New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-04-13

requires careful qualification. Ireland mas
made % steady gain since the ebb tide oil tne
ls50s. Her deposits and cash balances IN JOINT
stock banks postoffice and trustee savings
banks were recently Sfl000O,0OO, AS "gaihs'
Sl45. 900 m 1871. She held $230pOo'VVo ln
government stocks two years ago. ! NO Dus'
ness Of the railways nearly doubled In thlfty
Years though much Of this money went IN
Fnolisb hands. and the railway system IS i'm
perfect and ununitedI. In 1871 her emigra-
ton was II 900; in 1914, 10000 40 picture
Of degeneration fits tho facts. But The recon
,,ructive legislation and state grants and
credit system have brought Ireland only half
WAY. A holder. more drastic programme must
now he adopted if she is to overcome poverty
and become the productive country when -
her true destiny. Machinery and fertihzer
must be purchased on far larger scale, the
land must be opened up, factories for agrlcuIt-
ural plant must be established housing must
be bcttered. Faith in her future IS what Ire
lard needs from her friends, and money as
the expression OF that faith.
Tho Irish Party's Committee on Food sup
,lv protests against the delays Of the past
and urges that the Corgosted Districts BOARD
and Estates Commissioners should he
couinpcd 10 proceed with the permanent d.
vision Of grass lands !, advocates com
rulsorv tilage. This would mean that the
government demands that the holder tnI a
rorrcntaco. say % ner cent, Of his land. Inc
mall farmer would thus be required 20 TIL
six or seven acres instead OF four or AFe
Labor Shortage on Farms
Ills reply will be: "Where can ! get the
labor" The disease which has attacked our
Great populations here and in America is a
discomfort with rural life. In less than MY
years 100000 agricultural laborers have leit
the Irish fields for American factories. lht.
the war 10000 Irishmen each year migrated
10 England and Scotland for the harvest.
That fell TO 1900 in the first year OF me
war. and it will not regain the old level Tor
many years The Department OF Agriculture
reports: There has been for many years
marked scarcity Of agricultural laborers IN
heland." In 1871 there were $4,000 male
agricultural laborers and $4,000 females. In
1911 there were less than 100000 males ana
there we're only 1000 females.
The reason is plain Better wages are OBJ
tainable elsewhere In 1914 the agricultural
wage of Ireland had cash value of II shli-
Iincs and pence week Why did not the
farmer nav more? He was not able to. ne
average cash return to all classes connected
with the farm farmer-Owner. farmsr-tenah'
and laborcr. when added together and aver
aged was only II shillings and pence. 30
the farmer was paying all he could anord'
ONLY higher production, through better
land, machinery and cooperation, can soIFe
the wage of the farmland. The laborers Will
never be half so numerous as farmers, fot
Ireland il "a country of small holdings. where
the farmer and his family are themselves
laborcrs" The cooperative ownership OF eX-
pensive machinery will increasingly lead 70
the communal employment Of the laborer as a
skilled mechanic by the cooperative COM
munitv. If the belief of the cooperator'
comes true that in half century the who!7
business of rural Ireland and that IS 80 per
cent OF Ireland will be done comparatively
then we have the solution for the present
scarcity of labor. THE agricultural laoofer'
will gradually become skilled mechanics. able
TO direct thrashers, binders, dlggers' cuItlVa-
tors and new implements We have no concep-
ton of. They will be members OF the society
sharing in its profits in proportion to their
wages. even as the farmer will in proportion
20 his trade" The laborers Will form socle-
ties for collective farming, as in Rumanio
and Ky. It is possible that in this direc-
tion NAV lie the solution not only for the
laboror but for the bringing OF Ireland bacH
IN tilage. For land purchase is doubtless
dead Neither England nor Ireland will have
any money for land purchase after this war
The money will 90 into industry and for the
wages of industrial workers But by letting
out the great grazing estates to groups OF
laborers the productive power Of ireland viii
be increased.
No Quick Solution
There is no quick way through the tansle
Tho irish Question can be solved only by the
people themselves Can they create good
life for their community? Can they conduct
a clean government? Can they release pro
ductiye power in the nation, so that pau
pcrism and ignorance and dissenson will de-
crease? Can they lift clear Of their past for
get Injustice and misery and establish CO
lucrative commonwealth? With the coming
Of autonomy, ireland will begin to face her
real problem.