The Report of the Irish Convention was published in last
Saturday's papers. We comment on it elsewhere. Here we need only say that the Report is mainly a narrative of the proceedings, with the Home Rule scheme adopted by the Majority, various Minority Reports, and a long introductory letter from Sir Horace Plunkett, the Chairman. The only clauses of the Home Rule scheme upon which the Convention was unanimous were those estab- lishing the bare principle that Ireland should contribute towards Imperial Services, and urging the completion of Land Purchase. The Chairman states that the main difficulties centred in Ulster and the Customs. The Southern Unionists under Lord Midleton accepted Home Rule in return for special representation for the Unionist minority. But they insisted that the power to fix the rates of Customs duties should he reserved to the Imperial Government, whereas the Nationalists stood out for the right of Ireland, like the Dominions, to manage her own Customs. A majority of the Nationalists agreed with the Southern Unionists that the question of the control of.Customs and Excise should be deferred for not more than seven years after the conclusion of peace.
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