T H E )U RCES OF IRELAND C A R D L E THE UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS LIBRARY From the collection of James Collins, Drumcondra, Ireland • Purchased, 1918. 330.9415 tlllSm V.\ Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2016 https://archive.org/details/materialresourceOOmaca C-ftt Sfitiorjumitd ffwlaiiil SOLICITORS’ APPRENTICES’ DEBATING SOCIETY, THE MATERIAL RESOURCES OF IRELAND: BEING THE ^irirrm DELIVERED AT THE OPENING MEETING OF THE ABOVE SOCIETY, SESSION 1893-94, HELD AT THE SOLICITORS’ BUILDINGS, EOUR COURTS, DUBLIN, ON TUESDAY EVENING, 7th NOVEMBER, 189 S, BY P. L. MACARDLE, _ AUDITOR. DUBLIN: PRINTED AT THE UNIVERSITY PRESS, BY PONSONBY AND WELDRICK. f 1 1 t JhwfiwaRtl jaw o! (Uulaml SOLICITORS' APPRENTICES' DEBATING SOCIETY. THE MATERIAL RESOURCES OF IRELAND: BEING THE Inform DELIVERED AT THE OPENING MEETING OF THE ABOVE SOCIETY, SESSION 1893-94, HELD AT THE SOLICITORS’ BUILDINGS, FOUR COURTS, DUBLIN, TUESDAY EVENING, 7th NOVEMBER, 1893, BY P. L. MACARDLE, w AUDITOR. DUBLIN: PRINTED AT THE UNIVERSITY PRESS, BY PONSONBY AND WELDRICK. 1893. ®jxe fiuorpniMr Jkrixhr of frxkufr, SOLICITORS’ APPRENTICES’ DEBATING SOCIETY. COUNCIL AND OFFICERS FOR SESSION 1893-91. president : THE PRESIDENT OF THE INCORPORATED LAW SOCIETY. LTice-^resiiient : ARTHUR LEE BARLEE. Auditor : P. L. MACARDLE. Iftm. Secretary: : JAMES TENCH. Jfon. Treasurer : W . X . WHITE. IjJatL Librarian: : SAMUEL W. EVANS. gnuncu : Patrick Brady, Solicitor. James Kennedy. Arthur Stirling, ll.b. J. H. Walsh W. A. Fitz Henry, m.a., ll.b. Laurence Dennehy, b.a., Solicitor. Timothy Hunt. (Ex-Auditor). Bo Ojr. '£'3 _ 23 0 , 9*1 5 THE EXTRACT FROM THE MINUTES OF THE SOCIETY. The Opening Meeting of the Winter Session of the Soli- citors’' Apprentices’ Debating Society was held in the Hall of the ’Solicitors’ Buildings, Four Courts, on Tuesday Evening, the 7th November, 1893. William H. Dunne, Esq., Vice-President, in the Chair. Amongst those present, or who accepted the invitations of the Society, were : — The Registrar- General (Dr. Grimshaw) ; Mr. Arthur Lee Barlee ; Dr. Houston, Q. C. ; Mr. Fry; Mr. Ernest W. Harris, LL.D. ; Mr. P. J. Brady; Mr. John L. Scallan ; Dr. Woollcombe; Mr. S. Curtis, Q.C. ; Mr. George O’Malley, Q.c.; Mr. William George Wakely, Secretary, Incorporated Law Society ; Mr. Charles Geoghegan, c.e. ; Mr. D. Kehoe, b.l. ; Mr. T. C. Macardle ; Rev. A. Macardle, S.j. ; Mr. W. F. Donnelly; Mr. J. R. O’Connell; Professor Mir Aulad Ali; Mr. William Lane Joynt ; Mr. F. Cochrane ; Mr. F. Nolan, Q.c. ; Mr. T. Falls ; Mr. L. Cuffe ; Mr. J. F. O’Connell; Mr. William Kenny, Q.C., m.p. ; Mr. J. Russell Stritch, ll.d. ; Rev. J. Cowan; Mr. T. L. Moore; Mr. D. Dunne; Mr. Edward Cuming, b.l. ; Mr. R. P. Carton, Q.c. ; Mr. J. Ryan ; Mr. W. H. Anderson ; Mr. James Talbot Power, d.l. ; the President of the College of Physicians; Mr. B. H. O’Reilly; the President of the Philosophical Society; the Auditor of the College Historical Society; the Auditor of the Theological Society ; the Auditor of the Law Students’ Debating Society ; Mr. William Cox ; TheMacDermotjQ.c.; Mr. John Roche, Q.C.; Mr. C. Walsh; Mr.John Gibbs ; Mr. R. H. Davis ; Mr. Gerald Tench ; Mr. Commissioner Jones ; Mr. Martin Burke, Q.C. ; Sir George Moyers, ll.d.; Mr. J. S. Callaghan; the President of St. Mary’^ College, Dundalk ; Mr. J. St. P. Macardle ; Alderman Flanagan ; Mr. J. H. Powell ; Mr. James Kernan, q.c. ; Mr. Marcus Purcell ; Dr. M‘Hugh ; the Dean of the Faculty, College of Science ; Dr. Wilkinson ; Mr. W. A. Craig, Q.C. ; Mr. Charles Kernan ; the President of Milltown College ; the President of Belvedere College ; Mr. R. Davidson ; Mr. Christopher Friery ; Mr. James H. Campbell, Q.C. ; Editor, Irish Times ; Editor, Daily Express ; Editor, Freeman's Journal ; Editor, Daily Independent ; Mr. William Scallan ; Mr. Francis Scallan. The Minutes of the last Meeting were read and signed. A 2 4 EXTRACT FROM THE MINUTES. The Chairman distributed the following Prizes, Medals, and Certificates, won during the past Session : — ©ratmjj. Society’s Gold Medal, First Certificate, Second Certificate, The ‘ MacSheehy ’ Prizes, . . Mr. John A. F. Simms. . Mr. James O’Connor. Mr. A. W. Stirling, ll.B. ; Mr. John J. Daly, ll.b. ( Mr. A. W. Stirling, ll.b. ; \ Mr. W. X. White. ©muptrsifitm. Society’s Gold Medal, . . . Mr. F. E. M‘Hugh, b.a. The ‘ Fry ’ Prize, .... Mr. Laurence J. Dennehy, B.A., Solicitor. ‘ Lynch ’ Prize, .... Mr. John H. Walsh, Ex- Auditor. Le^al Blefrate. The ‘ R. K. Clay ’ Medal, . . Mr. John A. F. Simms. The Registrar-General (Dr. Grimshaw) moved — ‘ That the best thanks of the Society be given to the Auditor for his Ad and that it be printed at the expense of the Society.’ Mr. Ernest W. Harris, ll.d., seconded the resolution. The resolution was adopted. Dr. Houston, Q.C., moved — ‘ That the Solicitors’ Apprentices’ Debating Society is worthy of the support of the Solicitors’ Apprentices of Ireland, the Council of the Incorporated Law Society, and the Solicitors’ profession.’ Mr. John L. Scallan seconded the Resolution. The Resolution was then put and carried. A vote of thanks was accorded to the former Chairman, to the Council, and the Members of the Incorporated Law Society, on the motion of Mr. Patrick J. Brady, Solicitor, seconded by Mr. J. H. Walsh, Ex-Auditor. The Chairman having briefly replied, the proceedings terminated. ADDRESS. Mr. President, Ladies, and Gentlemen, In accordance with the usual custom, I wish before proceeding to the subject of my address this evening to refer to the work done in the Society during the last Session. I have, however, in the first place to express my thanks to the Members for the honour they have conferred upon me by electing me to the position of Auditor. The Session 1892-93 has been one of the most successful in the history of the Society. In every department a marked improvement was observable — our roll of membership largely increased, and the number of essays read on miscellaneous subjects was far above the average. The Legal Debates lately established, and so useful in practically training the mind to grasp and cope with the subtleties of law, were more assiduously 6 ADDRESS. pursued and attained a higher degree of excellence than in any Session since their foundation. Our debates on general and literary subjects, including amongst them some of the most burning questions of the day, were conducted with the greatest tolerance of opinion and good humour, while, if I may be allowed to refer to so commonplace a subject, the financial position of the Society underwent a marked improvement. I have, on behalf of the Society, to thank in an especial manner Mr. Commissioner Lynch for his kindness in presenting the Society with a valuable prize for the best essay on a most important subject in connection with the sale and transfer of land in Ireland. Our thanks are also due to the President of the Incorporated Law Society, to Mr. Arthur Lee Barlee, and to many Members of the Council for their kindness in presiding, very often at great personal inconvenience, at our meetings, and adjudicating on the essays ; to Mr. William George Wakely, Secretary of the Incorporated Law Society, for his invariable courtesy, and to Mr. Samuel W. Evans, Honorary Librarian to the Society. THE MATERIAL RESOURCES OE IRELAND. The material resources of Ireland is a subject full of interest to every Irishman. Irishmen have never ceased to regard their country with a passionate love. Its history, its arts, its literature, and its memorable men are, no doubt, well known and appreciated ; but which of us understands the resources and deficiencies of the country so as to enable him to form an accurate judgment as to its real capabilities? With a fertile soil, a mild climate, an extensive seaboard indented with magnificent harbours, and conjoined with numer- ous navigable rivers, with a geographical position in an unusual degree favourable to commerce, Ireland is a poor country. Dean Swift, writing in 1720, said: “Ireland is the poorest of all civilized countries, with every advantage to make it one of the richest.” And, in our own times, our great countryman, Lord Dufferin, has written: “ Some human agency or other must be accountable for the perennial desolation of a lovely and fertile soil, watered by the fairest streams, caressed by a clement atmosphere, held in the embrace of a sea whose affluence fills the richest harbour in the world ; and inhabited by a race, valiant, tender, generous, gifted THE MATERIAL RESOURCES OF IRELAND. beyond measure with the power of physical endurance, and braced with the liveliest intelligence.’ ’ What is the present condition of Ireland ? Since 1841 the population has decreased from 8,200,000 souls to 4,718,000. Vast tracts of virgin soil are being constantly opened up on the North American continent ; with but slight fiscal burthens, a virgin soil, most favourable conditions of transport, and an ever increasing supply of labour, the agricultural produce of that wonderful land has well nigh ex- hausted the profits of corn -growing in this country, and the land has for the most part been laid down in grass. The Agricultural Statistics for 1893, lately presented to Parliament, show that of the total area of 20,333,344 statute acres, of which Ireland is composed, only 4,877,528 acres are under crops (including meadow land and clover), while 10,308,848 acres are under grass. If the acreage under meadow and clover be included in the latter number, we find that more than three-fifths of the whole island is under grass. The fattening of cattle, dairy husbandry, and the rearing of young stock have replaced our tillage husbandry. Since the year 1 84 1 the number of cattle has increased from 1,863,000 to 4,464,026, while the number of sheep has increased from 2,106,000 to 4,421,593. In every civilized country the decline of the popula- tion is regarded as a symptom of unhealthy national life. THE MATERIAL RESOURCES OF IRELAND. 