Poverty Bay Herald. PUBLISHED EVERY EVENING. GISBORNE, WED. JUNE 22, 1927. THE IRISH ELECTIONS

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LIII, Issue 16373, 22 June 1927, Page 6

Poverty Bay Herald. PUBLISHED EVERY EVENING. GISBORNE, WED. JUNE 22, 1927. THE IRISH ELECTIONS

Ireland, the homo of politics, has just boon in the throes of a general: election, and as might bo expected in a country with so many political groups and with a system of proportional representation to give expression to the views of the various subdivisions of political thought and aspiration, the result has boon a good deal of uncertainty and confusion. The number of deputies to the Dail Eirann is fixed on a basis of population and is at present 158. Hitherto President Cosgrave's Government has held its own to some extern; because of the lack of constructive politics of its opponents, but probably to a greater extent because of the courage and ability of Ministers striving to give the Free State a sound basis of rational unity and industrial and commercial prosperity. Observers of contemporary events in the Free State have been impressed by this tendency to bring about, a deeper organic unit in the national life. Great and significant movements have grown from : the Constitutional change, and the older individualism has to an increasing extent given way to national ! solidarity. In bygone- years it was \ extraordinarily difficult to unite the Irish peoplo for economic purposes, the small fanner working by himself, the small shopkeeper and small manufacturer each for his own interests. Under the Cosgravc Government and especially under the able direction of Mr. Hogan, a man of outstanding ability who has devised a. more practical policy in agriculture than the Farmers' Party ever conceived, the organisation of Irish agriculture, the basis of most of the country's wealth, has been pushed forward pn the production marketing, and financial credit sides. An immense scheme of hydroelectric generation from the Shannon is inspired with the idea of economic unity, while the country's development has been further assisted by railway amalgamations and the coordination of road and railway transport. The same spirit has been shown m banking proposals and local government reform. One friendly commentator observed: "Wo have some stubborn optimists at the head of affairs and we believe, if they have control for another live years the country's optimism and belief will back their own." That being so it is a pity that the Oosgrave Ministry has not. been given a more decisive lead at the polls. It has a majority of only a few votes over the Republican party, its runner-up, but unless it receives strong support from the various small independent parties which make up the Dail it will be unable to govern. In theso eircuin- | stances Mr. Oosgrave has taken the proper course of refusing to carry on, | find it is probable that the minor parties will be forced to unite and will solicit his continuance in the lcadcr- \ ship. The most satisfactory feature I of the elections is that the several j parties supporting the Constitution are 1 strongly in the ascendant. Ireland is ! not likely to go back on its compact I with Britain. Acceptance of full Doi minion status as recently defined by I the Imperial Conference has done | much to discredit separatist tendencies in Ireland and has vindicated the treaty arrangements of 1921. Mr. Do Valera, the political Malvolio,. who j after deliberately splitting two parties inside five years, claimed, when in the United (States recently, to bo the one apostle of unity in a distracted land, finds it. more difficult to convince anyone that "external association" with the British Commonwealth of nations, as ho conceives the matter, has anything to recommend it against frank acceptance of Dominion status. The majority of educated Irishmen realise, especially since the stand of the Free State delegates at Geneva on behalf of the small nations of Europe, I and the tactful way in which Irish (■aspirations were met at the Imperial 'Conference, that Ireland has a proud ana amply-recognised place in the bomity of nations. The Republican party," however, is most clear and del'nite in its policy of repudiation of assent to the partition of Ireland and itr- endeavor to bring the A.nglo-Irish treaty to an end. If the other parties coalesce, as ho doubt they will do, the Republican opportunity for disturbance of present relations will not be a cry great. Although the Government has, wittingly or unwittingly, encourage.! anti-English feeling by its decision to make the learning of the Irish language compulsory, the party I led by Mr. Redmond thinks that if ''■ Ireland wore more friendly to the I Empire it would draw Northern 1 reHand into political unity with ihe Free ' State. It is regarded as certain, however, that Northern Ireland would never resign education into the hands of an All-Irish Minister, although possibly the two Governments might come to an understanding about trade policy and Customs union. Although the public debt of Ireland is only £13,000,000, taxation is , heavy and sorely felt by all sections of the community. The Government's chief duty, writes a correspondent, is to reduce, items of Government expenditure—the army alone seems to offerscope in this direction. Such a reduction, it is said, moves the particular wrath of the three sections into which ' tho Republican faction is divided. Until all reasonable fear of civil disturbance has ceased, expenditure on the army represents an expensive but essential insurance of social and political Stability. The chief need is felt to be a strong executive, rather than a formidable opposition, and it is unfortunate that the state of parties as revealed by the election returns does not give the Government the majority it should have had to carry on the administration with firmness and progression. Ireland, we fear, will conjtinuo to be riven by disputation and dissent. Bat the people will probably be happy so long as they have someit hing to argue about.