The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1886-08-20
The Poverty Of Ireland.
WHY THE IRISH EMlGRATE --RENrs AND
wAGEs-A MARKET SCENE IN
GALWAY.

DcW JHus Virtues Vi Ine CohuitiOh vi |
Ireland:
The present population of Ireland is
almost exactly what 1t was at the be.
ginning of the century. 1t was then
about FIVE millions, and rapidly in
creased until 184l, when it numbered |
S,196,O0O. Then il began todiminish,
aud in 1881 numbered only 5,174,000 |
"a loss of a million every decade. |
This bare fact is strong presumptive
evidence that the economic conditions |
of the country are bad, and at least |
largely responsible for the present con
dition of things. An English guide |
book innocently says: SIN 1S45 the
failure Of the potato and consequent
famine caused it rapidly to decline
through increased emigration; and
with the absence Of manufactures
and by changes in the methods of ag-
riculture, the decrease has continued
up to the present time" 1t is, after
all, sort Of confession that the sys
TEN is at least partly to blame.
The Irish do not more readily leave
their country than do the people of
other countries. They are readily
much attached to Ireland, and there is
no better proof of this than the fact
that they always consider it duty to
contribute to the fund for the liberia
tion of the country from British rule.
When they obtain home rule there is
no doubt thousands of them will flock
back to Ireland. because of their at
tachment to their old home.
Nothing is more astonishing than to
find country with such resources as
Ireland, and so few of them even so
fairly developed. There is fair sup
ply of good coal, but it is entirely un-
developed, and what is used is brought
almost wholly from England. There
are immense deposits of iron ore-red
hemitite and bog iron, both in abund
ance, the former in connection with
the coal deposits. In happier days
there were at one time very many
small furnaces and iron works here
and there over ireland, but they are
all gone now. The iron wealth Of
the country, too, like the coal, lies
all undeveloped and unused. The En-
glish wisely account for this by saying
that there is no capital in Ireland with
which to develop its resources. 1t is
very true that there is not much capi.
tai IN the country, but it is also true
that the English have always carefully
strangled such Irish industries as
showed the least signs of vitality, un-
less they were in lines which could
offer no competition with British in
terests.' Unfortunately for Ireland,
these British interests allow the exist
ence of no rival interests, if it is their
power to kill them.
In passing through the various towns
of Ireland, except Belfast and few
other towns in the north, one notices
an almost entire absence of manufac-
turing industry of any kind The
people say: "We formerly had wool
len mill, or cotton mill, but it is not
running now 1t is story of de-
parted glory or prosperity almost ov-
erywhere The lack of prosperity is
well shown by the stationary and Of
ten diminishing population of the
towns. Cork had 10000 people in
1861, and did not increase a hundred
in the following twenty years, and the
same is true of scores of other towns
Many are going into actual decay.
Galway is an example. 1t has a fine
harbor, and ought to be the great ter
minus of the North Atlantic steamship
routes, but its shipping is really very
unimportant. 1t is town slowly 90,
ing into decay and ruin. In some
streets there are whole lines of ware
houses, three and four stories high,
which have been wholly unused for
years, and are going into decay.
Rents of houses IN the towns are
not high as compared with rents in ouI
Atlantic towns, but they are very high
when we consider the low wages re.
ceived, and the depressed state OF
nearly all industries. a hovel, fit only
for pigs, can be rented in the suburbs
of Galway and other like towns fol
so cents a week, but then the laborer's
wages are only $3.50 a week at most
and bread aud meat are relatively high
American fresh beef is about Is cent.
pound in Galway, and bread is a,
dear as in New York The Irish poo
make shift to live on potatoes alon'
when they cannot get bread and beef
The prices of butter, eggs and mill
need not be mentioned, for the Irisi
poor seldom indulge in such luxuries
In Ulster farm laborers get somewha
higher pay than in the west and soutl
of Ireland; but even here 50 week i
very fair wages, and this without foo,
of any kind, as a rule In the ives
and south about 81 week is com
/ mon wages. In many parts Of tn
country ! asked carefully about wages
and could hear of nothing above 5
, cents day for unskilled labor, excep
, in a few favored towns like Belfas
, and in these one occasionally hears c
Is cents day. | talked with youn
I man who was going to Enniskillen-
town of nearly 5000 people, in Ulste
t to work as coach painter. He wa
' to work for 2S shillings a week-sa
Just about 81. He said that the sam
r work was paid about so cents wee
@ more in Belfast. A printer in Galwa
II told me that his wages were nominal
,. a pound a week, but that he worke
v enough overtime to get "a shilling
(S6) as an average. His living co
k him about "a.
o But the lot of farm laborers al
e small renters is hardest of all. III
d homes of these are usually most mise
y able excuses for human habitatiou
They are seldom surrounded by shru
's berry of any kind, and never by al
y fruit trees. The only orchards in Il
1t country are small enclosures of frr
IS trees owned by the nobility or wealth
W farmers. They are very few, howeve
T. l seldom caught sight of an apple
r pear tree, and yet these fruits bo
grow well in Ireland, Tenants (
leases sometimes have fairly comfol
able and attractive homes, but I
yearly tenants are much more num'
ous, and these have only one promne