"OURSELVES ALONE”

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume 76, 6 August 1941, Page 6

"OURSELVES ALONE”

DISADVANTAGES OF DOCTRINE EIRE’S EXPERIENCES "Eire is finding that being Sinn Fein —‘ourselves alone’ —ha., distinct disadvantages,” says the "Scotsman.” "She has now to depend on her own resources, because she cannot get any outside assists ' 3, not even from America.” ‘‘The Scotsman" goes on to j state:— "Early in the war the United States , prohibited American shipping from j going into the European war zone j which, whether Eire likes it or not. in- | eludes Ireland. Asked in the Dad | whether he had requested the United j States to waive the restriction, Mr de Valera said that representations to that i effect had not been successful. It ap- ! peared to b, thought that because the United States was sending wheat and j foodstuffs to Spain unoccupied ; France a like indulgence should be ex tended to Eire. "But apparently the United States j thinks differently. Even Irish-Arne- j r cans have evinced no sympathy with j Eire’s policy of neutrality in the present war. Nor has Dublin been any more successful seemingly in its offers I n purchase American vessels. j "Even if the United States Govern- j s ent allowed them to be transferred ; that might be no solution of the difficulty, because the Germans show no , it spect for neutral tonnage, as was evi j denced by Mr de Valera, himself, who ; stated that during the last four weeks j one Irish vessel had been sunk and j three others attacked, in all cases the aircraft responsible being identified as ( German. "A protest with a demand lor com- ; ptnsati.on has been made in Berlin, but ; there is no likelihood of any satisfac- ■ obtained. Nor did Mr de Valera receive any encouragement when he applied to the United States j for weapons to assist in Eire’s defence. ( "The United States prefers to keep j it- assistance for those nations who resist aggression and fight in the cause ot freedom. If Eire were willing to remove the serious disability from which I we sutler through the lack of use of her ports, we might be more inclined »«. study her interests, but it can hardly be expected that we should help her with ships and food when she is doin-: nothing to help us arc 1 when we are seriously short ourselves in these com modifies.” Those who have read about lights in Dublin and who think that the people j of Eire are without rationing troubles ; on account of that country's neutrality, j should read what the “Irish Independ- ! ent” has to say about this and also on j the shortcomings of the Civil Service I of Eire:— "The confidence oil the public in the administrative machinery of this State has been rudely shaken by more than one painful shock during the last few months. We have had the muddle . about petrol supplies. Then we had the restrictions on butter. "This country normally produces i enough butter every year to meet all j its requirements and to leave a surplus j of some 40.000.0001b5, for which the j present Ministers were a few years ago j seeking a market anywhere in Europe. ; The householders of Eire have this ; winter gone short of butter, because j our Government in the midst of a j crisis—to meet which they sought and I were given by Parliament almost un- j limited powers—apparently took no j steps to ensure that a reserve of butter t ■ meet the people’s needs should be built up. "Then we had the bungiing in re- | gard to tea. with the Minister for Supplies one week indignantly denying I that people could not get their full j supplies, and the head of the Govern- ; r.ient next week announcing that the I situation was such that rationing | would have to be introduced. "After the petrol and the butter and the tea came the bread and the coal , and tobacco. The public mind had * been left in so bewildered a condition i that it can only ask: What is the next j shock left in store? Is there some- j thing else that our numerous Ministers i will wake up some morning to find we j have little or none of? "If things like this happened in o commercial or industrial institution. ; everybody knows what would happen , Those responsible would be properly j and promptly dealt with. Our Ministers and officials have, apparently no fears that their mistakes will recoil j upon them. One has only to glance at | the report of the Committee of Public | Accounts to get some samples of the business methods of Government Departments. “There is the case of a premises in j County Galway, purchased for £SOO for use as a Garda Siochana station, the authorities changing their minds about opening the station, and then selling the premises for £60.”