"PROSPEROUS IRELAND."

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XLII, Issue 13604, 9 February 1915, Page 9

"PROSPEROUS IRELAND."

DOING HER SHARE IN MVAW. "Ireland has never been in,ore p:-wiepr-ous and contented, than now," said Mr John Meagher, M.L.C., ou his return to Sydney last week. Mr Meagher went to Ireland with the intention of being present at the opening of the Irish Parliament, which but for the war would, he says, have been an accomplished fact by now. He had been wonderfully impressed with the changes that had taken place, in Ireland sine© Ms previous visit. For the first time the whole of the people were pro-British, Tjy which he meant that they were all in favor of England. They had never been better off in Ireland than now. Everyone was contented, and it had made his heart rejoice to see the wonderful transformation. The old age pension scheme had been a boon and a blessing. Formerly the old people had been dependent on then- children, but now that they , had the pensions they had become independent of them, which .was good for themselves and good for their children. The pension amounted to 5s per week, or 10s for a couple, and that was equal to £1 oi\ more in Australia. ' "Yes." Mr Meagher went on, "the Irish people are absolutely loyal. There is not one in a thousand who does not, with all his heart, wish for the success of Britain. Two months be-

fore the war I was in Hpain, an<l when 1 said I was going to Ireland, the people said that there would be civil war in Ireland between the North and the South. I told them 'that was unthinkable. The people generally on the Continent believed that England was going to hive her hands full on account of trouble in Ireland, and I believe that Germany thought so, too. But everyone now knows how. when England became involved, Ireland promptly put Home Rule aside,' and stood shoulder to shoulder with the rest of the Empire. Ireland may be relied upon to do her part."