Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-09-13
Discriminating Laws.

Belfast had it's beginning three CEN
turtles ago in the huts made for the SOL
diers of Essex around the castle of the
O'Neills' It's first inhabitants were the
soldiers and retaners of that castle. The
Determinations in its favor may be noted
in the following: The navigation act of
1860 let Irish ships enjoy the same privi-
legeS as English ones. That act was
amended in 1863 and Ireland left out. All
exports from Ireland to the English coo
MES We're prohibited. The main source of
Irish wealth at that time was the fat
tening of cattle and the cattle trade with
England. In 1861 act was passed which
declared the importation of Irish cattle
live or dead into England to be ''publick
and common nuisance" and this prohibit
ton was extended TO beef, bacon. pork.
mutton. butter and cheese. Being for
bidden." says Lecky, Ito export their cat
tie to England. the Irish began to manu-
facture WOOL.
What happened to the new Irish indus
try? On June 9. 1893. parliament tboth
houses) addressed King William on the
growing manufacture of cloth in Ireland.
both by the Cheapness of all sorts of the
necessaries of life there and the good
ness of materials for making all manner
of cloth. Great quantities of wooden man
ufactures have of late been made and are
daily Increasing i'll the Kingdom OF Ire
land" and asking relief for England. His
ma jesty replied II shall do all that in
me lies to discourage the wooden manu-
facture in Ireland and to encourage linen
manufacture there and to promote the
trade of England"
An additional export duty of 90 per
cent ad valorem on Irish broadcloth and
10 per cent on other goods was imposed
The chief centers of the wooden manu-
features We're Clonmel Kilkenny and Car
rick-on-Suir, all in the south of Ireland.
To complete the work of destruction par
lament passed a law on June ~, 1899.
Interdicting the expectation OF irish
woolens except TO England and Wales.
They had been excluded from the whole
colonial market by the navigation act.
Some of the manufacturers emgrated to
the north of Spain. many TO France.
where they founded establishments at
Rouen and other places. Two years
after the prohibition. 10000 workers in
wool in Munster and Leinster had to be
supported by charity. The whole popu-
ldtion at that time was only 1.O34 102. In
1929. William Stanley reported that THE
Irish have so much improved the wooden
manufacture of France, as not only to
supply their own markets but vie with
English in foreign markets
The King Forgot His Promise.
While the king in 1898 pledged himself
TO encourage linen manufacture nothing
was done until 1905. as il was believed
il would injure the English linen trade.
In 1905 they allowed the Irish to ex-
port white and brown linens. but only to
the British colonies but the Irish traders
were not allowed TO bring back any
colonial goods in return.
The linen manufacture had been ex-
tending TO the north OF Ireland. The
Frenchman Crommelin settled there in
100. He agreed to establish a center in
Kilkenny in Lenster if his patents were
extended. This was strongly opposed by
the British. but it was granted later pro-
yided that the southern manufacture
would be limited to the coarsest kind
Lecky, the historian writes: The
linen manufacture also greatly increased
hut especially in .he north. where the
population, being in a great degree Prot
estant, the paralysis of the penal laws
was comparatively unfelt. I'm 1742
The English parliament gave ii real en-
enlargement in the form of bounties, and
Irish linen was freely admitted TO Eng
land and the colonies. 1t will thus be
seen how the laws built up Belfast and
flax culture. and destroyed industrial eff
fort in the other provinces of Ireland.
During the nineteenth century the agri-