THE IRISH PROBLEM.

Hokitika Guardian, 6 April 1922, Page 3

THE IRISH PROBLEM.

IUHTUALIAN AND N.Z. CABLE ASSOCIATION.

CROWN FORCES IN ULSTER. LONDON, April 4. Severe lighting is proceeding in •. ■ Sparrin 'Mountains, in North East Tyrone, between the Crown Forces, win are operating against some rebels hiding in the mountain fasienesses. e-c.Aintors are taking place nightly

NEW AGREE.'I EXT OPPOSED. LONDON, April 4. Speaking in the Ulster Parliament. Sir Jas. Craig said:—“lf a. person cau be found to lead Ulster into the Free State, it won’t be me. Even il i thought it to be beneficial to Uislfcr to go, 1 would nob do it.” There is considerable opposition !.. the Northern Parliament to the London agreement, following on Sir Jas Craig's statement. Mr Cooper declared 90 per cent i f the border residents opposed the agree luent. In Fermanagh, the raiders included Mr Collins’s supporters. It was absurd, be declared, to suggest any Sinn Feiners should be included in

the Ulster Police. Other speakers said they thought tinUlster Parliament should have bee’consulted before the agreement unsigned. The debate was adjourned. Lord Londonderry lias defended t-h*-new agreement in the Ulster Senate

CRAIG ON NEW AGREEMENT. , LONDON, April 4. Sir James Craig (Ulster Premier) speaking in the Ulster Parliament referred to the new peace agreement between the Free State and Ulster. He sn,id that so far as Ulster was concerned, nothing had been sacrificed. He K-;d no desire to claim that this agreement was a. triumph for Ulster. Neither did he say it was a triumph, for the South. It was an earnest endeavour on the part of all the signatories, to bring peace to the whole of Ireland. He claimed that when Irish Republican Army activities in the six Ulster counties ceased, they would have pence in Ulster. If there was further trouble, they now would know that persons who attemped to overthrow the Government and dispute the .solidarity of the six Ulster counties were open foes of both Ulster and Southern Ireland. SIX WEEKS’ CASUALTIES. | LONDON. April I. In the House, of Commons the fit- * Hon A. Churchill made a statement as to the casualties totalling nearly 300, in the Belfast strife. Mr Churchill stated that during the driiui l am-es in ‘Belfast from February 10th to March 26th. the numbers, killed and wounded were reported to 'have 'wen as follows:-

In addition, six police., three of them Catholics, were killed and one military officer, while a number of police were wounded.

I.R.A. ACTIVITY. j LONDON. April 4. I

Farmers and traders at the town of Swaii'ford disobeyed the order of the rebel T.R.A. forces to suspend business. Some hundreds of armed men entered the town, wrecked some of the principal shops, and they forced the others to dose, business being entirely suspended, and the town dosed. gome Republican rebels, in crowded streets at Mullingar, forced a party of the Royal Iri«h Constabulary to abandon a motor car. in, which the rebels then drove away.

IRISH NEWS

IUUJTEIPs TKT.EORAMS

Received This Day at 11.30 n.m.l ■ LONDON, April 4. A representative Conference of Na- ; tionalists of Fermanagh was held at i Inniskillen and unanimously passed a ; resolution strongly objecting [to the

present operations in the north, approving of the treaty and pledging support to Mr Griffiths and Mr Collins. An election campaign subscriptions list, in aid of the Free State election | fund has been started, with several large amounts | A train from Londonderry was held up at Fox hall, Donegal, b.v Irish Rtpublican army mutineers. A considerable quantity of goods consigned to West Donegal merchants was commandeered. The mutineers commandeered a proinent Donegal man’s residence up at Fox hall, Donegal, by Irish Reters there. They removed the goods from the train there. The executive of the constitutional anti-partition League meeting at Dub- ! lin passed a resolution welcoming the I agreement between the northern and southern Governments, and protesting against crime and outrages. A large meeting of Limerick protestants passed a resolution viewing i horror the persecution of any section of their countrymen, on account of religious or political beliefs hoping the differences would he settled and lead- . i ing to a united Ireland. I Representatives of the principal comt j mercial firms in Cork, which are not Catholic, made statements regarding with abhorrence reprisal or violence in connection with religion,.

Catholics' . KII.LKD. • ... 51 Protestants .... 32 Total ... ... 83 WOUNDED .... 115 Protestants .... 80 Total „... i ... 201