The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1904-12-16
IRISH POTATO
CROP FAILED
Great Distress in Connauqht
and Other Poor Districts.
AID URGENTLY DEMANDED
MEETING OF THE PARLIAMENT
TARY PARTY.

'<~DAiA' DCN- ~ ne meeting OF the
Irish parliamentary party to discuss
the distress in the west Of ireland and
consider means to force the govern
ment to provide for the. immediate ne
eeseities and put the land act in oper-
alton in Connaught and other poor dis
tricts," was held here today under the
presidency Of John Redmond. A reso-
luton was passed condemning the gov
eminent for the existing distress in
Ireland, demanding that immediate
steps be taken to relieve it, and also
demanding that powers be given for
the distribution Of land in the poor dis
tricts. The local government board
however, to some degree forestalled the
meeting by taking steps which it is
considered will be effective in relieving
the tenants who are affected by the
failure of the potato crop.
Resolutions Adopted.
The meeting was held in the.Mansion
house. and there were present John
Dillon, T. c. Harrington. Joseph Dew
lin, Sir H. G. EsmOnde and a majority
of the nationalist members of the
house of commons. Resolutions were
unanimously adopted, the first of which
says: Owing to a failure of the po-
tatO crop, such as has occurred at reg
ular intervals in the last sixty years.
aggravated this season by a terrible
shortage in the earnings of migratory
harvesters and a sharp fall in agricul-
tural products, the population of con-
siderable portions of the west of Ire
land has been plunged into acute dis
tress, which in many districts will re-
suit in famine unless the government
takes prompt measures
The second resolution holds the gov
eminent directly responsible because it
has persistently refused to take the
necessary steps to relieve chronic des-
titutiOn, and earnestly calls upon the
government, even at the eleventh hour,
10 apply the provisions of the land act
in the west of Ireland as far as pos
sible without legislation, and at the
earliest moment introduce in parlia-
ment an amending bill making the land
act apply to the western problem.
The third resolution maintains that
the proper temporary remedy is not
charity, but the starting of works
which will be Of permanent utility in
the distressed districts, enabling the
people to earn their livelihood by hon
est labor. The resolutions suggest
measures to deal with the present
emergency, such as facilitating land
transfers and giving the congested dis
tricts board free hand and authority to
include purchases and initiate relief
works.
Special Aid Asked.
The fourth resolution demands that
a special distress grant be Immediately
placed at the disposal Of the congested
districts board for carrying out relief
or establishing productive works of a
permanently beneficial character
The fifth resolution demands that
harbOr and pier works under the ma
rine works act on the western coast
should be Immediately commenced.
The sixth resolution says that the
provision of fresh potato seed is Of
urgent necessity, but the memorialists
feel bound 10 point out that this meas
ure will be ineffective for the relief of
distress before August next, and that
the method of distribution the local
government board proposes and the de
mand for full repayment of the cost of
seed by the affected areas is most IN
satisfactory and unjust
Provision Should Be Made.
The next resolution declares that ex-
perience has proved that the provision
of potato seed for a district liable to
periodic failure of the potato crop
ought not to be left till a catastrophe
has occurred, and that when so left the
provision of fresh seed in the hurry and
under the pressure Of calamity has al
ways resulted in great eXtravagan
and frequently in the provision of ex-
tremely bad seed at excessive cost. The
agricultural department, il is urged,
should provide for the steady and con-
slant introduction of fresh varieties of
seed potatoes into districts so disas-
trOusly dependent upon the potato crop.
The eighth resolution is as follows:
We feel bound TO condemn in the
strongest terms the conduct of Irish
landlords in aggravating the distress
by pressing for full rents and arrears
in this disastrous year. and issuing
ejectment processes by wholesale. We
believe that these proceedings are a
direct conspiracy to use distress for the
purpose of cOercing the people to agree
to the purchase Of their holdings at
ruinOus prices"