The Northwestern standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1885-1886, 1886-01-30
THE LAND.

! A|AI1llllf Ny -f4Ls SllGL1C9 l1JtAWOOAA AlS
4 which we clip the following passages::
THE LAND. 48 Z 8
4 Dies the land Of Ireland produce al
| it can? or is tia fact that whilst man,
i in this country perisled iu days gon
a BY, whilst millions left it, and not few
Istill suffer for want of food and Wills
there is q perpetual moan going up TO
capital and wealth, that there is capita
and wealth, and food, and clothing, ant
shelter for millions more than our pre-
sent population, lying undeyeloped il
the land? fso, then it ISL not only i
disgrace to a Government, but it is an
loutrage upon God, that any barriers
Should be placed BY man to these re-.
sources; and where de has given con
ditions OF comfort and independe to
create a state of things where a people
die in thousands, fly in millions, and
such as remain at home are rendered
mendicants for the world Il charity. ia
his book on the Industrial Resources
Of Ireland, " written forty years ago,
Sir Robert Kane quotes an eminent au-
therity Mr.. Blacker), who thus wrote
at that period: 1T appears that the
county of Armagh contains 2l2, ,755
acres, and a population Of &c, 1858 souls,
and the entire country u, 19O, ,726 acres
and z ,s39 ,469 souls. Now, in the county
Armagh, by arecent survey, the peas
ants are better clothed, lodged, and fed,
than they are in most other counties in
Ireland If, then, 2l2. .755 acres give 22o,-
653 souls, 1870, ,726 acres (the entire
contents OF the country ought to give
a population of I7,S28, $50 instead of
1889 ,469, the population at present.
and he continued. though Armagh
was indiferently cultivated, yet if all
the parts of the country were as well
cultivated it would support two and a
half times its present inhabitants, and
be able to export provisions largely,
Sir Robert Kane did not at the Indus
try Commission discredit this authority.
and the information tiiso oitsS h 4 ia not
show that the resources of gse country
have declined, although ihstsad " Of in.
creasing by two and half, its poplla-
tion has decreased from nearly eight
millions to five. The first step towards
the increased development of the land
is a thorough system Of drainage. This
work, if thoroughly carried out, means
the Improvement Of all the land now
under cultivation; it means, according
to Professor Tyndall, an increase In
our temperature by four degrees, and it
means the reclamation Of waste lands.
In his evidence on this point before the
Industry Commission, DR.. Sullivan
says: within the last few days my
has been drawn to the first act
connected with inland navigation in
Ireland that Of 1715-.in which atten-
tion was called to the condition OF the
central plain of Ireland, and the neces-
sity of carrying canals through it,
which have the double purpose Of drain
age and reclamation; and the conclu-
sion / have come to is, that from that
day to this the subject has been before |
the minds of the people, but nothing
has been done about it. Although the
two great canals have been made
through it, they have been carried
above the level of the bogs, they have
!, ~ car,nJ fcr ,Jra; .nfJ fhsa 1ay,J 10
still undrained. 2 According to the
evidence of Mr.. Kinahan, before the
same commission, there are 5000, 600 |
acres, half Of which could be reclaimed
and cultivated with profit. Let US put
that down at even los an acre per an
mum, and we have 81 500 600 Of wealth |
added to Ireland, or, what is more inn
portant, a1, ,500, 600 worth Of food raised |
for her people. Add to this the i'm
by sufficient drainage of the
!and under cultivation and many more
millions are added to the wealth of the
country Mr. Kinahan relates in his |
book on this subject how the Dutch |
Government reclaimed Haarlem Meer /
1t costof 9S59 coo, aud then sold it I
for cost price to occupiers. It now pays |
J most abundant profit. And, speaking
Of these works of the Dutch Govern
nent, j. S. Mill says: The labour
and capital which have been sunk in /
rendering Holland habjtabie would /
have produced much greater return If |
transported to Ireland, !" and yet this
great possible, profitable, and necessary |
work remains undone.
THE FISHERIES.
The next great and undeveloped
source of wealth is to be found IN the
fisheries Of our seas and rivers. Absurd F
and Worn-out charters and private
rights lock up our rivers, making it I
penal except for some privileged indi-
ridual to cast rod or net in Gods I