El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1920-11-13
IRELAND
And The Irish
LEAVES FROM AN
OVERSEAS NOTEBOOK
Is
By H d. SLATER.

The Overseas Notebook contains a
variety OF material gathered by the editor
OF The Herald IN Europe during the war
and after Excerpts viii be published IN
this column daily during the next several
months. Publication OF the Notes be-
gan October .. Today's instalment con
tinues the Irish notes
IRELAND'S soil and climate are spe-
l cially favorable TO agriculture,
gardening, and the dairy industry, also
to growth Of timber. The timber stand
has steadily declined and the country
has only a few hundred square miles
Of fOrested land, less than IA percent
Of the island area What timber is
still being cut is not even squared or
worked up in any way in ireland but
is sent over to England In the round
log
Four-fifths Of the total area Of Ire
land is elassed as arabic, yet less than
one-siXth Of the arabic lands are
farmed; about a seventh are cropped
for hay, while the remainder is all in
pasture. Ireland imports more than
she exports, and a third Of her i'm
ports are foodstuffs, some S14O00O,0OO
worth annually; Ireland's principal ex-
ports are livestock and foOdstuffs I'M
manufactured. lreland's pasturage
area has steadily increased at the eL-
pense Of the farmed areas.
Ireland's lands have been divided and
subdiVided until the average holdings
are very small; half Of all land hold
ings are less than Is acres each and
about one-fifth are less than one acre
each Holdings above 100 acres &C
count for more than a third Of the
lands, but the distribution among ten
ants and peasants has gone far and the
government has rendered 1t easy for
any family to acquire land. There are
agricultural societies and cooperative
societies trying TO improve farm meth
DDS and develop the industry The
government has already advanced
$500 100000 for land purchases by
tenants, and S23, 1000, 900 has been ad-
Taneed for laborers' cottages.
Stock raising is an industry Of enor-
nous Importance and is on the in
crease, England being the principal
buyer; Ireland was the source OF an
immense supply Of meats for the allies
during the war. Yet Ireland, about
one-fourth the size Of New Mexico, had
still at the end Of 1917 $4,000 draft
animals, 5,000,00O cattle, nearly 4,O00,-
600 sheep and 100000 pigs, with
p, 100000 poultry.
The agricultural cooperative move
ment is growing. There are over 1000
cooperative farmers societies engaged /
IN varied services. The membership is
100000, and 100000 contributed from
private sources has been spent in or
ganizing and carrying on courses Of
instruction.
Outside Of Ulster there Is compare
lively little manufacturing Of any
kind, though the west and northwest |
have some factories and distiileries. I
The Irish blame the British policy and |
rule for their loss Of manufacturing I
and shipping, as they blame England /
for all their troubles. Belfast is a
great manufacturing and shipbuilding
center. The Irish maintain that Eng
land has adjusted all the laws Of /
finance and commerce with the DELHI Z
crate end in view Of destroying Irish I
economic Independence, wTecking Ire /
lands prosperity, breaking her spirit, |
and bringing her into a condition Of /
virtual peonage to England. From /
time to time discriminatory duties and 1
port charges have been imposed at the /
demand OF English interests and at the I
expense Of Ireland's development. |
Irish shipping, once extensive, has al /
most disappeared.
Large sums have been invested in |
all sorts Of public works in ireland /
by the kingdom through the Irish gov /
eminent. Until the war brought about |
great increases in imperial taxation, |
the British fIrishl government was /
spending more in Ireland than the 1
total amount Of revenues contributed I
directly by Ireland; these are British 4
figures and are disputed by the Irish. /
In any event the Irish maintain that I
the indirect contributions Of Ireland I
TO England are many times greater |
than the total amount spent in Ire /
land by the government Of the king I
dom, and this is doubtless true. Ire |
land maintains she is treated as a /
vassal country and made to pay enor- !
nous tribute for the benefit Of Eng I
land.
It is worth noting that according to /
British statistics, the crown govern l
ment IN Ireland spends almost as |
much annually on education, universe /
ties, the National gallery Of art, and 4
on science and art, as It spends on /
courts, police, prisons, reformatories, !
and land commissions.
Ireland has nominally local self /
government through county and mu-
niepal councils, but the government Of /
the crown exercises complete super !
vision and is practically in command /
OF the entire system. Administrative .
officers are appointed by the crown or
the lord Lieutenant.
Education is through church schools, |
and state schools which are nonsec-
tartan and which serve about three
quarters Of the school population. |
There Is no general free school system
covering all the grades such as Ameri-
cans have. Efforts are being made TO ]