THE FAMINE IN IRELAND.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXVI, Issue 12, 22 July 1898, Page 16

THE FAMINE IN IRELAND.

DIRE DISTRESS—URGENT NEED OF AID. 1 m I TP 'TABLET' PLIEF FOND. *M

Once more we tender our heartfelt thanks to the subscribers who have come forward with such a generous measure of help for the stricken poor of the West and South of Ireland. His Lordship, Bishop Verdon, hon. treasurer of the Fund, has forwarded two instalments of money for distribution, the first a draft for £53 2s (id, the second for £117 9s ; total, £170 Us 6d. Instructions have been forwarded by his Lordship to have the moneys distributed in the districts of the West and South where the need is most urgent, and many a hungry child and many a stricken home will bless the generosity of their friends in far-off New Zealand. Our Irish files give a sad account of the distress. Father Farragher, P.P. of the Arran Islands, tells of some of his people who months ago sold to procure Indian meal, the last sheep and calf that were to have met the demands of the landlord and to have kept the roofs over their heads. Writing to the J\'atin>i, he says :—: — ' On yesterday I went to a house where I had reason to fear provisions were short, and the sight that met me was more than painful. There, at the hearth, I saw the wife and seven or eight children huddled together, I could not say round the fire (as only a lew dying embers of dried cowdurg were there), looking pinched and wan ; and goin^ to the room I found the poor husband in bed, uiiiible to bu about, and in the bootom of a meal bag there was hardly one btone of Indian meal. It was a pitiable sight, and moved mo not a little, more especially as I know that the poor man would not wish one ot his neighbours to know his condition.' The yatatn'x correspondent reports 1)00 families in the parish of Carraroe depending wholly on charitable funds. In fact, he says, ' a special famine iund is needed for Carraroe.' 'It is not a question of destitution' (he writes) 'we have now to deal with, but the graver and more awful question ot life and death. Destitution we have here at the best ot times. Man or woman, who has to go to work in thu morning without a breakfast, and who has no certainty of getting a dii.ner at the cios-e of the day's work is in a state of restitution to call it by its mildest name. Yet, unfortunately, this is the present position of mofetoi those employed on the Government works. A biinple calculation enableb anyone to see that when 141bs of Indian meul, the present cquhalent of a day's wages on these works is divided by lo or 12, the usual number in a family in this district, it gives a quantity which will not bear sub-division into the orthodox number ot meals, but must, of necessity, be consumed together at one meal if it is to have no nourishing effect.' Significantly enough, as one of our exchanges states, not a single farthing has b^en sent to the Mansion House Relief Fund by any Mayo evicior. Instead of aiding the poor people on whose toil they live, the landsharks are pressing them for their rack-rents, and eviction notices accompany the doJes of Indian meal which are being provided for the unhappy people by public charity. Mo&t of the distressed families are ot the cottier cr bmall tenant class, with holdings —many of them of bog or reclaimed mountain—averaging a yearly valuation of £4. Yet, says Mr. Davitt, ' the rents extorted from these cottiers are as high even in these days of Land Acts and Land Commissions, as the rents which are paid for some Essex farms, within thirty miles of London.' The urgent need will ere long be over, except for the many small farmers who have not been able to put in any crops, and for the evicted. We entreat intending subscribers to send their amounts without delay. VALMEKSTOX NORTH. We have just learned by telegram that the Catholics of Palmerston North have sent £10 towards the Irish Distress Fund, and that Archbishop Croke has sent a very kind letter to Father Patterson acknowledging same and thanking all donors for their generosity. We desire to ex j re. s our special thanks to the school-children who have responded so splendidJy to our appeal. We beg to acknowledge, with deep thanks, the following additional subscriptions; — good, the Value so great, tlio Flavour so delicious, the demand bo leaves your grocer a smaller profit than any tea he sells. If you are me on every package. Sold by up-to-date Grocers everywhere.

£ s. d, £ s. d. Amount already Mr M. Bai ry, Tiinnra J 0 0 acknowledger! 102 13 3 Jlr Derm llou'han, Milton friends, irre- Tuapek.x Fiat 10 0 epective of denomi- Mrs McLau^hlin, Dipnations and un- ton 10 0 solicited, per Rev. Mr E. Connor, South J. O'Neill IS 0 0 Dunedin 0 10 G Mr J.B.Ford.Heddon Mrs Miller, Kaikorai 0 10 t> Bush 1 O 0 Mr Jamot, NelbOii, Christian Bros' Boy-, Christchurch 0 10 6 Dunedin I O 0 Mr J. O'Neill, MornRev. Father Fauvel, in>fton 0 10 G Temuka 2 2 « Sergeant O'Neill, Rev. Father Coffey, Dunedin 0 10 0 South Dunedin 2 2 0 Mr William Hand, Mr James Liston, Miller's Flat 010 0 Dunedin 2 2 0 Mrs J. Delaney, Mr E Fitzgerald, Lawrence 0 10 0 Riversdale 2 2 0 Miss lioughan, LawMr M. Hanley, Gore 2 0 0 rence 0 10 0 St. Patrick's School, Mr James Delaney, Lawrence 2 0 0 Lawrence 0 10 0 St. Joseph's Convent Mrs Airey, Lawrence 010 0 School, Dunedin 2 0 0 Mr Peter Mallon, Sacred Heart School, Gore 0 10 0 N.E. Valley, Dunedin 11 6 Mr Peter Farrell, Rev. J. O'Neill, Winton 11 0 Dunedin 010 0 Mrs Sham, Dunedin 11 0 Mrs Pierott, Dunedin 0 7 0 Mr M Dillon, Gore 110 Mr James Marlow, Mrs Kate Rossbotham, South Dunedin 0 G 0 Leith Valley 11 0 Mrs Wilson, Dunedin 0 5 0 Mr Thos. Morland, Mrs W. Day, Gore 0 5 0 Rakaia 11 0 A Friend, Dunedin 0 5 0 Rev.P.Treacy,Amber- Mrs Wallace, Dunedin 0 3 0 ley 10 0 Mr J. Herbert, DuneMr Thos. Mclntyre, din 0 3 0 Arrow 10 0 Mr Walter Brown, Mr Jas. Houriegan, South Dunedin 0 5 0 Master ton I 0 0 Mr Clancey. senr., Mr John Donovan, South Dunedin 0 o 0 Masterton 1 O 0 Mr P. Cassidy, CaverMr James Hand, t.ham 0 5 0 Miller's Flat 1 0 0 Miss K. Pioughan, Mr Hutfh G ribbon, Lawrence 0 5 0 Hokitika 1 0 0 Mrs Montgomery, Mr M.Flannery, Hoki- Lawrence 0 ."> 0 tika 1 0 0 Mr M. Nash, Lawrence 0 o 0 Mrs Rahill, Bald Hill Miss M. Fahey, LawFlat 1 0 0 rence 0 5 0 Messrs C. and W.Shiel, Miss Miller, Kaikorai 0 2 6 Caversham 1 0 0 Mr D. Burke, South Miss Staunton. Dun- Dunedin 0 2 <> edin 1 0 0 A Friend, DuueJin 0 2 (> Mrs J. MoGuire, Mornin^ton 1 0 0 In our last wsue we credited Mr. W. Fo'ihy (Ho\.burj;li) with £1. The actual donation was 10.-, and 10d for Mr. ilcJlullau (Roxburgh),