of Constable Carey, who was murdered in Tuain, masked mep took the hearse from the undertakers find burpt if. • ■{

THE MITCHKLTCnVN AFFRAY. RONDOK, July 84. Duping the Coroner’s enquiry into tho death of two youths at Miteheltowu the evidence showed that the youths were joking with a party of girls, when a military lorry with fifteen soldiers' drove up and fired, killing two. A sergeant commanding ,tlie party said that someone in the crowd fired at the lorry, whereupon the soldiers' fired rounds at the youths. * - ifr}

SITUATION IN IRELAND. 1 LONDON, July 24. The situation in Ireland was discussed in the House of Commons on the Chief Secretary’s' salary. Mr T. P. O’Connor said that Ireland was steadily descending into an abyss of anarchy and chaos. Nobody had done more to create the extremists’ party than Sir Edward Carson/ Mr O’Connor pointed out also that it was the CarsonUlster movement that swayed the vacillating. German mind in favour of war. Sir Edward Carson retorted that he Indieved this to be an unmitigated lie. He then proceeded to defend what ho termed Ulster’s determination to resist

Inmig ground down under the heels of murderers and assassins. He declared that the British Government was entirely beaten in three-quarters of Ireland. He demanded vigorous measures against the new treasonable institutions, which he asserted Sinn Fein was est-ab-iishing. THE IRISH QUESTION. AN IMPORTANT CONFERENCE. (Received Trus.Day at 8 a.m.) LONDON, July 23. Mr Lloyd George presided at an important conference at Downing Street I ’ yesterday regarding the Irish question. The conference lasted eight hours,- when I it adjourned till Monday. I Sir H. Greenwood says issues were de-1 cided involving tiie welfare of millions I and the prestige of the tuition, Belfast is quieter to-day after a comparatively quiet night, although rioting I continued in some quarters. There "ere a few casualties.' The most serious in-1 cident was an attack on a convent in the neighbourhood of which there had been I rioting and footing, necessitating the 1

nuns leaving yesterday. The crowd at 10 o'clock at night became definitely hostile, and made an organised effort to destroy the. copvent by fire. They drenched the hedge with parnifin and ' petrol, and smashed the gate which was rushpd, aigl ultimately they burst the door and entering saturated the floors and igpited the lower rooms. The police made a baton charge aqd with the military, cleaved the streets. An arm.oured car fired on the rioters and the U Fire Brigade succeeded in confining the fire tp the lower rooms. Large numbers of refugees from Belfast are arriving ill the County of Tv- I

rope. Rjq|ing occurred yesterday in Dromore, where the Catholic Club and Parochial Hall were wrecked last night. The police fired and one rioter wqs hilled.

Further drafts from Aldershot are proceeding to Ireland. Others, including tlie First Cavalry Brigade, are held in readiness, Mr Lloyd George said to the deputation that unless Britain wishes to imperil her existence, it is impossible to establish an independent authority in Ireland. He was prepared to discuss

plans for a settlement with any responsible leaders of Irish opinion, subject to two conditions:—We could not agree to secession in the American sense, and must have self-determination in the north-east. ' >jr Lloyd George said the other flay |jq saw' a Geripan p]an of the submarine jjiplij}]gs. If was surprising how ni;tny were just outside Ireland despite the fact that we controlled the harbours. If the control had been -in the hands qf a hostile authority the position would have been impossible. -Therefore, unhws wo wish to make ourselves defencewo oannof move. flip Premier said'later; —='‘I am very surp things are going to happen in Ireland apd are going to bpcpmo yery much worse.” Referring to the question of a truce, raised by Mr Thomas, Mr Honor Law said from the very beginning we only W moved the troops there because of the murders and to stop the murders, and we will rempve troops when the murder stops.

the orange and green. (Received this day at 9.30 sun.) LONDON, July 25. Sir H. Greenwood states there has been no change in the Government’s policy. The Sinn Fein leaders have not been approached by the Government. | Although the Sinn Fein movement is Rt sectarian, every fight in the North Ireland ultimately becomes a conflict tu-gen pat|ip]icg ii'ijcj Pro.tpstarits, "'Fighting in Belfast originated in the murder of Colonel Smyth, who was an Ulsterman. gerrrt Mulhern was shot dead when entering Bandon Church this morning for Mass. He received four revolver in the) head, BE,LEAST QUIET, (Rpceived this day at 11.30 a.m.) LONDON, July 25. Belfast is quiet. There were three deaths in the hospital. HOW MULHERN DIED. LONDON, July 25. Directly Mulhern, Chief of the Intelligence Department of Cork, reached the holy water font, he made the sign of the Cross two masked men, hiding in the Church porch, fired several shots at him. at point-blank range. Mn)hfifll immediately expired. Tim service was suspended, and resumLpd ail hour later, mjic priest strongly denounced the crime, ' ■■