Omaha daily bee., 1907-10-27
IRISH HOME RULE
New County Councils Are Saving
Taxpayers Great Sums.
ECONOMY IN ROAD BUILDING
Steam Rollers Are Introduced for the
First Time.
LABOR Is EMPLOYED DIRECT
Price is Reduced from Thirty to
Twenty Cents a Perch.
RATE COLLECTION IMPROVES
Local Tax Books Are Closed Promptly
for First Time I'm Years
Big Decrease I'm
PauDerism.
LABOR Is EMPLOYED DIRECT
RATE COLLECTION IMPROVE.


Iarly elected county councils which were
constituted under the local government act
a few years ago. The annual report of
the local government board has just been
issued and II shows that the work OF
these councils in the administration of
local affairs is far superior to that Of the
old grand juries. which were composed
Of the landlords and their satellites in the
districts over which they exercised ire
sponsIble sway.
one OF the great works which has been
accomplished by the county councils is
the improvement. of the roads. 1t may
seem strange TO American ears to hear
local authority Dragging about the adop-
tion OF steam rollers as a great step in
advance, but It is a step in advance. The
old method of building and maintaining
Irish roads was by hand labor Seventeen
out Of the twenty-three county councils
have introduced steam rollers for the
roads and the result is that they are get
ting much better roads for much less
money than formerly. Several Of them
have also introduced the direct employ
rnent OF labor on the roads. and the Tip
perary county council reports that whereas
the contract price was 80 cents a perch, II
Is now getting the work better done by
direct labor for 20 cents a perch. The
in three years from 1856 to 7H miles.
Collection of Rates Improves.
The collection OF rates has also been
much improved Only two rate collectors
in the whole Of Ireland had not completed
the collection Of all the local taxes in
their districts at the end Of the last fiscal
year. Under the old system the books
were often kept open for Eve or six years,
One of the most striking cases of eff
cheney is in the working OF the public
health and sanitation acts. The number
Of cases Of fever last year was the lowest
on record, and IN all OF Ireland there was
only one case of -smailpgy. and that was
Imported by a commercial traveller from
Nh8iand
The report also notes a great decrease
In the humber Of outdoor paupers-thatis is,
persons who although not inmates OF the
workhouse are receiving relief from the
guardians. There were 5.O57 fewer OF these,
persons than I'm the previous year and there
was no increase in the number of indoor
paupers except in the ihfrmaries where 800
more patients were treated. This is ex-
planned by the enforcement of the policy
OF inducing the sick poor whenever possible
to enter the infirmaries and receive proper
treatment The cost of outdoor relief has
been reduced $4,000 and the cost in indoor
relief in spite of the increase Of hospital
inmates has been reduced By good man
agement to s12,5Oo.
Lunatic in Business.
One OF the curiosities left over from
the old administration of the public char
flies has just been discovered by the Don
eKaI district asylum management commit
tee. It seems that a lunatic who has
been an inmate OF the asylum at Letter
kenny for the last six years has all that
time been carrying on a profitable trade as
q sheep dealer. He rented grazing lands
bought and sold sheep. and he was al
lowed to attend the fairs and markets In
charge OF a keeper He received his busi-
ness letters and kilograms at the asylum
and one Of the clerical stan kept his books
and collected his accounts 1t Is said that
several OF the asylum attendants and ON
cials profted by tho inmates expert knowi-
edge Of sheep to do a little trading OF their
own All this time the lunatc who was
making an average profit OF more than
$4,000 year was being supported out OF the
taxes. The committee promptly directed
its lawyer to recover the money spent on
kis maintenance and a special committee
Was appointed to find out whether a man
who was sane enough to earn 5000 year
at sheep dealing among the sharpest buy
ers ana sellers In the world, IS mad enough
to be detained in an asylum.
Lord Aberdeen, the lord lieutenant OF Ire
land. Is erecting statue OF the late Queen
Victoria, largely at his own expense on
the castle grounds at Dublin. A few morn
ings ago the workmen on coming to work
found the following inscription painted on
the partially completed pedestal:
Behold q statue here doth stand
OF queen who never loved our land,
BY foreign workmen solely planned
Erected to a lords command.
During King Edwards recent visit 70
Ireland Il was noticed that ON one or two
occasions he replied IN Gaelic phrases to
addresses OF welcome in which Gaelic
was used. It was stated then that the king
had learned the phrases for the occasion
but It is now learned that when a boy he
ACQUIRED a good speaking knowledge of the
ancient tongue from Donald McFayden.
who was then schoolmaster at Balmoral.
T. Life OF small Farmers.
n some terrible stories Of the life Of the
small farmers IN certain districts of the
west continue to be told TO the Royal Com
missile! on Congestion. One witness who
Was brought to Sligo said that he had a
wife ana two children and mother to
support on two acres Of land. He worked
every day from ESQ 10 the morris
ing untn 10 or y at night and he did not
know what holiday was.
Another witness was from the island OF
InnlshmurTy, which Is about a mile Ions
and half mile wide and has population
OF ninety. I'VE have no rats and no potato
blight" he said. The Atlantic does All
the spraying and kills the blight and the
potatoes as wen and the rats have starved
To- death long ago. We have no tax col
iectors either, FOR tue collectors can't se;
any taxes
A priest Was asked in another district II
the landlord supplied lime for manuring
Il never knew the landlord 10 supply any
thibg in this district bat eviction proc
essss." he reDlisd. r. X CULLEN.