Los Angeles herald., 1909-08-22

there is a chance to trace the connec-
tion between a fall in its market price
and a. rise in the cultivation of Irish
crime.
The British buyer of consols properly
feels that he is putting his money 10
the credit of his country; but ne is
now asked to put 1t to the credit Oh
agrarianism in Ireland unawares'
when land stock is merged in consols.
Resides. there is for the liquidation of
land purchase a distinct sinking fund
specific and statutory, whereas consois
are Cancelled by no regular process, ana
only when they cash.
Guards Interests of Irish
Separate sets of treasury accounts
would have to be kept even II the
merging were permitted; for whereas
the treasury liability in respect OF
consols for any given year is merely
the interest payable, there are in re-
spect of land stock the additional re-
Ceipts in repayment of prlnclpal, cal-
culated to clear the purchase money III
sixty-eight years and a half. There
is no such calculation in regard to
consols All through the debate men
who had grown gray in parliament
spoke with an ignorance of these state
necessities, which does small credit to
the house of commons and to them
selves. The one man who has so tar
DISTINGUISHED himself in these agra
rian debates with an ability which
puts his country under obligations TO
HIM is Mr.. Hobhouse, who, though not
an Irishman, appears to know more
about the measure than the whole or
the Irish Nationalists put together He
has succeeded in safeguarding the
treasury at every point in so far as
this measure makes it possible; and
always with his facts ready, he has
done it without making himself un-
pleasant to his Irish allies.
A parliamentary paper which mas
been issued gives a return showing
the number of cattle drives during 1907
and 1908 and the first quarter of l9O9,
with the number of persons convicted
or bound over. The Number of cattle
drives is given at 1885; persons con-
victed or bound to the peace, 1865 I'm
cluding those who failed to find bail
and were sent to jail in default; their
occupations were-farmors. 543; farm
ers sons 546; laborers, 100; other oc-
cupations, 116.
The correspondent of the London
Morning Post in Dublin (strongly
says he has been IN
formed by an official of the Congested
districts board that they have in their
pigeon holes scheme for dealing with
congestion mainly on the lines Of test
colonies capitalized under efficient di-
rcction to determine whether the con-
gested peasants are capable of pros
perity on the prairies.
He says it is natural that experts
who have during eighteen years ac-
cepted salaries for failing to relieve
congestion should at least have learned
something about the business; and be-
sides, the experts could and would cure
congestion If permitted by their board
and the occult forces directing it.
This new scheme, now under LOCK
and key, would naturally be construct
cd after full consultation with the eX-
Derts who are employed for that pur-
pose-the men who really know the
meaning of the problem and who ought
to have been at the elbow of the law
yer who drafted the congestion clauses
of Mr.. Birrell's land bill.
The correspondent asks why this
scheme was kept private at a time
when parliament was asked to grant
S., 600 600 a year for congestion on lines
that improved in no essential way on
the waste and failures of the past, and
then goes on to say that the most Gu
rious feature of the thing is that Mr..
Birrer himself is a member of the
board which approved the scheme and
then suppressed it.