Evening star., 1922-04-11

Here in Galway. once tho second
port In the British isles, and now a
| decaying town of $4,000, set at the
roint Of a magnificent and deserted
circumstances set down above.
Martin McDonogh, the industrial
baron Of the town, and his brother
Thomas understand what must come
to pass If their country is to live
and grow. The McDonoghs own a
power plant which derives only an
insignificant fraction Of the power ex-
pressed in the racing Corrib river,
which bisects the ancient place on its
tumble to the sea. They have a -four
fertilizer establishment, planning
works, and are heavily interested in
a large wooden mill.
"Give us real peace and q govern
ment that earnestly desires to hefp
. build industries and w. can revive
seaports as factory cities, providing
employment to the surplus men and
women from town and country" said
Martin McDonogh, a man OF power
full size. quick, aggressive movements
and serious port.
Some eighty years ago when Ire
land had a population of nearly
9 9.OO0, 900 to the 100000 of England
the country was dotted with factories
and Galway. Limerick. Cork, Water
hives of small industries. Discrim-
inatory taxes, the disappearance of
the forests and other elements con-
trived to reduce industry to its pres
ent level.
Believes In waterpower.
Martin McDonogh is an enthusiast
on waterpower. He has made studies
of the possibility of harnessing the
river Corrib, which flows from two
al TnnOhpnrrih
Loughmask, both fed from springs
and at a suitable elevation above the
sea The Corrib is a mad stream
which seurries along at an incredibly
rapid rate at this season. after two
weeks of steady rain. and which
never flows TRANQUILITY.
eve have no coal in Ireland of
commercial possibility asserted
Martin McDonogh. But we have
waterpower which could be made
engineerins projects. which Would
divert streams. build dams and
create reservoirs. If the new gov
ernment will devote itself to water
power enterprises it win do more for
industry than it could in any other
single way.
I'VE cannot hope to enter into steel
and metal manufacture because we
could not compete with England.
Scotland, Gernany and America, all
of which have metals and coal. Our
field lies in utilizing the products of
the farm and taking them to their
finished states for export instead of
sending them out as they come from
the soil"
Thomas McDonogh escorted me for
a look at the fierce Corrib and the
McDonogh power plant. which takes
beggarly $50 horsepower from the
current. From there we went to the
City of Galway Woolen Manufactur
ing Company's mills. On the way
Thomas McDonogh pointed out the
spots of interest. the Twelfth Century
Church. and other memorable relics
of an early day. The city'is is colorful
and peopled with a different breed
from the south and east of Ireland.
more angular. darker and less given
to smiling-the marks. they told me,
of a ponderable Spanish influence in
the old maritime days.
WOODEN Industry Largest.
F. Smellie, a smallish Scot with
wispy mustache and keen Curl
osity about America. showed US
through and answered questions
about the woolen trade. He is the
managing director and he told me.
employs from $50 to 200 men and
women, that half his trade is with
America, that the woolen industry
is the largest in Ireland. with twenty
seven factories employing $4,000 per-
sons and ranging in size from those
with twenty hands to the Athlone
MILL which works 700 at peak times.
Some of the purest wool available
comes from County Galway. County
Sligo and County Roscommon." said
Smellie. 1T is not so fine as some
Australian and English wool. but.
mixed with them. it'makes a superior
yarn Irish woolens are famous
throughout the world for their quality.
but, unfortunately for us, the demand
seems to be growing away from the
tweeds. twills and homespun. our
principal product. toward the wor-
steds and finer materials.
Certain Irish mills are making
worsteds. but they have to import
their yarns from England. If we had
a sizable worsted mill in Ireland it
could fill that market and stimulate
the production of that cloth. Then
we might consume all the wool rails
ed on Irish farms, and more. too. and