9 “ Fewness of people,” says Sir William Petty, “ is real poverty, and a nation wherein are eight millions of people is more than twice as rich as a country wherein are four.” “ The true and natural ground of trade and riches,” writes Sir William Temple, “ is the number of people in proportion to the compass of ground they inhabit.” A nation is composed of human beings ; where men disappear and cattle replace them, the change cannot be regarded as satisfactory. “ Pasturage is of a peculiar depopulating nature ; as cattle spread, men disappear; as men disappear, trade declines.” Bishop Berkeley well asks the question : “ Whether it is not a true sign or effect of a country’s thriving to see it well cultivated and full of inhabitants, and if so, whether a great quantity of sheep-walk is not ruinous to a country, rendering it waste and thinly inhabited? ” How aptly these economic truths apply to the Ireland of to-day ! Herds of cattle and flocks of sheep have replaced her human population ; her tillage has de- clined. Outside the linen trade, the distillation of whiskey, the brewing of porter, and limited shipbuild- ing and woollen industries, no mining or manufactur- ing industry is carried on with enterprise or adequate profit. No doubt the banking capital and deposits of the country have largely increased during the last half century, but the population has so seriously dimi- nished during the same period as to render that fact IO THE MATERIAL RESOURCES OF IRELAND. of little value as a proof of increasing national pros- perity. “ 111 fares the land, to hastening ills a prey, Where wealth accumulates, and men decay.” That cattle-grazing will not ultimately improve the position of the Irish farmer appears evident. The exportation of cattle and dead meat from America is yet only in its infancy. Irish agriculture has been described as the most backward in Europe. It embraces the cultivation of only three or four crops ; one million sterling is annually lost to the country by the cruel and careless manner in which the export cattle trade is carried on. The beasts are shipped alive instead of dead, and with them the raw materials of numerous profitable trades, which are manufactured in England, and returned to us in their finished state. The Irish farmer’s only hope of survival in the present fierce competition with the world is in advance- ment ; he must become thoroughly acquainted, both practically and theoretically, with his business ; he must grow every kind of plant suitable for his soil, which he can sell at a reasonable profit. Industrial crops, such as flax, should hold a prominent place ; the area under this important crop fell this year to 67,444 acres, the lowest on record since the year 1849; yet Ireland imports annually three millions worth of flax to supply her looms. The country has suffered most seriously from the fact that we have a rapidly decreasing population, THE MATERIAL RESOURCES OF IRELAND. I I able and willing to work, for which the cultivation of the soil does not afford sufficient employment. Human labour is divided into two great branches : agricultural and manufacturing. Both are necessary ; no country exclusively devoted to either can be con- sidered in a healthy economic condition. Ireland is, as we have seen, almost exclusively occupied with agricultural pursuits, and even those are to a great extent of a pastoral character ; therefore she is poor, and will, beyond all doubt, continue to be so until she turns her attention to the development of her industrial resources. No doubt the production of food is the greatest of our industries, and many of us have formed the impression that the country is not suited at all for successful industrial activity outside of agricultural pursuits. This idea, so inimical to the true interests of the country, has arisen to a great extent from our close proximity to a country abounding in an un- paralleled degree with all the circumstances and conditions of successful industry. But that we our- selves are not without capabilities of considerable manufacturing industry, I will endeavour to show. The factors upon which manufacturing industry depend are skilled labour, power, raw materials, facili- ties of transit, markets, and capital. I propose to examine briefly in order to what extent these factors exist in Ireland. The first factor I have mentioned is that of skilled 12 THE MATERIAL RESOURCES OF IRELAND. labour; and in this connection the subject of industrial or technical education is, it appears to me, of para- mount importance. Without skilled knowledge and labour we cannot hope for any real improvement. Two things are necessary for industrial knowledge — science and practice. Science teaches the principles upon which practical results depend. Considering man as a mere animal power, it is gratifying to know that no race is more perfectly developed than our countrymen. Observations have proved that the average Irishman is higher, weightier, and stronger than either Englishmen or Scotchmen ; neither is he wanting in natural intellect or quick perception. But what is the quality and extent of the available skilled knowledge and labour we possess ? In a manufacturing country every workshop is an industrial school ; these countries produce a vast amount of skilled labour without any distinct system of technical education. It is in this respect that Ireland is weakest: “the very traditions of trade and commerce have perished through desuetude.” The education necessary for industrial purposes is under- rated ; we are so ignorant that we scarcely know the extent of it. No doubt, something has been already done by the efforts of religious bodies and the enterprise of individuals, but a universal and comprehensive plan of technical and industrial education throughout the country is absolutely necessary. THE MATERIAL RESOURCES OF IRELAND. 