4 AUGUST 1939, Page 2

The I.R.A. Deportations Swift measures were taken immediately after the

Royal Assent had been given to the Prevention of Violence Bill to round up the suspects, and within a day or two it was believed that the real leaders of the so-called I.R.A. in England were among those deported to Ireland. Deportation orders continue to be signed by the Home Secretary in regard to others whom the police have good reason to suppose were agents acting for the movement. The appointment of Sir Walter Monckton, K.C., to hear appeals lodged by suspects against expulsion is a protection against any insufficiently considered action that might be taken by the police. The headquarters of the I.R.A. in Dublin, which has been de- clared an illegal organisation in Eire, none the less continues to function in the country of which it professes to be the legitimate Government. Its activities present a delicate problem for Mr. de Valera, who deplores them, but hesitates to challenge violence and the hostility of those who still cherish a sympathy for the " wild men " of tradition. We have no such tradition in this country, where public opinion demands the extirpation of this organised, though com- pletely ineffective, terrorism.