THE IRISH COERCION ACT.

Kumara Times, Issue 1413, 12 April 1881, Page 2

THE IRISH COERCION ACT.

The following is the text of the Irish Coercion Act, which became law on the 3rd of March last;— “ Be it enacted, by the Queen’s Most Excellent Majesty, by and with the advice and consent of the Lords Spiritual and Temporal and Commons, in this present Parliament assembled, and by the authority of the same as follows ; 1; “ 1. Any person who is declared by warrant of the Lord-Lieutenant to be reasonably suspected of having either before or after the passing of this Act been guilty as principal or accessory of high treason, treason-felony, or treasonable practices, wherever committed, or of any crime punishable by law committed in a prescribed district, being an act of violence or intimidation, or the inciting to an act of violence or intimidation, and tending to interfere with or distrust the maintenance of law and order, may be arrested in any part of Ireland and legally detained during the continuance of this Act in such prison in Ireland as may from time to time be directed by the Lord-Lieutenant without bail or main-prize; and shall not be discharged or tried by any Court without the direction of the Lord Lieutenant ; and every such warrant shall be conclusive evidence for all matters therein contained, and of. the jurisdiction to issue and execute such warrant and of the legality of the arrest and detention of the person mentioned in such warrant. “ 2. Any person detained in pursuance of a warrant under this Act shall be treated as a person accused of crime, and not as a convicted prisoner. “ 3. A list of all persons for the time being detained in prison under this Act, with a statement opposite each person’s name of the prison in which he is de-

Gained for the time being, and of the ground staled for his arrest in the warrant under which he is detained, shall be kid before each House of Parliament within the first seven ckys of every month during which Parliament is 'sitting. “ 4. ‘Prescribed district' means any part of Ireland in that behalf specified by An order of the Lord-Lieutenant for the time being in force; aiid the LordLieutenant, by and with the advice of the Privy j n Ireland, may from time to time make, and when made revoke and alter, aiiy sudh order, h. 1. Any such warrant or order of the Lord-Lieutehaht under this Act may be signified under his hand or the hand of the chief secretary to the LordLientenant, and a copy of every warrant under this act shall within seven days after the execution thereof be transmitted to the clerk of the Crown for the county of the city of Dublin, and be filed by him in his public office in that city. “2. The Lord-Lieutenant, by and With the advice of the Privy Council ih Ireland, may from time to time make, and when made revoke and alter, an b'rder prescribing the forms of warrants for the purpose of this Act, and any forms so prescribed shall when used be Valid in law. “3. Every order Under this Act shalll be published in the Dublin Gazette, and the production c.f a printed copy of the Dublin Gazette purporting to be printed and published by the Queen’s authority, containing the publication of any order under this Act, shall be conclusive evidence of the contents of such order, and of the date thereof, and of the same having been duly made. “4. The expression * Lord-Lieuten-ant’ means the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland or other chief governor or governors of Ireland for time beings iii. This Act shall continue in foi’ce until the 30th day of September, 1882, and no longer.