13 Ireland faces the world destitute of manufacturing activity ; in order to obtain a hold upon the markets of the world she must excel her competitors ; hence it is only by the most strenuous exertion, constant industry, and, above all, perfect knowledge that she can hope to succeed. The second factor I have mentioned is power or motion. Ireland is behind almost every civilized country in the employment of mechanical power. The excuse generally given that we are obliged to import most of our coal is fallacious. Most of the British coal-fields lie along the west coast ; hence it is often cheaper to carry coals from England and Scotland to Ireland than to many parts of Great Britain. Coal is as cheap in Dublin as in London. The cost of coal, even in our western ports, is not much greater than in many parts of Great Britain, and certainly less than in many of the manufacturing districts of France, Switzerland, and Germany, or the seaboard of America. Ireland contains, according to the Geological Survey, seven coal districts estimated by Professor Hull to contain about 209 million tons of coal. Two are situated in the county of Tyrone, one in Tipperary, one (the south-western coal-field) in the counties of Clare, Limerick, and Cork, one at Ballycastle in the county of Antrim, one at Castlecomer in the county of Kilkenny, and one in the Arigna district in Connaught. All the districts north of Dublin yield coal of a 14 THE MATERIAL RESOURCES OF IRELAND. bituminous or flame- giving nature, while the coal south of that city is anthracite, which burns without flame. That we are not rich in our coal-measures, as far as they at present appear to be known, is made plain from the fact that the whole of the estimated available coal in Ireland would not provide for more than fourteen months supply for Great Britain. The more shallow beds have been exhausted, and mining is not carried on to any extent. Few countries are so well supplied with natural water-power. Our lack of coal is in a great measure compensated for by the enormous supply of water- power at our disposal. Coal is principally used in manufacturing industry as a means of obtaining power or motion, and it is a matter of small impor- tance, from an abstract point of view, whether that power is obtained by means of steam or water. Sir Robert Kane estimates the water-power of Ireland as equal to three and one-half millions horse-power, “ an amount,” says he, “of mechanical power sufficient to develop our industries on the largest scale.” This enormous power is scattered with remarkable uni- formity throughout the country. Who can have witnessed the immense volume of water rushing over the falls of Ballysodare, Sligo, without feeling a regret that every ledge of that pre- cipitous fall has not beside it a busy mill ? The lordly Shannon, the picturesque Blackwater, the winding Lee, the stately Barrow, and the noble Suir all offer THE MATERIAL RESOURCES OF IRELAND. 1-5 facilities for the manufacturer such as few countries but Ireland can command.” When the problem of electricity, as a practical power in manufacturing industry, shall have been solved, our unrivalled water- power should be of enormous force in the destiny of the country. Let us now consider the third factor I have mentioned, namely raw materials. The raw materials of Ireland have been the subject of much vague discussion. The railway and steam-boat have reduced the importance of this factor in industry. A country poor in raw materials can now import them with great ease. For practical purposes, and generally speaking, the only minerals obtainable in the United Kingdom, now of commercial value, are coal and iron. Since 1796, about ,£60,000 worth of gold has been found in the county of Wicklow. Small quantities still continue to be found, but all operations up to the present have proved unprofitable. Copper and lead mines are found scattered over the country, but Wicklow practically monopolizes the whole of the mining of the country, with the exception of coal and iron. There exists in the county of Antrim, an area of 167 square miles, containing 232 million tons of iron ore of a very higli average quality. Good ore has also been found in the Arigna district in Con- naught, in the county of Cavan, and in other places. Here I may mention a very extraordinary fact : while THE MATERIAL RESOURCES OF IRELAND. a very large body of coal and a vast quantity of ex- cellent iron ore exist in the counties of Tyrone and Antrim, respectively, not a single ton of iron ore is smelted in Ireland. Beautiful marbles, serpentines, granites, building stone, the slate, the flint, limestone are all found in abundance. Numerous attempts have been made to develop our quarries ; their want of success has in a great measure been due to excessive rates of carriage, and the aversion with which our architects regard Irish building