OUR IRISH LETTER.

Auckland Star, Volume LIX, Issue 267, 10 November 1928, Page 18

OUR IRISH LETTER.

"DIRTY DUBLIN,"

REPROACH REMOVED. (From Our Own Correspondent.) ' DUBLIN, September 19. Once upon a time the Irish capital was known as "Dear, dirty Dublin.", That reproach has been removed, and Dublin i 3 now held forth as,a mo'del of. cleanliness. Some three years ago the street cleansing was given 'over to;a French firm—who, of course,' employed Irish sweepers and carters —by thesioners/who are in charge of the administration of the city, vice the old corrupt corporation,' with substantial-reduction .in cost and an amazing increase in efft-' ciency. The streets are kept; clean, and the old reproach' is a' thing of the past. Prominence to the above sat-: isfactory state of affairs has been given Tiy an official who- was. making a' tour of the' British Isles in the interests;of local government. Dublin very favourably impressed him, Belfast might; be better, and'he found bitter-disappoint-ment in Glasgow—its squares and streets filthy arid caked with mud. Edinburgh was delightfully clean. ;He had many .surprises and no disappointments. So -far as the streets of Dublin are concerned —and they were once the dirtiest in the Isles—they are a credit to all concerned. But the old corporation and its jobbery had to go before that was attained. ' Mr. tfellogg's Visit. Mr. Kellogg's visit to the Irish Free State was certainly in the interests of the Republican party of the U.S.A., which, like the Democrats, caters for the Irish vote.. The Dublin Republicans were hostile to the visit and made a pronouncement, on its purport, but few heeded them. M .■"■'■: "~; Prehistoric Man in Ireland. ■-:'■' ; Much -interest is >being taken in-the discovery :' of: the remains , of prehistoric : man- in -caves which '■"w.ere once under the.bed of the Blackwater, County Waterford. The caves are in Kilgraeny and of the limestone; order, hanging in stalagmites.. They.are supposed to have been inhabited some ,3000 years ago. The discovery was made by a party of students of the University of Bristol, the Speleological Society, and of the Royal Irish Academy and Dublin Museum' Evacuation Committee—' twelve of the former and six of. the latter, who went exploring.' Numerous trace's of prehistoric man 'were, found,; including a bronze knife, eight ienhes in length, a bronze pin, numerous boars', teeth by way of necklace, two millstones and some-pottery of a very crude nature. The most valuable finds, however,, were the skeletons of two cave folk, completein every respect; various skulls, leg bones' and finger hones. The entrance to the caves was most difficulty to dis-: cover, the'valley in which they lie being at one time'covered by the river, which had been diverted presumably'during the Ice Age. •": - ;. :. .. '.'..

Belfast Corporation. The expectation that the Collins Report, which was issued to Council members on Saturday, would produce some remarkable disclosures aneht the civic administration of Belfast has been amply fulfilled. After an exhaustive investigation of all phases of the municipal machinery, Mr. Collins sums up with the startling declaration that "Belfast is trying to manage the city's affairs on lines suitable for a village, and that only." The three most marked features of an undesirable kind he names are:-rCommittees and individual members thereof doing officials' work; undue participation by council members in.; the engagement of officials; and apprehension -of .dismissal by officials unless they .were amenable to pressure to do. things they: did not approve. Mr. Cillins . recommends, among other tilings:—The amalgamation of the city treasurer's, city chamberlain's, and rates departments;' the .adoption of the superannuation act; : the .election of the aldermen by the council; and extension of the city boundaries. The amalgamation of certain offices and the suggestion, of the adoption of the superannuation act isa'dclicate way of saying that in Mr. Collins' opinion 'Some officials have earned .their . superannuation and should-take a long rest. He points out how immense savings could be'- effected by reorganisation—in one department, the cleansing department, £25,000 could be saved the ratepayers. Members of. the council received in addition to the-Collins report a copy of the special committee's report upon' it. In this the committee approves Mr. Collins' recommendations, and. outline the policy they intend to follow to give effect to them. ~ North and South TJnlte. "It is good to see such co-operation and friendly feeling existing between both sides. It will show fellows like defendant that they cannot break the

law on this side and get protection across the border," said Mr. O'Hanrahan, D.J., during the hearing of a case at Ballyshannon, expressing the court's warm' appreciation of the help received from the R.U.C. "across the .border. Superintendent McGrath, Civic Guards, also expressed thanks, saying they always found the R.TJ.C. most obliging and friendly in their dealings, and often had to call on their assistance."