The Irish standard., 1897-02-06
Her Productions are Pure and
Valuable and not Mere
limitations.
Shipbuilding Not Equalled on the
Tyne, the Clyde or the
Jersey.
The Best "French" Linen is Made
in the North of Ireland
in Belfast.

Most EngliShmen are under the i'm
preston that the only thing in which
Ireland beats them is In bogs and the
number of it's emigrants. And even
among Irishmen themselves the belief
prevails that in industry and commerce
they take very back seat.
AS d matter of fact, considering the
dearth of capital and the political unrest
under which the Emerald isle labors,
she has good reason to be proud of her
self Handicapped as Ireland is, she can
boast of the largest shipbuilding and the
largest brewery concerns in the world,
of supplying half the people of these
islands with their liner collars, table,
cloths, handkerchiefs and shirts, of plac-
ing on their breakfast table the choicest
bacon and butter-although these gener-
ally masquerade as products Of Wiltshire
and Dorset-and OF beating the Scotch
hollow with their famous John jane
sonN.
There is nothing Of which England and
Scotland are more proud than their skill
in'building, ships. But neither the Tyne,
the Clyde nor the Mersey can show any
thing equal to the shipbuilding yard Of
Harland & Wolff Of Belfast. For four
successive years this frm has held the
highest place in the world as regards
the, amount of tonnage launched Only
forty years ago the factory was so small
that its total of employees amounted TO
less than 100 men. At present it employs
5000, which probaDl means that 1t Is
the life and support of some 10000 men,
women and children--the population Of
a goOd-sized town. The works cover
eighty acres, and include such a host If
carpenters and joiners' shops, painters
shops, cabinetmakers' shops, upholster-
ers' shops, bodybuilding sheds, drying
kilns, engine works, etc. that the visitor
thinks he is in large manufacturing
town rather than in a single factory.
All the ships of the White Star Line were
built here, including the famous Teuto-
mic and Majestic. The largest vessel for
commercial purposes afoat was complet-
ed at Belfast last year. She is now en-
gagged in the cattle trade, and carries the
enormous burden Of 10,100 tons. Several
gunboats have also been built by Messrs
Harland & Wolff for the navy; and crui-
sers and batleships have been engined
by them. And we do not hear OF that
accident so common in the English fleet,
the breakdown Of machinery, ever oc-
curing to those ships which have got
their machinery in Belfast
Nothing in the nature of shoddy" ever
comes from Ireland, in fact. That is
why the Canadian in his Irish frieze coat
and Donegal stockings, defies the winter;
why "Balbriggan" hosea dozen pairs
of which would wear as long as the
Queens reign-are initiated by not only
English but German manufacturers; why
Irish stout has foreign export greater
than the total export from England,
Scotland and Wales
Guinness brewery hardly needs de-
scription. 1t is probably the best exist
ing proof that all Ireland needs to make
her great industrial nation is few do
rf ito1 o,,S M
mercial company in the world can show
record as that Guinness during the past
ten years. The enormous trade of this
firm may be understood from the fact
that their products pay e5OO,00O excise
every year. Although only one out of
the 13, 900 British breweries, they produce
one barrel in twenty Of the total British
brew. 1t takes $1,000 acres to grow the
100000 bushels of barley (one-third Of
the.whoIe produce of Ireland) which they
use annually. They have storage for
1000, 900 bushels OF malt and 10000" "pock-
cts" of hops; they have nine miles of
watermains. and $50 horses; employ 40
hands to make barrels alone and $500
hands altogether, and have printing
press that turns out 1OO,0 ,00O, 900 labels an
nually. And they click creation" in ma
king stout.
n Another industry in which ireland ex-
cells IS linen making. A London outfitter
told the writer that every high-class lin
en- shirt, collar and handkerchief in the
London shops comes from the north of
4 ireland. France has a reputation for
turning ut finer quality than Belfast,
& but the best French goods are really
Irish. and that amusing story is true Of
the Belfast manufacturer wife who
brought home some beautiful handker-
chiefs from Paris, and asked her hus-
hand why he could not make goods like
s3acr On exan1iriat tion he found them 4