ACCORDING to the official report issued last night by the British Labour Party deputation [to investigate conditions in Ireland], the delegates discussed with a deputation of merchants from the Dublin Chamber of Commerce the situation in Ireland, particularly from a commercial point of view.

The merchants expressed fear any scheme of partition in Ireland would result in a commercial war and noted that the West of Ireland had already threatened to cease trading with Ulster.

Attention was drawn by them to the housing problem in Ireland and the statement was made that housing was practically at a standstill, that it was practically impossible to obtain building materials and the principal brick factories were idle because no house building was in progress.

They also expressed the view that the atmosphere was too highly charged to admit of a settlement of the political question but, if Great Britain took a more enlightened and sympathetic interest in Irish affairs, and adopted many necessary remedial measures, an atmosphere would be produced which would be conducive to a durable settlement.

At the Shelbourne Hotel the delegates received a deputation from the Irish Unionist Anti-Partition League.

Subsequently, Mr Scott Lindsay, the secretary of the Labour delegation, said these Southern Unionists ‘did their best to show that any scheme of partition in Ireland would be bound to fail’.

Afterwards, Mr Arthur Henderson, MP said that the delegation to Ireland was expected to make some serious contribution to the information by the Labour Party upon the actual situation in Ireland.

The Labour delegates will travel to Belfast today