IRISH AGRICULTURE

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXI, Issue 21879, 15 August 1934, Page 10

IRISH AGRICULTURE

The economic war which the Irish Free State persists in continuing against Britain is producing serious reactions within the country. Notwithstanding the payment of bounties and subsidies upon practically every product of the land the condition of agriculture is drifting from bad to worse. Even if Britain had not been compelled to impose duties the Irish farmers would still have suffered from the general decline in prices, and from the quota restrictions upon fat cattle imposed under the Elliot scheme. These restrictions have been drastic. For the JanuaryFebruary period of this year the total export of fat cattle was 13,096, against 30,427 in the same months of 1933. There certainly was a marked rise in the export of store cattle, but that fact serves to emphasise the plight of the producers. The recent Free State Budget showed a surplus and some concessions in taxation and increases in pensions were made, but it is becoming more evident every day that agriculture is being steadily crushed. County Cork farmers a few months ago declared their inability to discharge their normal obligations, demanded that the cost of the economic war should be more evenly distributed over the whole community and asked for relief from ratee and annuities. Professor J. M. O'Sullivan described tho burdens of agriculture as unbearable and said that the capacity of everyone to pay had been exceeded. The retained land annuities were being sent to England in the shape of subsidies and bounties, which are in the vicinity of £2,500,000 annually. The Free State Government follows the illogical course of penalising the country ,in what is virtually its one market. Its tariff reprisals have diminished imports from England, but the countries which have gained on that account have bought little in return. Therefore the Free State is prolonging a struggle that can have only one ending. Sooner or later it will be compelled by economic pressure to pay the land annuities, which do not represent an ordinary State debt, but the private debt of farmers contracted in the purchase of their land. The British Government agreed to pay the sellers and the Free State Government agreed to collect the annual instalments. Britain's tariff is imposed solely for the purpose of recouping the country for the loss sustained by the retention of the annuities, collected but not paid. The obduracy of the Free State Government alone is responsible for the continuance of these duties.