materials. It has been asserted that marble can be brought cheaper from Italy to Dublin than from Galway. Clay, cement, and salt are all found, but lie practi- cally unutilized. In Staffordshire, where the earthen- ware and glass industry flourishes all the important elements are brought from a distance ; yet, here in Ireland, where there is an abundant supply of suitable clay, we cannot make sufficient earthenware and glass to supply our own needs. Enormous numbers of bottles are made at Elbogen and Dresden from granite similar to that which exists in abundance in the North of Ire- land. Many experiments have been made with peat; yet with the exception of its use as fuel, peat in Ireland is left practically unused. It has been suggested that this substance might be used for the smelting of iron, but coal is a formidable rival, having much greater heating power, and being very much less in THE MATERIAL RESOURCES OF IRELAND. 1 7 bulk. Vast quantities of peat litter are made in Ger- many, and imported into England and Ireland. It is difficult to understand why a thriving and exten- sive peat litter industry does not exist in this country with such a very large supply of the natural substance. The importance of the fourth factor I have enume- rated — namely, facilities of transit — cannot be over- estimated. The influences of the railway system on the industrial and social circumstances of the country are such as to command the most serious consi- deration. When railways were first introduced neither their results nor vast power were properly under- stood. They are our principal means of intercom- munication, and have almost completely superseded our roads and canals. Hence it is clear they cannot now be legitimately considered as individual speculations or for the exclusive benefit of shareholders, but rather for the use and benefit of the country at large. Many are of opinion that all undertakings of this nature should be left to the unfettered vigour, enterprise and intelligence of individuals, and that the intervention of the State, in restricting free enterprise and free competition, is detrimental to the true interest of society ; yet I make bold to say that privileges have been given to Irish Railway Companies which should be exercised only under the direct author- ity of the State. As far back as the year 1838, Mr. Thomas Drummond, then Under-Secretary, than whom Ireland has never had a truer friend, B 1 8 THE MATERIAL RESOURCES OF IRELAND. concluded his Report upon the then contemplated establishment of railways in Ireland with these very suggestive words : “ That every precaution may be taken and every measure adopted which can con- tribute, on the one hand, to the encouragement of the capitalist, and on the other, to secure to the country the full and entire benefit which the railway system is capable of affording.” Unhappily Mr. Drummond died prematurely ; his invaluable recommendations were forgotten ; and the railways in Ireland, despite his efforts, “ were com- mitted to the direction of individuals almost uncon- ditionally and without control.” Our railway system has a total length of 2742 miles; its working capital amounts to over ^38,000,000, and it is under the direction of 39 separate Boards. The mileage of the London and North-Western Railway Company about equals that of all the Irish railways together ; its capital is about £ 1 1 0,000,000 ; and yet this vast system is managed by one Board of Directors. Its manager, the late Sir George Findley, is reported to have said that he alone could manage all the Irish railways, and yet be able to devote two days in each week to fishing. That the country does not enjoy “ the full and entire benefit which the railway system is capable of affording” is evident. The Irish classification is higher than the English classification ; the higher the classification, the higher the rate ; the local rates THE MATERIAL RESOURCES OF IRELAND. ig are excessive and flagrantly unequal ; by an un- equitable arrangement of through rates an unfair advantage is given to goods from Great Britain and other countries to the detriment of the Irish manu- facturer ; by divided management traffic is necessarily impeded ; and for certain kinds of traffic no proper conveyance is provided. The consolidation of the whole system not necessarily under single or State management would remove most of the evils com- plained of, a more harmonious policy would prevail, and the power and desire to develop and encourage nascent industries would become more firmly estab- lished. In 1856 the Government of Belgium took over a number of the railways of that country, and made sweeping reductions in the goods rates and passenger fares. In a short time the quantity of goods carried over these lines increased 50 per cent., the profits quintupled, and the number of passengers increased by one million and a half in two years. No doubt such a radical change might possibly for a time prove inimical to the interests of shareholders ; but a scheme could be devised by which on a State guaran- teed interest of 4 per cent, on their capital, the Irish Railway Companies might consent to an amalga- mation so much