The Irish standard., 1919-10-18

eAeAe u1uSI nave Ueeu some uaClNe
source of supply in former times.
Rock Salt:-Beds of rock salt are
found near Carrickfergus. A little
east of the town is a bed of 95 per
cent pure salt and 100 feet thick, as
has been proved by boring. Chalk
beds are found in conjunction, making
this locality, situated on an inlet of
Belfast Lough, ideal for the estab-
lishment Of an alkali industry.
Building Stone Produced.
Limestone Formations-Kane re-
fer to collection of building stone
made for an exhibition of 600 differ
ent varieties, all obtained in Ireland
Slabs of Valentia slate are easily oh.
tained 30 feet long, four to five feet
wide and six to IL inches thick.
Marble:-A great variety of colored
marble, all of superior quality, are
also found. The purest white, free
from iron, lasting in color and equal
to any grade to be obtained in Italy,
is got from the Connemara district;
jet black from Kilkenny, and a va
riety of colors from Cork County. The
limestone formations are all close to
the best harbors, suggesting at once
the manufacture of cement for export.
whilst the internal waterways provide
economic transit for home purposes.
Ireland has, in fact, an abundant
supply of cement making materials,
admirably situated as regards fuel,
power and economical transit. James
X. Mcguire, in the chapters of his
book dealing with Ireland's Industrial
possibilities, points this out and re-
minds us that single mill such as
the Universal or Atlas of the United
States, turning out $4,000 to 10000
barrels of cement day, would en-
ploy $4,000 hands and support no less
than 100000 persons. Cement is man
ufactured at present on a large scale
on the shore of Belfast Lough from
the chalk of Magheramorne and the
esturine mud of the Tough.
Raw Materials Exported.
Calcium carbide can also, be got
from limestone, but only two small
factories are working in Ireland. The
English and Scotch factories get their
raw materials from Ireland.
PotteryClays:-In Ireland there ex-
lists the greatest variety of colored
clays as we'll as large beds of the
purest white, with kaolin and porce.
lain clays, thus furnishing an mex
haustible supply of material for the
finest quality of pottery and china
ware to be found in any part of the
world, and the earths for brick and
tile making are equally good.
The fire clays of the coal district,
in conjunction with Lough Neagh
clays, furnish practically unlimited
material for manufacture of drain
pipes, sanitary ware, electrical insu-
lators and the rougher kinds of pot
terry.
The silica sand deposits of Ireland
are the finest in the world for glass
making, for which Ireland was once
famous, but which now must be rec
koned as one of her lost industries.
Could Be Prosperous.
Can any one doubt that a nation
endowed with such resources by ma
ture could, with the fostering care of
its OWN government, be as prosperous
as any on the earth? And yet I have
here stressed only the mineral wealth
of Ireland and its natural sources of
energy and power in order that I
might not assist to spread the fallacy
referred to at the outset by laying
too much stress on the productivity
of the soil from which at present not
1.-THE of what could be extracted is
extracted.
I have not shown the possibilities
of beet growing, of the growing of
potatoes for the manufacture Of COM
mercial alcohol or mentioned one of
the thousand possibilities of intensive
cultivation.
I have not even touched on the
wealth Of the ocean by which Ireland
Is surrounded-the wealth Of the har-
bors inviting trade and commerce
with almost every country in the
world-the wealth of the deep.sea
fisheries.
Fine Fishing Waters.
Ireland is situated in the center of
the finest fishing waters in the world !;
has numerous and excellent natural
harbors, and relative to area the long.
est coast line of any European coun.
try. Irfshmen, like most islanders,
are naturally good sailors and given
tn the sea