The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1904-12-11
GAUNI7 FAMINE LOOMS
IN VEST on IRELAND
Poorest Island Historic Connema,a C1ches
Of Dire Famine

has before him the appalling prospect&ot
nine long and dreary months Of "b,Iying
food and everything with no idea on
earth of how he Is to manage It.
The shopkeepcrs cannot give hin: credit.
The smaller ones especially kare bsar
hard hitSof late. They depend mostly on \
tho peasant. and go down with him whom
his hope, the potato, falls him. 1t Is a
tragic existence. z !.
One OF the sravest questions Is where
the seed for the next seasof's crop Is to
come from. The government. no doubt.
will he appealed to. SO far III has given
very little indication that 1t really appre-Sf
clatcH the grim seriousness OF the stua-
ton, especially in tho districts off tho
beasen tracks.
Few Chances for Optimism.
I have heard that there Is "a govern
ment Inspector or two taking notes IN the
south. That generally means little There
Is Il sarcastic Irish song, 1.-THE board will
send inspectors down, !" which means that
something may happen about st. Tibb's
Eve. 1t is sad fact that It takes a
famine to draw serious attention to inner
Connaught, which, by the way, has con-
siderable Industrial possibilities.
sConnauEht these days gives few chances
to optimism. Externally snowbound,
and fierce hailstor1ns lash IT. In furious
fits aud starts. Inland the very houses
Of the peasants lave a strangely crushed
look Often the chimneys have almost
sunk out OF sight, as little giants OF
nights. had struck them with their
clenched fists. 5js #
Almost every stretch OF country land
scapo gives the sense OF place from
which humanity has departed One's first
question on entering a3Connaught coun-s
try scene Is Where are the people ~
They seem to shrink and hide away. In
truth away from the tourist tracks
they take some finding" but when you
find them they are the usual hard toilera,j
the women and children as we'll as the
men. At present. alas they are mostly
crushed and dazcd--dazed is the only
word. gil3 ,a4t
Former Relief Works.
8I have had an interview with John
O'Donnell, NJ. Pr, for South M ayo, on the
subject Of the distress. s5} Est
without extra relief, III he said, there's
nothing for the people but to de- il They
have little to look for from the rates
which have alread reached the point at
which any useful increase is impossible
As for the assisted fisheries and the fac
tories OF * The Congested Districts Board,
they do no more I han skim the surface
OF the ma ter. IN l
Il He stated that when the last relief
works were initiated maladministrat ton;
nepotlsm. and downing corruption went
far to stul tify their purpose. si'.'T Think OF
a big policeman drawing twenty-four shil-a
|lings a week extra pay to stand over five
or six old women or old men carrying
stones on their ba cks, 10 remarked. RI
that money were given to them I could
see some sense in n t;s as It was. three
fo,rths OF the money was swallowed up
In getting one-fourth to the people who
needed IT, !}555 5$3 35 ia;I t$
VI Mr.. O,Donnell. however, sees no pros
pect OF h anything but succession OF
famines while the people live in Come
mara. s Il i }Ss Oh
John Dillon. NJ. 4 F. has written a letter
! to the County Council OF 1; N ayo urging
them to promot To eetings throughout the
distressed districts Of the west, Ito call the
attention Of the government to the failure
~ the pota to crop & Will a view to the;
nauguratlons Of rel lief m easures.
II The Galway County Counal | has passed
resolution to- this effect. und suggests
the starting OF relief works. II Fl.