needed in the interests of Irish industry. We have now come to the fifth factor, i. e. the question of markets. It is calculated that upwards of ^15,000,000 is annually spent abroad upon materials 20 THE MATERIAL RESOURCES OF IRELAND. that could be as well made at home. Owing to the lamentable fact that the Irish people have an aversion to the manufactures of their own country, an Irish industry has no nursing period ; from its very birth it must stand the brunt of free competition with the whole world. Whatever small advantage his position gives the Irish manufacturer in his own market is cancelled by excessive rates and want of capital which preclude him from giving the same advantageous terms of credit that his richer competitor can afford. Unless a country produces all its needs at home, which is very rarely if ever the case, it can never become rich unless it exports something in exchange for the imports of other countries. The ability of a country to support and maintain a foreign trade is largely influenced by its geographical position and physical formation. The circumstances of Ireland in this respect are exceptionally advantageous. Placed by nature in the centre of the commercial world, with an extensive seaboard, with magnificent natural har- bours and navigable rivers Ireland should, assuming the existence of the other necessary elements, become a great manufacturing country. Consider alone the river Shannon. Sir Robert Kane, in his “ Industrial Resources of Ireland/’ writes: “Let us consider that river forming at its source, 2 50 miles from the sea, an extensive lake surrounded with coal and turf and the richest ironstone ; then cutting through a district con- taining some of the most fertile land in Ireland, capable THE MATERIAL RESOURCES OF IRELAND. 2 I of producing the largest returns of flax, of corn, and cattle, presenting an alternation of lake and river, fitted for steam navigation from end to end ; and in one locality, within a distance of four miles, affording water-power for mechanical manufactures on the largest scale ; in the hills, a few miles from the seat of mechanical power, are mines of lead, of copper, and of sulphur, of slate and marbles. Finally, it possesses a capacious port, an estuary superior to that of the Thames, and roadsteads capable of giving accommodation to the most extensive navy/’ Capital, the sixth and last of the factors I have enumerated, is essential in industry ; but it alone could not create or develop industrial activity where the other elements are absent or deficient. Our sup- posed want of capital has been one of the bugbears of Irish enterprise. England has capital ; therefore she is rich. Ireland has none ; therefore she is poor. But where did England first obtain her capital. “ Industry makes capital, not the capital the industry.” Ireland does not need money capital so much as securities and remunerative industries in which to place it. In these days of, so to speak, cosmopolitan finance, money is always seeking investments in sound and sometimes very unsound speculations. The Irish people, for the most part, invest their money out of the country ; the very Irish Banks invest a very con- siderable proportion of the earnings and savings of the country in London and elsewhere. 2 2 THE MATERIAL RESOURCES OF IRELAND. That money capital of great amount does exist in the country is certain. The money invested in Irish railways, stocks, banking capital and deposits, current accounts, deposits in Post Office and other savings banks, exclusive of the enormous sum invested by the Irish people in foreign securities and English railways, amounted, according to statistics presented to Parlia- ment in the June of this year, to nearly^i 12,000,000. A very considerable portion of this immense sum, which should, before all else, be employed in the development of the material resources of the country, is invested outside of Ireland. Irish banking, as at present constituted, is not calculated to encourage the development of our resources. In Scotland a man’s enterprise, character, industry, experience, and probable chance of success are considered as equivalent to capital, and the banker advances him money. Mr. H. D. Mac Lead, in his “ Elements of Banking,” says : “ All economists class personal skill, abilities, and character as wealth, because persons can make a profit by their use.” Such a system is, generally speaking, unknown in this country. Money required for the development or institution of industrial enterprise cannot be obtained except under most stringent conditions and for short periods. Financial associations are urgently required, not to destroy, but to stimulate and supplement the work of our existing banks. THE MATERIAL RESOURCES OF IRELAND. 