The Sun.
London, England, 1869-10-01 00:00:00

TIIE LABOURERS IN IRELAND.

The Irish labourers are awakening from their
lethargy. Feeling that they can fairly claim a share
of the benefits which Parliament may be induced to
ilistrjakutitinz clubs to
_agitatetheir

tirrn umiarr. vile or ir.e many rewecia rn wmcn tno
condition of the labourer may be improved is that of
dwellings, which are now wretched in many parts of
Ireland. The Kanturk Labourers' Club has hold ite
first meeting, and has passed a resolution soliciting
the Government to insert a clause in the Land Bill
which will secure each labourer a house fit to live in,
with an acre of ground attached to each, at a fail
rent.

THE TRADE OF THE COUNTRY.
Is the trade of the country in a satisfactory condi-
tion, or is it not ? are questions repeatedly asked on
all sides. Various opinions have been hazarded in
answer, but the Manchester Guardian, in an exceed.
ingly able and exhaustive article, clearly shews that the
country is undoubtedly in a prosperous condition. Our
contemporary proves this by comparing our condition
in 1868 to that in 1865, a year free of trade disaster.
In the first place, the nation owes the public creditor
less by £11,328,000 than it did four years ago ;
secondly, the total value of imports and exports in
1868 exceeds that of 1865 by upwards of £33,000,000.
Taking the net value of raw cotton imported, there is
an increase of more than £35,000,000 in the four
years. Then the navigation tables disclose no weak-
ness—rather the contrary. The official tonnage
of British and foreign vessels which have
entered inwards and cleared outwards has
increased during the three years subsequent
to 1865 by no less than 4,339,000 tons. Everybody
must also rejoice at the prosperity wYcli leads to
a larger use of tea, coffee, and sugar. The ratio of
consumption in sugar increased nearly 211 b. per heal,
and in tea nearly ilb. Coffee was more used. in 1868
than in 1865 by o.lBlb. per head. It is not
so satisfactory in a moral point of view
to perceive that there was a positive
increase in the consumption of spirits.
The quantity cleared for home use in 1865 was 0.94
of a gallon per head of population, while in 1868 it
was 0.98, thus shewing, an increase of .04 of a gallon.
There was an increase also in tobacco ; the propor-
tion rose to 1•351 b. in 1866, and at that point it
remains. There has been a very slight falling off in
malt. Coming to savings banks, we are glad
to observe that the capital standing to the
credit of the depositors is increasing. The disasters
of 1866 told very specifically upon savings bank funds,
for on the 31st December of that year depositors'
balances were £768,000 less than at the end of 1865; but
in 1867 and 1868 a marked recovery took place, and
last year the sum was £3,268,000 more than in 1865,
and upwards of £4,000,000 more than in 1866. In
1868 the amount of capital accumulated in
savings' banks of all kinds was £48,539,000.
To conclude, the railway traffic receipts of
1867 were nearly £4,000,000 beyond those of 1865 ;
and the aggregate value of the coal raised and of the
metal extracted from British ores was about a mil-
__

lion sterling above the value of 1865. The-olaria;
submits that these facts prove that the permanent
trade of this country, as distinguishable from its trade
of enterprise, is established upon a wider and more
solid base than ever.