New-York tribune., 1922-12-12
State Sound Economically
Before Strife Now Most
Impoverished on Earth
Under Reign of Terror
Markets Destroyed,
Trade at Standstill
Compensation Cla IN S
S150,000,O00, While
Debt to England Mounts
fr,,inr cnll, 70 u, rrhur.

lBLlN, Dee. ll.-Onc OF the most
serious features. especially In It's bear
ing on the future Of the country, Of
the civil war that has been raging In
Ireland for the last six months Is the
effect that Il is having on the young
manhood and young womanhood OF the
country.
When the general election WAS held
last June, Ireland was, financially and
economically. the soundest country In
Europe. To-day the twenty-six eoun-
ties that make up the Irish Free State
represent desperately impoverished
state. Various estimates are being
made as 10 the precise effect OF the
civil warfare on the economic life Of
Ireland. The compensation claims
alone amount 20 some Sl50,000 900, but
the actual losses which these represent
reach Tar more serious total, al
though II is impossible 20 estimate
even approximately their actual extent.
Reduced TO Barter System
Trade has become extremely diffi-
cult owing TO the damage done by
/ irrcEuiars 20 the railways. II is, for
instance, impossible to 20 to-day d.
rcctly from Dublin 70 Cork except by
sea. The cutting Of the railroads in
many places and the extensive destruc-
tion Of bridges and signal cabins has
reduced some areas 70 the Necessity Of
doing business on the system Of bar
ter. In the southeast and the west the
unsettled conditions have disrupted the
usual fairs and the markets generally
and have brought the farmer 10 a seri-
Gus financial plight. There Is little
unemployment among the unxkiIled
/ young workers, owing 10 the fact that
they arc all being rapidly absorbed
I In the war forces. but this Is a drop
OF conf ort OF very dubious order.
That there Is a time Of serious reek-
oning ahead is unquestionabIe. Ire.
land IL living beyond her means, and
she IL drawing on English credit to-day
IN a fashion which viii render her a
second Austria In very short while II
this civil war goes on. Already her
exhaustion Is nearly complete.
And In the midst Of all this there
is the young manhood Of the country,
growing up under arms, devoting itI
life 70 guerilla sighting across the
countryside and reaching a maturity
that IL untitled for the pursuit OF any
peaceful vocatlons.
To-day 100000 men are enrolled in
the Free State army. and new recruits
are joining every day. With the ex.
ception OF those who have served for.
merly In the British army these men
arc absolutely unframed soldiers. To
put such an aggregation into shape a,
a disciplined military machine Is a
gigantic task. In other armies the raw
recruits are nodded into the general
stcrnly disciplined scheme in good part
| by the force Of the trained majority
But here there is no such majority
Even without the presence OF civil wal
the work Of putting the Irish army
into shape would be tremendous. As
it is the task Is sufficient 20 cause
dismay to all but the most optimistic
leaders.
Nearly All Barracks Burned
Virtually without training, men TO-
day have 10 be sent out 20 dangerous
posts in various parts OF the country
where they are al any moment liable
10 attack By mobile bands Of republi.
I EIN.s Wf NAAAAhAa MANt AAl
been burned IN the course Of the last
six months hghting. and these raw
young soldiers have to be billetcd In
hotels and town halls and other scat
tered public buildings. Effective con-
troll is under the Circumstances almost
impossible.
The resident Of a southern town,
where 800 troops are stationed, writes
OF an appalling general laxity prevail
ing as n result Of all this, with the
once potent warnings Of the parish
priest 20 the girls Of the town going
now unhecded. And, suppose" adds
the writer, that conditions in other
towns are the same" Reports indicate
that they are.
SO FAR as the republican army is
concerned statistics OF its personnel
and standing are, Of course, unobtain-
able, but Indications are that eondi-
tions are pretty bad. How these re-
publican soldiers live is a mystery
one knows only that numerous flying
columns appear and reappear and are
somehow able 10 maintain themselves.
They operate in the same way that
the old invisible Irish republican army
which General Strickland used 70 en-
counter in the south, did, striking
swiftly, vanishing only TO pop up again
AT some new unexpected place. IL Is
thought that they would have ceased
10 be long ago. but to-day they still
are active and are in control OF certain
/ areas Of Cork, Kerry, Mayo and otner
/ counties. There can be little question
that the life they are forced TO live is
telling on them, when II comes 70 IN
suiting them for life Of peace, quite
a. heavily as Is the life that the young
Frce state soldiers are going through.