Irish News

New Zealand Tablet, 26 September 1912, Page 39

Irish News

—■+ — GENERAL. It is said that the coal being mined near Athy, County Kildare, is far superior to any coal in Scotland, and is equal to the best Welsh. There are 65,000,000 tons available in this field alone. The figures as regards religion in Tyrone are according to the census: —Catholics, 79,015; Episcopalians, 52,386; Presbyterians, 26,514; and Methodists, 2863. ' The emigrants for the ten years numbered .10,539 (5643 males and 4896 females). At the quarterly meeting of the Boyle Rural District Council, the County Surveyor said that owing to the direct labor scheme of road maintenance the roads had enormously improved, and in three years a saving of £2OOO had been made. The annual collection of Peter’s Pence for the diocese of Dublin amounted this year to £1606. The largest collection was from the Pro-Cathedral parish, £92 11s Id. St. Mary’s, Haddington Road, came next with £6O. It costs 12s 8d to take a ton of coal from the mines on the borders of Kildare and Queen’s County to the city of Cork. Mr. T. Reddy, manager of the mines, says that it costs as much to deliver their Irish coal in Kenmare as would take coal from Swansea to Japan. The population of Donegal at the last census was 168,537, showing a decrease of 5185, or 2.98 per cent, of the figures of 1901. In the county there were 133,021 Catholics, 18,020 Episcopalians, 15,016 Presbyterians, and 1698 Methodists. At Glenagower, Athea, West Limerick, there resides a laborer named John Doody, who has reached the great age of 104 years. He is in perfect health, and continues to attend to the many things which usually are looked after by men 80 years his junior. Very Rev. James Hanley, C.M., St. Patrick’s Training College, Drumcondra, Dublin, died there on Sunday, August 4, at the age of 72 years. Father Hanley was one of the best known members of his Order in Ireland. On Monday evening, August 5, a special excursion train on the Great Southern and Western line, which was returning with a large number of passengers, was derailed at Lombardstown, near Mallow. Fortunately, there was no loss of life, but a number of passengers were seriously injured. His Eminence Cardinal Logue, in sending a subscription to the Bishop of Down and Connor for the persecuted workers’ relief fund in Belfast, says the lamentable state of things in the Belfast shipyards can surprise no one ‘ who knows how liable the unreasoning mob is to translate into acts of violence unguarded , utterances of high-placed politicians.’ An application by Mr. Parkinson for an Order in Council to authorise the construction, maintenance, §nd working of certain tramways and light railways which it is proposed to lay down in specified districts of Kildare and Queen’s County for the purpose of developing the coalfields in these districts, has been unanimously approved by the Privy Council. Great regret was felt throughout Clare at the death of Rev. John B. Kingston, which occurred at the Parochial House, Milton-Malbay, on August 2. Deceased had reached his 79th year, and was one of the most esteemed members of the priesthood, and devoted himself with zeal during his long life to the spiritual and temporal welfare of his people. Very Rev. Dean Keller, Youghal, County Cork, in a letter to the committee appointed to promote a presentation to him on the occasion of his golden jubilee, while appreciating the goodwill of his people, disapproves of any collection being made, and says he cannot accept any pecuniary offering. In view of the Dean’s wishes, it was decided that the movement should be confined to the presentation of an address.

