Evening star., 1922-04-06
PUTTING RED TAPE EASZDE
CORK RISING FROM ASHES

no time will be lost in the rebuilding
Of the city.
Cork put to the ,rss tescs eV %ors n
proportion. Her city hall, her IL
brary, other semi public buildings.
and long lanes of business blocks
went up in flames from the incen-
diary bombs of N Company. aux
auxiliaries' supply Of gasoline ana
bombs had not been exhausted the
commercial section of the city would
have been razed entirely.
Cork Suffered Much.
Cork suffered much, but she in
tends to recover the more rapidly.
The people are resolved TO set to
work at once to stimulate their in
dustry. expand their trade and, IN
reconstructing, to go beyond the pre-
war limits, when Cork was the most
important manufacturing city IN the
south of Ireland.
toration of confidence during the nve
weeks since l was last here. Energy
! has taken the place of the indiner :
! ence noted on my first visit. VII
ness the action of the Cork corpora- l.
tion in calling Henry Ford to account
! for his failure to employ more men
| in his Cork branch.
The fact that the corporation re-
pented and sought to retrace ltselt
does not alter the fact that It was
showing a spunk not evident IN CORK
five weeks before, Two months ago
that would not have happened. Bodies
| of men do not take such peremptory
steps when they are in the throes OF
uncertainty. The Ford action alone rs
a testimonial to the changed spirit III
Cork.
| The reason for the restoration of
confidence is to be found. l believe. in
| the rapidly growing faith IN Michael
| Collins and the provisional govern
! ment and the accumulating strength
| of the Free State idea in the south.
Cork, as the capital of the extremist
! south, the province of Munster, has
! been a republican stronghold. The
MacSwineys and other Sim Fein stall
warts have been the popular leaders:
Griffith and Collins has risen. Five
! weeks ago people told the inquirer
| that Cork was likely to stand by De
Valera and the republic. Today they
| tell you the city is for the Free State.
Little Improvement Planned.
| The unfortunate item in the plans
for Cork's rebuilding is that the new
| modern nor along the lines of the
| ancient Gaelic architecture. Nor are
the streets, narrow for the most part
after the Irish fashion. to be widened.
So far as the replacement OF buildings
/ is concerned it appears there Is to be
little Improvement over the ones that
were destroyed.
Having seized on the possibilities
of development under a stable Irish
government. Corkites have become
! tremendously impressed with them.
1.-The people are just beginning to
realize that there is way out of the
disorder and distress of the last siS
years" H. F. Bradley. proprietor OF
an important engineering works. told
me.
Bradley. who is also by way of be-
ing a country gentleman. was exiled
| in Wales for three months prior to
the truce. He was shot at several
| times by crown forces and narrowly
escaped having his works burned. He
was the butt of both sides, as was
many another peaceful man in Ire
| land. Curiously enough, many a
| loyalist was burned out during "the
| trouble" by the undiscriminating po-
lice. while the property of Sim Fem
ers on either side was allowed to
stand. Business men having contracts
with the British government for troop