Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-09-21
IRELAND is PROGRESSING
DESPITE MANY PROBLEMS
Government Accomplishing Much To-
ward Stability, But Is Still
Paying for Warfare.
BY WILLIAM A. MILLEN.

~ W IN ncaOlllSS. RlNulk lTeSn
thrills daily to the American
newspaper reading public?
The Cosgrave cabinet, in the IRISH Free
State, finds itself one OF the very Oldest
in Europe, having held Office longer
than the governments of France, Eng
land and many of the adjacent nations
Its friends say that the Irish Free
State government has done wonderfully
well-has carried on government sue
cessfully in the midst of civil war,
now happily closed and has shown it
self to be enterprising and w-deawake.
Its enemies, found mostly in the
Fianna Fail party, with which Eamonn
De Valera is associated, insist that the
Cosgrave cabinet is putting on the
dog" too much, paying high Salar.e
like the larger nations and is rsmiSs in
its duty of bringing increased prosperity
and more industries to the country, and
altogether is too closely linked with
England Then, there is the complaint
that two sets of government officials
are being paid in Ireland--one for the
Belfast regime and the other for that
in Dublin.
Ireland has plenty to think about,
these days. While the United States
was experiencing sn unprecedented
drought this Summer, Ireland, in COM
mon with a large part of Western Eu-
rope, was bsing treated to a deluge of
rain such as the oldest inhabitants say
has not been duplicated within living
memory. AS result of this downpour,
a crop output below the average is looked
for this harvest for in many places the
incessant rains made hay-saving pre-
carious, and the potato blight has been
heavy, curtailing the growth Of this
most staple Of Irish foods.
Now Paying the Fiddler
High taxes are complained Of in the
Emerald Isle, for the people are now
engaged in the -too-pleaSant task
of footing the bill for the destruction
caused in the recent guerilla warfare
Just who is to blame for this, It is hard
to determine, for the Republicans blame
the Free Skaters, and vice versa. At
any rate, the tax bills are gathering in
the revenue to rebuild bridges blown up
railroad stations demolished and other
evidences of vandalism. Signs of this
destruction have now practically disap-
peared and the country IS tranquil
once more, but the unpleasant task of
paying the fiddler" has to be faced.
In the fighting brother was pitted
against brother, as was the case in our
own American Civil War, with an
aftermath equally as bitter in many
instances. AS a consequence the sub
tect of politics is taboo in many house
holds. But there is an election in the
offing and already the various parties are
trimming their sails for success The
Free State partisans say that the Re-
publicans, even If they could win, would
be hard put to it in forming a cabinet,
for apart from De Valera and one or
two others they say it is a party of
mediocrity. The Republicans retort that
the Cosgrave cabinet has been too long
in power already and this is a danger
Gus situation in any country, tending to
dictatorship.
The City Of Dublin, the Irish Free
State capital, is about to change its
form of government Charged with
being inefficient, the old corporation of
Dublin was dissolved more than six
years ago and since then its affairs have
been managed by a triumvirate Of COM
missioners, just as here in Washington,
A recently passed law doubles the area
OF the old municipality and a council is
to be elected the end of this month
The new council win direct municipal
policy, while city manager, associated
with it, will take over the task of MAX
ing contracts, control over employees,
the execution OF public works and the
preparation OF budgetary estimates. An
innovation in the new program is that
special representation is to be given
business, for 5 out of the IS members
OF the council are TO be elected on a
commercial register. An effort is being
made IN Dublin to have the candidates
divorced from party Affiliations and
elected solely on the basis Of aptitude
for civic duty.
Commissioners Praised,
The three commissioners who have
ruled the Free State capital for the
past Few years are being given a good
seno-on, for they are credited with
having fixed up the thoroughfares
built thousands of homes, established
new communications, and made urban
lie better without cnduly burdening
the taxpayers.
Belfast, capital of the Northern gov
eminent, comprising the six counties of
Antrim, Down, Londonderry, Ferman-
agh, Armagh and Tyrone, is likewise
branching out, for it recently took over
control of the city's street cars and
buses. The city fathers of the great
linen and shipbuilding center deter
mined that street cars were being ham
pered by buses stopping In front Of
them, SO to eliminate a bad traffic sit
uation decided on the municipal own
ership move. Inspectors board cars
and busSes to check up on the con-
ductors, and passengers are required to
keep their tickets so that they may be
, inspected when asked for.
The Irish Free State government is
housed in the old Leinster House, which
James Hoban used as the basis for his
winning design for the White House.
The Northern government, temporarily
occupying borrowed quarters, Is looking
forward TO entering its new home in a
year or So This is being constructed
at Stormont, just on the edge Of the
city, on a terrace cut out of the slope
Of hill which commands wonderful
view Of the counties of Antrim and
Down. Stormont Castle, official resi-
dence of the prime minister, and the
Speakers house are located a short dts
lance from where the new Parliament
building is being constructed Of Port
land stone with a plinth OF Irish
granite.
See Single Government.
What are the chances OF having
1llst one government, instead of two,
for the whole of Ireland? This is a
subject upon which 1t Is dimcult TO
elicit comment, but many people in
the Free State foresee that day rap
idly approaching. and they say that
it Is going to be brought about. not
by politics, but by economics. At pres
ent, they assert, the six counties are
hard hit by the customs barrier that
shuts them out from the rest Of Ire
land, for business men in the north
eastern area are finding that 1t is in
creasingly difficult to negotiate BUSH
ness transactions with Free State bust
ness men, who prefer TO deal with in
terests in their own section of Ireland
Irish farmers will tell you that prices
for their products are at rock bottom.
The Free State government is seeking
to improve the quality of products
sent to other countries and success Is
being achieved, particularly in the case
~