IRISH FREE STATE.

Waikato Times, Volume 108, Issue 18166, 3 November 1930, Page 14

IRISH FREE STATE.

INTERNATIONAL STATUS. A PLACE IN THE SUN. DUBLIN, September 21. „It is to be hoped that the election of the Irish Free State to a seat on the Council of the League of Nations will satisfy our Government that we are really autonomous. I say “our Government” advisedly, because it is no use trying to convert the'opposition to a belief which they resolutely refuse to share. So long as the Fianna Fail party wishes to indulge in the luxury of an inferiority complex it is quite welcome to do so, and nobody cares very much; but it is a different matter when the energies 'of the 'Minister for External Affairs (who is also Minister for Industry and Commerce, with plenty to occupy him in that department) are spent entirely on attempting to assert a position of independence which no serious person denies. It is symptdmatic of the pre-occupa-tion of the Government with matters of international status that the first .issue of their new party monthly organ devotes half its space to elaborate constitutional and legal arguments proving the autonomy of the Free State Now that the country has demonstrated its success in getting apart from its neighbours politically, it might, perhaps, begin to get together with them economically to the mutual advantage of *all parties. The Maynooth Decrees.

The decrees of the recent Synod of Maynooth, to which I referred last week, have been translated into English and issued in popular form. They are extremely interesting inasmuch as they deflnte the official attitude of the Catholic Church towards many contemporary social problems of Irish life. The growing menace of the betting evil is given a prominent place in the decrees, which “earnestly exhort the clergy to endeavour to withdraw the laity from the dangerous practice of betting on horse races, dog races, and other contests, especially when betting is for high stakes.” The scandal of race meetings on Sundays and holy days is referred to in strong language: “We most strictly forbid that public horse-racing, greyhound-racing, whippet racing, coursing, or other sports which include one or other of these be at any time held on a Sunday; we forbid them also on festival days of precept, but without prejudice to the right of the Bishop to grant permission in particular cases for special reasons.” As might have been expected, the pronouncement on contraception Is strong and unambiguous. Every effort, it is urged, must be made to prevent “this unutterable crime, hitherto unheard of in our midst, from ever 'taking root in this land.” This statement has a satisfactory note of decision which contrasts strikingly with the ambiguous and compromising opinions of the Lambeth Conference on the same subject. Fat© Of Old Horses.

Irish people never tire of boasting about their affection for horses. It is surprising therefore to learn that Ireland is diflgured by a brutal and inhumane trade in the export of old horses for slaughter abroad. Attempts are being made to instruct public opinion on the subject, as it Is only fair to say that most people are totally unaware of the existence of the evil. In an address at the Dublin Rotary Club this week it was stated that over five hundred horses have been exported to France this year for sausage meat, and that the animals are subjected to disgracefully cruel conditions during transport and on landing. A demand is being made for legislation prohibiting the export of horses below a certain value or above a .certain age. Such a prohibition would encourage the development of Irish slaughter-houses, which could be properly supervised and controlled. Every decent-minded person must give his support to this good cause. The Just Price. There has been taking place in the columns of the Standard, the leading Catholic we'ekly, an interesting discussion regarding the possibility of applying the “just price” in public contracts. The suggeston has been made that the principle followed by public bodies of accepting the lowest tender in all case's may lead to the survival of a type of predatory or cutthroat competition that is socially injurious, and it has been proposed that the mean or average tender should be accepted as being more likely to ensure that all the productive factors involved will be equitably remunerated.' This proposal has been welcomed on the one hand by certain Catholic students of economics who regard with favour the attempt to reintroduce ethical standards into economic dealings, and on the other hand, by many business men who have failed to secure contracts owing to the undercutting of their competitors. It is by no means certain, however, that the adoption of the suggestion would secure any greater justice between parties than is attained by the existing \practice. If it could be proved that low tenders were made possible by the employment of sweated labour or by the exploitation of the providers of raw materials, there would be much to be said for their rejection in favour of higher tenders. In fact, of course, all contractors have to purchase their labour and raw materials in the same market. The same rate of wages must be paid by all employers engaged in the same trade, and the market for the raw materials of industry is in no sense one-sided or exploitive. In these circumstances, the offer of a low tender indicates either that the tenderer is in a position to execute the work with exceptional efficiency or that he is content with a very low rate of profit. Neither of these alternative explanations involves any element of injustice, and there is no reason to think that the interests of equity would be advanced by substituting a system which would favour less efficient or more greedy contractors, while penalising the payers of rates and taxes-

Asked by a customer whether he had seen many changes in tobaccopipe fashions during his long connection with the trade, a veteran Christchurch tobacconist said he had seen a number of 11 new fangled pipes ” introduced from time to time. “Not one of them lasted,” he added reminiscently, “ The ordinary pipe is good enough for the ordinary smoker, and he generally prefers a briar. As for tobacco there are more brands than there used to be, but the growing preference is for toasted New Zealand. It’s extraordinary the demand that has sprung up for this tobacco. Of course, the toasting of the leaf vastly improves in flavour and gives the goods their fine bouquet. Aye, and it does more —it gets the nicotine poison out. There’s no other tobacco so free from nicotine. The imported lines are full of it. That’s very bad. for the smoker. There are four brands of toasted— Riverhead Gold, Cavendish, Navy Cut No. 3 and Cut Plug No. 10. No others are manufactured. And, take it from me, they’ve come to stay.” 149