The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1912-05-04

'SA@Ao Vicinity III lIlc CFSHl VI IlO SIidIlSe
being made, will probably in about 10
or is years amount, at least. to e.
100000. 1t will, of course, be much
more if the Home Rule bill does not
pass. for fresh demands for Imperial
expenditure in Ireland will certainly
be made, and will probably be con-
coded, and, when conceded, will be
represented as beggars' doles How
is this deficit met in the Government
scheme? 1t may be remarked that
most of the ardent advocates of
complete control of Customs and Ex-
else" have never thought of, much
less answered, this question.
1. The first proposal of the Gov
eminent is to take over, as an I'm
perial charge, the cost. amounting to
&5.146,000 annually, Of the following
services which, in the bill are called
Reserved Services:
(a) Old Age Pensions;
(b) National insurance.;
(c) Land Purchase;
(d) Collection of Revenue;
(e) For six years the Royal Irish
Constabulary;
IT. Pensions Of the Constabulary
payable at the passing of the
Act
This arrangement, it must be adj
mitted, clears the way considerably,
2. The second proposal is that all
the revenue of Ireland Except the
Post Office Revenue) shall be collect
ed by Imperial officers till. presum-
ably, the deficit ceases to exist, and
that out Of this total revenue there
shall be paid to the Irish Exchequer
every year a sum called the Trans
fcrred Sum-" and consisting Of
(a) The total cost of all Irish serv-
ices Except the Reserved Services"
just mentioned).
(b) A sum of 6 100000 a year, di-
minishing after a few years by ESQ.,
s 600 a year, till 1t is reduced to 6 20O,-
900 a year. at which sum it will re-
main.
(c) The produce of all new Irish
taxes Gf any).
In addition the Irish Government
will have the Post Office revenue.
which it will itself collect from the
start (the Post Office, like the Judges
and the Dublin Metropolitan Police,
hoinC ho 70 T~;n =
once); and. with this revenue, the
sums under the heads "(a)" and "(b)"
will, it is estimated. be sufficient not
only to meet the Irish expenditure
Except the expenditure on the Re-
served Services. which will be borne
by the Imperial Exchequer). but also
to give a working surplus of 6 $780,
900.
Those, therefore, who have, with a
sort of glee, been for year past fig
uring out a deficit which could never
which would make Home Rule i'm
possible. are now. it may be expected,
in a quandary. There will be con-
siderable surplus. and that, too, with
out a single penny additional taxa
ton on Ireland.
lII-"The Transferred Sum-"
1. The manner in which the amount
Of the transferred Sum" is arrived
at is of great Importance. It's prn-
ctpal item, it will be observed, is the
cost of the Irish services other than
the Reserved Service" the cost of
which is to be borne entirely by the
Imperial Exchequer. The cost of
those services is to be that ascer-
tanned to be that actually existing at
the date of the passing Of the Act
That is to say, that item of the
Transferred Sum-" like the sum of
e 100000, will be fixed and remain at
the figure then determined till some
other financial arrangement is made
In the future, when all Irish Expendi-
ture and all Irish Taxes will balance,
provision, amongst them the follow
ling:
' u If the Irish Government can and
does make reductions in an Irish
service, such, for instance. as the Law
Department-which is extremely like
ly-the amount of the transferred
Sum" will not be diminished by the
amount of the reduction: The saving
RI
81 will be available for other Irish pur-
poses, such as the provision TO dwell
tngs for laborers and artisans in
town and country.