The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1922-01-13
THE ECONOMIC POSITION OF IRE.
LAND.

nent, the National Bank OF Commerce
says in the January number OF its
magazine. Commerce Monthly. Ire
lands advantage is in agriculture, and
the greatest possibilities for industrial
development lie in the manufacture of
foodstuffs from home grown materials.
THE predominancc of agriculture is
indicated by the fact that in 1913, the
last year for which values OF Irish ex-
ports are available. 81 per cent of the
total was made up of articles of an
agricultural character while agricul-
tural products Of an indubitable do
nestle origin formed approximately
half the total the bank points out.
Live stock raising is by far the
most important industry in Ireland
and live animals the greatest single
item of export. For the most part. the
stock are raised for the English mar
ket and are exported alive But it
should be possible to export cattle in
much more profitable form than that
of animals on the hoof. The fact that
all this live stock is slaughtered
abroad means the loss to ireland of
the profits of the Strengthening, packing
and related industries. such as tan
ming. which depend upon the meat in
dustry for their raw material. More
over, approximately half the cattle
exported are in the lean state, despite
the fact that Ireland has some of the
richest pastures in the world, so that
the profits of preparation for market
us well as those of slaughter are lost
There has recently been an attempt
to develop an Irish meat trade which,
unfortunately through lack OF suffi-
ficient capital. has not been able to
continue. As far as operations were
carried on, with the limited resources
at the disposal of the pioneer large
scale company, there was every indi-
cation that the meat and by-products
of cattle slaughtered in Ireland could
be sold profitably in Great, Britain and
other markets. A development of this
meat trade seems to offer the most
favorable opportunity OF any plan yet
offered to strengthen the industrial
structure Of the country and at the
same time benefit the agricultural in
terests
The situation of the sheep trade is
much the same. In the case OF pork
products the development of meat
trade has proceeded much further
Concerted action by the bacon curers
has resulted in great Improvement in
the breed of pigs and Irish bacon is
nov of excellent quality. Bacon curing
is an important industry. centering at
Cork, Waterford and Limerick. and
even before the war exports of bacon
and ham were considerable.
N,s
for development. Much has already
been accomplished in organizing the
butter trade. but there is still oppor-
tunity for gerat Improvement. The
growth of the cheese trade in TIE lat
ter years of the war was also an en-
couraging feature.
I'm the field of Industrial activity
Ireland is severely handicapped by the
lack OF cheap power. The annual pro-
duction of about 1000 tons of coal
must be supplemented by imports
from Great Britain averaging $500, 0O0
q year. The high moisture content
makes difficult the successful applica-
ton of peat to power production and
the methods of winning peat may be
greatly improved before it can COM
pete successfully with imported coal
for industrial use.
Not only must coal be imported.
but very large proportion of the raw
used in the principal Irish
industries is of foreign origin In the
linen industry much of the flax is inn
and practically all the steel
used in Belfast shipyards comes from
Great Britain. Although part of the
wool manufactured in Ireland is Of do
nestle origin. even this has usually
been spun in English mills and there
8 large importation of foreign woods
and yarns. The tobacco and rope man
lfactures of Belfast are entirely de-
pendent upon foreign materials. and
ne great breweries and distilIerfes of
Dublin use a large proportion of for
sign grain. In sum, except for the
Of food products. as in |
neat packing and dairying. Ireland is |
dependent upon other countries for
10Th fuel and raw materials, as well
IS for markets for the finished pro-
iuct.
'The trade figures suggest second \
method Of industrial development in |
reland which is fundamentally sound, I
namely, TO supply the domestic mar |
,et with some of the many articles
low imported. particularly where the
aw material is at hand IN such cases /
here is at least the advantage over
oreign competitors of eliminating
cean freight on the finished product I
There is also the great advantage of t
he present sentiment of Irish con- I
nmers strongly favoring domestic /
GODS.
BY these two methods. supplying 1
he foreign market with manufactured |
God products, and the domestic con-
umer with articles from Irish raw
Ireland can make industrial
rogress. But the domestic market is
ot large. and as industrial develop l
lent for foreign markets depends pri-
larily upon the supply Of agricultural
rodEcts. the conclusion IS inevitable
hat it is primarily in agriculture that
reland viii find its future prosperity
OR De VALERA IRISH