§ Mr. T. P. O'CONNOR(by Private Notice) asked the Chief Secretary for Ireland whether his attention has been called to the following description in the "Daily News" of this morning of the Hate of things in Tralee:
It is like a town with the plague. Not a shop is open and people remain behind closed doors and shuttered windows from morning to nightfall. An hour before darkness sets in women and children leave their homes and go anywhere they can for the night.About 280 women and children sleep in the workhouse every night. The men who remain in the town are in constant dread during the long hours of the night. When morning dawns efforts are made to secure food some way or other, but the slightest sound on the streets, even in broad daylight, has the effect of making people run indoors again.I will omit a passage, because I think it is only a repetition of a previous statement, and I come to this: 1189It was the police who gave permission to the bakers and butchers to give supplies, and it was by police orders that all other business is shut down.This morning the police gave permission to two local bacon factories to work for the day in saving meat which otherwise would have gone bad. It was the acting county inspector who gave a written order to the Tralee gas manager to continue gas and water supplies.It is, therefore, plain to everybody that police rule is the only rule in Tralee which must be obeyed, and the police themselves so proclaim openly.Whether he still persists in the statement that this holding up of Tralee was not done by the direct orders of the police; and what steps he proposes to take to put an end at once to this action by the police authorities.I endeavoured to give the Chief Secretary as early notice as I could of this question, so I sent him two letters, one giving the general effect of the question I desired to ask, and the second giving details. I hope I have given the right hon. Gentleman sufficient time to prepare an answer.
§ Sir H. GREENWOODI have seen the hon. Member's general letter saying that he was going to raise this question of the article in the "Daily News," and I draw his attention to the fact that the beginning of the article is:
Strangely contradictory reports are now arriving from Tralee.I have read the article in question, and I have nothing to add or to alter in the reply which I gave to the House yesterday.
§ Mr. O'CONNORDoes the right hon. Gentleman persist in the statement that the holding up of business in Tralee was not directed and carried out by the police?
§ Sir H. GREENWOODI made an answer to that statement yesterday.
§ Mr. O'CONNORWe shall have an opportunity of testing the accuracy of that statement.