23 In America and some European countries associa- tions of this nature have been formed, by which capital seeking investment is placed at the disposal of new industries and public works. Nearly 2000 banks of this description exist in Germany. Such are the circumstances and extent in which the necessary elements in manufacturing industry exist in Ireland. The country contains, outside of, and uncon- nected with, these factors, many material resources which should contribute largely to the national wealth, but which are all in an undeveloped and, in many cases, a declining condition. The limits of a paper of this length only allow me to address myself to a con- sideration of the more important subjects of minor industries, fisheries, forests, arterial drainage, the reclamation of land, and tourist traffic. For six months in the year the average Irish peasant and his family are idle. To supply these people with remunerative occupation, and raise them from the moral torpor of enforced idleness, are ob jects of immediate want. Owing to the practica 1 beneficence of the Countess of Aberdeen and her fellow-workers, the Irish Home Industries Association has been formed with the object of making minor industries and handicrafts, such as the working of lace and embroidery, general throughout the land. Ireland cannot expect to become suddenly trans- formed into a great manufacturing country. In considering the problem of reviving the greater 24 THE MATERIAL RESOURCES OF IRELAND. manufactures, minor industries of this nature are of great importance, inasmuch as they help the people to recover that lost habit of industry without which success is impossible. With an extensive indented coast-line of 2346 miles, with waters teeming with fish, Ireland ought to have a mine of wealth in her fisheries ; yet Scotland, with a coast-line only 500 miles longer than that of Ireland, supports by her fisheries one-seventh of her population, while Ireland only supports a-f-oth. The explanation generally given is that the Irish, being Celts, are not naturally sailors; yet the Cornishmen, the Manxmen, and the fishermen of Argyle and the Hebrides are essentially of the Celtic race. The true reason can be found in the manner in which the Irish fisheries were treated in the past, and the present absence of the necessary conditions of success. Suit- able boats are needed ; there are plenty of crafts suitable for near-shore fishing, but they are quite incapable of facing the tempestuous waves of the Atlantic thirty or forty miles to sea, where the fish mostly abound. For lack of large decked-boats, our deep-sea fisheries are practically monopolized by English, Scotch, French, and Manx fishermen. Piers, gear, nets, and curing-houses are needed. The produce must be brought more expeditiously to the market ; a connected system of light railways should be constructed along the west coast. There does not exist a single chart upon which the fishing THE MATERIAL RESOURCES OF IRELAND. 25 banks are laid down. The United States Govern- ment employ between twenty and thirty skilled natu- ralists for making observations around their coasts, and thus directly increase the national wealth. The telegraph should be extended to the fishing stations, and lastly, the fisherman himself should be thoroughly educated in all the knowledge appertaining to his craft. Can it be wondered at, with such a list of deficiencies, that our fisheries are in a declining condition. The State must aid. We have it upon the authority of the late Professor Sullivan, that, in order to place the fishing industry of the country on a permanent basis as a source of constant employment and national wealth, a sum of between ^2,000,000 and ^3,000,000 must be expended and advanced. That Ireland was, some centuries ago, remarkable for the extent of her forests is well known. Boate tells us that, two centuries ago, the manufacture of iron was carried on to a large extent, and led to the felling of timber for the purpose of supplying char- coal. Many other causes led to their destruction. In the meantime, no one planted, with the result that Ireland is now, except in some favoured places, a country of nakedness. The advantages which would arise from the re-afforestation of the country are manifold. Trees afford shelter from the storm, absorb moisture, increase and improve the soil, afford shelter for birds, and supply a large number of products useful in manufacture. It is estimated that the country cannot 26 THE MATERIAL RESOURCES OF IRELAND. be replanted without an expenditure of ^20,000,000; but when we consider, leaving altogether aside the incalculable improvement effected in the country and its inhabitants, that the whole expense would be returned, with enormous profits, in about fifty years, and that Ireland would then have timber readily saleable for over ^100,000,000, no one can question the advisability of the outlay. The task is too vast for private enterprise. The State should undertake the duty and reclothe Ireland with one of the most useful, as well as beautiful, of the agents of nature. Several experiments have been made in im- proving the soil of Ireland, and extending its pro- ductive area, by arterial drainage and reclamation. The drainage of our great central plain is a task of enormous difficulty; the best plan appears to be to divide it into drainage areas according to levels and place each area under a Board. A complete system would confer untold benefit on the country. Professor Tyndall is of opinion that the mean tempe- rature would be raised by four degrees ; land would become more fertile and more productive ; cattle less prone to disease ; and the health of the people would improve. It is doubtful if reclamation on an extensive scale would prove profitable in the present depressed state of agriculture. Along the banks of some of the rivers, and the shores of the sea, there is a vast extent of THE MATERIAL RESOURCES OF IRELAND. 