New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-04-11


spects. But one does not like to imagine the
effect on the intellectual output OF the hfth
century 3. &. if even the best Of Mr. Kud-
yard Kiplng's public school subalterns had
stalked daily through the agora. snuDblng'
rs he PASSED, that intoerable bOunder EuTlp-
ides. or clearing out Of his way the prooa-
bly, scditious group that were gathered round
Socrates"
The welfare Of Ireland depends mainly
upon the welfare Of the Irish farmer. 30
il is worth considering his case IN detail
A clear statement Of it is given by a. r.,
who is one Of the three men at the head o.
the Cooperative Movement.
The Economic Caveman
"The small farmer, he says, "is the
tvpical Irish countryman. The average area
Of an Irish farm is twenty-five acres or
Whereabouts. We can imagine TO ourselves
an Irish farmer with twenty-five acres 70
till. lord of a herd Of four or five cows,
drift OF sheep, litter OF pigs, perhaps a
mare and foal: call him Patrick Maloney and
acccp. him as a symbol Of his class. lie
is fruitful enough There is no race suicide
in Ireland. His agriculture IS largely tradi-
tional His butter. his eggs. ms cattle,
horses. pigs and sheep are sold 70 local
dealers He might be described almost as
the primitive economic caveman, the dark
ness of his cave unillumned by any ray OF
general principles Inc culture o.
the Gaelic poets and story-tellers, while not
often actually remembered. still fingers Ike
q fragrance about his mind. We ponder over
Patrick. his race and his country, brooding
WI ether there is the seed of a Pericles ID
Patrick's loins. Could we carve an Attlca
out Of Ireland?
Before Patrick can become the father OF
q pericles. before Ireland can become an
Attica. Patrick must be led out Of his eco
non1ic cave. Our poets sang Of
united Ireland but the unity they sang Of
was only a metaphor. It mainly meant sepa-
ration from another country. lndiyidualism,
fanaticaliy centring itself on its family and
family interests. interfered on public boards
to do Jobs in the interests Of its klth and
kin. The Cooperative Movement connects
with living links the home the centre OF
Patrick's being, to the nation, the circum-
florence of his being. / believe the
fading hold the heavens h~ve over the world
is due to the neglect Of the economic basis
Of spiritual life. The Cooperative Move
rncnt alone of all movements in Ireland has
aspired to make economic solidarity IN Ire
land"
The Irish Agricultural Organization Soci-
etv is the long official name for the coopera-
tive society Of which Sir Horace Piunkett is
president and which includes 1923 local So
cieties. $50 creamercs. 50 auxiliary cream
cries. 233 credit societies, 222 agricultural
societies and membership of lO6.3Ol per-
sons It has a turnover of $90,0OOOOO
The social and economic service OF coopera-
ton is this: It enables farmers 20 own ana
use modern machinery, TO buy feeding ma
terial. manures and seeds, and TO construct
fertilizer plants, at low cost. standard quail
itv and on large scale. Il gives control over
markets. and slowly improves the transporta-
ton facilities for produce. 1t sells 70 ad-
vantage through its own agents. instead OF
through long circuit OF middlemen. II
gives system for borrowing money at "A
lower interest and for longer term. L
pools the ideas of many men and gives an
interchange and nteractior o. ideas, leading
20 close. hard, economic thinking. invention
and discovery, and widespread intellectual
fertilization.
Capital Must BE Found
There comes a limit Of saturatioa, and CO.
operation has probably sucked up as many
ncasants as its present capacity admits.
That capacity must be increased if coopera-
ton is to increase in the next twenty years
at the rate of the last twenty. More and bet
ter land. now held by landlords for grazing,
must be freed for tilage. The existent rail-
wavs must provide better facilities for farm
crs. 4 system Of spur railways 20 mine PIT
heads. and Of light railways through neglect
cd districts. must be established. The vii
lapc of Belmulet, in West Mayo, IS forty-SiN
miles from a railroad. There are anthracite
seams fifty miles out from Dublin. Seven
miles of light railway, at cost of Sl20O,OOo,
would connect the mine with its market and
reduce the cost of that coal from 43 or 10 shil-
lincs TO % shillings. One of the young lrish
leaders saws: "Any extensive working OF
Irish coal or copper is contingent on the as
sent Of the vast British mining interest TO
irish competition" The creation of machin-
cry and fertilizer must be undertaken on
larger scale In short, production must be
increased by the application of capital. Can
that CAPITAL be found? VIII it be by British
Parliamentary grant, by Irish taxation or by
foreign investment, or will the cooperators
themselves be willing to lay aside percent
age of their profit for the purpose of extend
ing the movement till it has embraced all Ire
land? A solution must be found. For
movement either grows or dies.
The conclusion OF Mr.. GteGson's rerie1c
of the Irish problem NTH has proposed
solution '0W be printed tomorrow.
r