§ 12. Mr. C. WHITEasked the Chief Secretary whether an inquiry has been held into the alleged wrecking by the police of many houses at Castlerea, County Roscommon, on the 2nd August last; and whether any punishments have been inflicted?
Sir A. GREENWOODI have called for the Police Reports in reference to this matter and shall be glad if the hon. Member will kindly repeat the question one day next week.
§ Mr. C. WHITEAs this occurred in August last, is it not time some report had been received about it?
§ Sir H. GREENWOODReports have no doubt been received, and in about 40 other cases of a similar kind embodied in questions to-day by the hon. Member and his Friends, all of them based on Sinn Fein propaganda. [HON. MEMBERS: "No,"and "Withdraw! "]
§ Captain W. BENNAs the right hon. Gentleman has referred to questions on the Paper and their origin, and I have some questions down, can he be called upon to substantiate the statement he has just made imputing improper action to hon. Members?
§ Mr. SPEAKERI do not think the Chief Secretary should have used the words he did. It does involve suggestions against hon. Members.
Lieut.-Colonel J. WARDAs these three questions, repeated one after another on the Paper as if they had been handed out together in some way, lead naturally to that suspicion, would it not be better to avoid the suspicion by mixing them up?
§ Mr. SPEAKERI think we can all form our own judgment.
§ Lieut.-Commander KENWORTHYOn a point of Order. May I ask whether, in view of your opinion just given, the Chief Secretary ought not to withdraw his remark?
§ Mr. SPEAKERThe Chief Secretary assented to what I said.
§ Lieut.-Commander KENWORTHYI did not observe it.
§ Mr. SPEAKERI am afraid the hon. and gallant Member would be withdrawing rather continuously if I adopted a very punctilious attitude.
§ Mr. C. WHITEMay I ask you, Sir, whether a Member is not entitled to ask questions which have as their foundations reports in the public Press of this country? That is exactly what my questions are founded on.
§ Mr. SPEAKERAn hon. Member is supposed to have some personal knowledge and to be able, primâ facie, to vouch for his statements. I do not think he is entitled to take any publication he sees, but he himself is the judge, and we must trust hon. Members not to make implications on one side or the other in these matters.
§ Lieut. - Commander KENWORTHYMay I say that my three questions are founded on documentary evidence from relatives of the sufferers?
§ Mr. SPEAKERI am assuming the hon. Member's good faith. It is far from me to do anything else.
§ 53. Major M. WOODasked the Chief Secretary whether any arrests have been made in connection with the destruction by members of the Crown forces of shops and houses at Feakle, County Clare, on the 7th October, 1920?
§ Sir H. GREENWOODThe inquiries which have been made have failed to elicit any information as to the persons by whom this destruction was committed, and no arrests have yet been made.
§ 78. Mr. MOSLEYasked the Chief Secretary whether subsequent to an attack at Gort on 15th May, 12 houses in the neighbourhood were burned down or partially destroyed; whether it was an official reprisal; if not, what steps have been taken against the forces of the Crown guilty of the destruction; and whether the town of Gort is in the martial-law area?
§ Sir H. GREENWOODI presume the hon. Member, when he uses the words, "an attack at Gort" refers to the carefully planned and cold-blooded murder of District Inspector and Mrs. Blake and Captain Cornwallis and Lieutenant McCreery of the 19th Lancers. The police report that on 16th May four shops in Gort were maliciously wrecked and in some cases goods were taken. Inquiry 1212 is being made in the matters, but I have at present no evidence as to the identity of the persons responsible for this destruction.