HOME RULE.

Taranaki Daily News, 5 June 1920, Page 5

HOME RULE.

DISCUSSED IN COMMONS. CONTROL OF ARMED FORCES, By Seleerapb.—Tress Assn.—Copyright, p! Received June 5, 12.10 a.m. London, Juno 2. In the House of Commons, on the Home Rule Bill, Captain C. Coote (Coali-tion-Liberal) moved the omission of the provision reserving to Imperial control the armed forces of the Crown. He suggested: "If we give the Irish Parliaments control of the armed forces things will come to such a pass that Irishmen will be compelled to unite." Mr. Walter Long (who is acting ChiefSecretary for Ireland) said the fact that additional troops weiti still being dispatched to Ireland proved th* determination of the Government to do everything to restore order. Ex-service men in Ireland were being hounded out of the country by Sinn Feiners, yet it was proposed in the amendment to transfer to the Sinn Feiners control of the armed forces. There was no comparison between Ireland and the I Dominions on this point, and any attempt to hand over the military forces |to the Irish Parliaments ought to be resisted to the uttermost

Sir Edward Carson opposed the amendment. He appealed to the Government to modify the Bill with a view of delegating certain specific powers to the Irish Parliaments, which ought to be enlarged in future, wtiile the real strength and power was left to the Imperial Parliament. He believed, moreover, that the Bill would lead to separation, and he said the people of Ulster were complaining that the Government was kicking them out. The state of things in the South and in the W" was hideous and disgraceful to tinBritish Government. The amendment was negatived without a division.—Aus.-N.Z. Cable Assn.