Increase in firearms in Belfast
An official return issued by the Belfast Harbour Board today showed that during the final three months of 1913, 13 tons of firearms were imported into Belfast. This figure compares with four tons with the corresponding period of the previous year.
There has also been an increase of gunpowder imported in the same period, jumping from 29 tons to 71 tons.
This is despite the Royal Proclamation banning the importation of arms and ammunition into Ireland last December. This increase reflects the activities of the Ulster Volunteer Force, the Irish Volunteers and similar groups throughout the country.