Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-08-25


have been erected at the expense OF the
board. In addition to furnishing a farm
and a cottage the board gives Its proteges.
whenever IL is necessary. cows. goats.
by money advanced from the public treas
ury. which is reimbursed by the bene-
ficiary at the rate Of 3,4 per cent a year.
OF this "a per cent Is interest upon the
into a sinking fund to redeem at maturity
the bonds issued TO furnish the money.
The average annual payment by the fami-
lies which have thus been removed is
Ell los. or so I'm our money. The
people who have been benefited can sell
their new homes or dispose OF them by
inheritance as long the interest IL
paid promptly. but they cannot divide
them.
Economic Holdings.
have before me a statement showing
each transaction. and And that the follow
ing figures represent the number Of acres
given:
11S acres. la acres. 3s2 acres. 31l acres.
o54 acres. 31S acres. $40 acres. l36 acres.
l1s acres. - acres. AS acres. u. acres.
20 acres. 2I1 acres. al1 acres. 40 acres.
IS acres. Ill acres. 2o6 acres. 245 acres.
"a acres. 81 acres. 24s acres. IS acres
152 acres. 1lS acres. l06 acres.
These figures illustrate the size OF the
farms that are being provided. and tho
OF the land. The board intends to give
each OF its proteges what is called IAN
economic holding. that 10, SUFFICIENT land
to support his family and produce a sur
interest and lay by little something for
a rainy day.
During the last year it has moved
eighty families from County Galway to
County Roscommon and placed them all
upon fertile farms in comfortable new
cottages Of four rooms each at an average
cost OF $1,000. not including the price OF
the land
Just q Little Loan, Too.
In addition to this most OF the families
have been granted loans varying from
$25 to SEQ as working capital to secure
tools. implements, necessary furniture
and other articles.
In addition to this general work In
more than eight hundred parishes in
counties Kerry. Clare. Galway. Mayo and
Donegal and Sligo local commi.. ees have
been appointed. consisting of the parish
priest. the Church Of Ireland rector, the
parish doctor and one Of the magistrates,
who have immediate supervision over
local conditions and make re Jonmenua-
lions for the application OF small sums OF
money for the Improvement of the COM
forts and health of the people. These
and improve the homes OF farmers. fisher
men and other workingmen where II can
be done economically ana to erect new
homes for them wherever IL Is necessary
upon certain conditions. which involve a
radical change in the habits OF most OF
the Irish peasants In order 10 secure
benefits Of this kind the family is re-
auired to remove the dunghili from its
usual place in front OF the door. to clean
UP and around the cabin and keep the
place in order. They must keep the pig.
the cattle and the chickens out of the
house and the interior In a state of sani-
tary cleanliness. Materials are furnished
to cottagers who are willing to make
these improvements for themselves.
Peasants Resist improvements.
1t il astonishing that SO many peasants
will fight such improvements and often
resist attempts that are made to clean up
their places and make them more COM
Portable. The dung hill has always been
in front OF the door and the offai and
ed upon 1t for generations. They ARE ac-
customed to the sickening stencil. and, as
one OF the inspectors told me, they find IL
dimcult to get along without It. They
wouldn't be happy unless there was q
bad SMELL he remarked.
But In most cases the conditions are
cheerfuliy accepted and the improvements
appreciated. Last year 1,193 cottages
Of E31. S12.
During the greater part OF the year
more than three thousand men were en-
ployed by the congested districts board
roadmaking. draining lands, fencing,
building houses. bridges and other Inn
provements and in planting larches and
other trees that grow in this climate. This
wages. but has made important perma-
nent improvements. The total area OF
land drained last year was 12,O69 acres,
at cost of ELL. 1871.
bridges. piers. docks and other public
works during the year was e., 1O2.
Government Helps Fishermen.
One of the most interesting features OF
the work is the fisheries. There is an
abundance Of fish all along the coast and
there is always a demand for them in the
London market, either fresh or cured but
the peasants until recently have had no
boats or nets and were unable to raise
the money to provide them. The villages
on the shores Of the coves and bays had
no landing places for boats. no facilities
for storage or curing fish, and all Of these
things the board Is now trying to provide.
1t has several methods OF doing so.
Wherever necessary. docks have been
constructed, with warehouses, packing
houses and cooper shops. and the board
has agencies for furnishing salt, ice and
other necessaries for the fishing business
at cost prices. Docks have been built at
a dozen places costing from $500 to
$4,000. which are free to the public and
bring no return.
The board will either furnish boats nets
and the rest of an outfit to q fisherman to
be paid for in Ave annua' installments
and It has gone into partnership with the
fishermen in 800 cases. furnishing the out
mt at an average cost Of ESQ and divid-
ing the proceeds into nine shares. Six OF
these shares 60 to the crew and three to
the government to pay the interest on the
investment and create a sinking fund
When that fund has reached the total of
the investment, the entire property 10
handed over to the crew. Nearly 500 900
Is invested In such partnerships by the
government
The congested districts board finds the
market and supervises the sale OF the
fish. II also furnishes experts to instruct
fishermen in the business and to show
them how to make their own barrels.
Servants Schools for Peasant Girls.
In previous letters l have told you
about the schools for lacemaking and
for training the peasant girls for house
servants. There are altogether eighteen
schools for servants and forty-three
schools for lacemaking and embroidery.
besides crochet work. knitting and weav-
ing. I observe in the annual report of
the board concerning the domestic
training schools this sentence:
The pupils can very easily find situa-