27 unreclaimed territory, which has been proved to be of extraordinary fertility, and which may, under more favourable conditions, be added to the productive area of the country with enormous benefit. It is remarkable that until recently so little has been done to develop the Tourist Resources of the country. The natural beauties of Ireland rival, if they do not excel, those of any other country. Her mountains, lakes, and coast-line of unsurpassable beauty, her in- numerable monuments of historical and antiquarian interest, her salubrious climate, her interesting people, all offer attractions to the lover of nature, the anti- quarian, the health-seeker, and the student of character such as few countries possess. Switzerland has grown rich from this source of wealth. Our “ Tourist Industry,” as it has been aptly called, has been, like so many others, com- paratively undeveloped. The reason lies principally with ourselves. The hotel accommodation in favoured spots is very often deficient, and where it is good the charges are immoderate ; we lack comfortable, cheap, and easy means of transit. Compare the western coast of Scotland with the western coast of Ireland ; both districts vie with each other in natural beauty, yet what a difference they present in regard to accommodation and facilities of transit. The importance of this question cannot be over-esti- mated. From an economic point of view an increased 2 8 THE MATERIAL RESOURCES OF IRELAND. Tourist traffic means an increased circulation of money, very often in those impoverished districts where money is most badly needed ; it dispels prejudice arising from ignorance of the country and its inhabitants, and pro- motes trade and commerce. Such are a few of the circumstances affecting the development of the capabilities and resources of Ire- land. I have only attempted to deal with a few of the more salient points, but what a vast field remains untouched. The question of labour ; the economic relations of England and Ireland ; the problems connected with the tenure of land, and their effect upon the present condition of the people ; the question of protection ; even the potato, as a most important element in the condition of the people — these are a few of the many considerations involved in an exhaustive treatment of this subject. Take Ireland as a country of ample natural resources, upon which to build the industrial fabric. There is nothing in the physical condition of the country to compel it to remain for ever destitute of manufactures. Her circumstances in many of the elements of successful industrial activity are favourable in an unusual degree, while those in which she is deficient are not insuperable. Technical skill can be acquired — high intellect and great quickness of perception form a ground upon which the seeds of instruction soon grow and multiply ; raw materials, where absent, can be supplied with ease ; an enormous mechanical THE MATERIAL RESOURCES OF IRELAND. 29 power rushes towards the sea, longing for useful action ; her system of internal communication can be extended, and its conditions remedied ; her sea- board, her harbours, and navigable rivers, present facilities of transport such as few countries can com- mand ; while money capital of great amount exists in the country ready for investment in remunerative securities. The re-afforestation of waste lands, the drainage of our great central plain, the building of harbours and piers, the reformation and extension of our railway system, the encouragement, by loan, of special industries, such as our declining fisheries, are all objects too vast for private enterprise, which should be undertaken by the State. Industrial State schools, attached to our existing elementary schools, should be established, giving scientific as well as practical education in agricultural and manufacturing knowledge and processes. The rest remains with Ireland ; she must help her- self. Well has Bishop Berkeley asked : “ Whether it be not the opinion or will of the people exciting them to industry that truly enricheth a nation ? ” She must, taking facts as they are, imitate the example of practical nationalities, and so by labour, industry, and well-directed intelligence and enter- prise realise and justify what has been said of her on the highest authority : — “ The constitution of the rocks and soil of Ireland, its extent of ores 30 THE MATERIAL RESOURCES OF IRELAND. and fuel, its supply of water, its extent of lakes and rivers, its harbours all fit for industry in agriculture, in manufactures, and in commerce in a degree which, although not entitling it like England to grasp at the commercial and manufacturing sceptre of the world, should certainly enable it to be the source of employ- ment and comfort to its own people.” THE END. . m unfcM Of THE BisvEKin t? stones .