ASSISTANCE FOR CATHOLIC WORKMEN. ... A splendid response has been made to the appeal on behalf of those who were hounded from their work in Belfast by the Orange roughs. The response (says the Irish Weekly) is a splendid proof .of Ireland’s sympathy with the victims of a brutal and —except in Belfast —unprecedented system of tyranny and heartlessness; but we must not forget' that it includes such, truly magnificent subscriptions as the grant of £soo' ’ from the National Trustees of the Home Rule Fund,, the great sum of £347 6s given by the members of theIrish Party out of their individual resources, the MostRev. Dr. Tohill’s gift of £SO, and Mr. Devlin’s similar contribution first to reach the hands of the committee. The clergy of Ulster have responded nobly; and, indeed, every province in Ireland is represented! in the list. , \ DISTURBANCES IN LONDON AND BELFAST. In the House of Commons on August 6, the Prime Minister, in replying to a question, said that the number of men actually assaulted at the shipyards at Belfast, so far as known to the police, is 31. The number who have lost their employment owing to violence and intimidation is believed to be about 2500. With regard to the London Dock strike, I am informed that up to and including 21st July, 58 private persons were treated at London hospitals for injuries received in connection with the strike. Of these the injuries of only 10 persons were such as to necessitate detention in hospital. The number of police available in London was sufficient for the maintenance of order,but in Belfast the normal police of the city was not adequate to deal with the state of affairs, and the assistance of the military was, therefore, obtained in aid of the civil power.’ TESTIMONY TO CATHOLIC TOLERANCE. At a recent meeting of the Birr Board of Guardians, Mr. Budds, the retiring Master of the Workhouse, and a Protestant, returned his sincere thanks to the Board for their kindness to him during his many , years of service. The members of the Board had even gone out of their way to do him many good turns. During all the time that he had been there an insulting word had never been said to him on account of his religion. In thanking the Sisters of Mercy, he said they had always been a great help to him; and as for the chaplain, Father Crowe, he could not say anything strong enough to show how closely he and Father Crowe were bound together as regards the work. , Satisfaction was expressed at Mr. Budds’ testimony to the attitude of Catholics towards him, and a contrast was drawn between the tolerance of the Catholics of the South and the bigotry of the Orangemen of Belfast, aa shown by the recent outrages in Belfast. THE HOME RULE FUND. We have not heard much latterly of the ‘argument ’ that the ‘ Irish people do not really want Home Rule’; but as it may be resurrected any day, it is no harm to note the fact that the people who ‘ do not really want Home Rule ’ have subscribed. £14,662 8s 6d to the Home Rule Fund for 1912-up to date (says the Irish Weekly of August 10). No one quarrelled with the people’s response to the National Trustees’ Appeal last year; but just twelve months ago the Fund for 1911 amounted to £8049 14s 9d— balance of £6612 13s 9d in favour of the response for 1912. These figures are eloquent. They constitute a record. The sum of 14,662 8s 6d has for the most part been subscribed by the people themselvesfarmers and agricultural laborers in the rural districts, manufacturers, merchants, and artisans in the —voluntarily, willingly, enthusiastically. The poor man who pays a half-crown or a crown into the Home Rule Fund is a more earnest supporter of his cause than the ‘loyalist’ who declines to budge until he has received half a sovereign and his ‘expenses.’ We believe the> Home Rule Fund will reach more than double its present figure before the end of the year. Never in the-

whole period of the nation’s history were the people’s hearts more firmly set on the achievement of.legislative . freedom. PROVIDING FOR THE UNEMPLOYED. The disturbances at Belfast (remarks the Daily Chronicle) have proved the value of one of the great measures .of social reform initiated by the-present Government. The labor exchanges have been the means of finding employment for some hundreds of the men who had been driven out of the Belfastjshipyards on account of their political and religious beliefs. As it happens, the shipbuilding industry 'is exceptionally brisk m the English and Scotch’-yards. There is a great demand for skilled labor, and men have gone from Belfast to the Tyne, the Mersey, and the Clyde to situations which have been provided for them by the' labor exchange. There are prospects that further I openings will soon be available in Ireland itself for 1 these men. The Admiralty is contemplating large developments of the work now carried on at Haulbowline -- Dockyard. It is believed that within six months about a thousand extra men will he required. These men will go into Catholic Cork in search of that . tolerance | which they have failed to find in enlightened and Pro- j testant Belfast.’ BELFAST INTOLERANCE CONDEMNED. The reign of terror in Belfast has been instrumental in bringing forth many vigorous protests. Mr. E. A. Aston, a prominent and influential Protestant of Belfast, has in the press condemned the outrages in no half-hearted fashion, and he has sent a generous subscription through Mr. Joseph Devlin, M.P., to the fund for the relief of the expelled Catholic workmen and their liberal-minded Protestant colleagues. Writing to the Irish News from Limerick, Mr. J. H. Williams, referring to £ violence and intimidation being practised in Belfast,’ says:—‘Protestants from all parts of Ireland are joining in the protests, and I hope they will subscribe liberally to the appeal for funds to fight this grossly bigoted and unscrupulous campaign.’ Mr. Joseph F. Turtle, manager, Herbert Webb, Ltd., Baltinglass, County Wicklow, writes in the Irish Independent : —‘ In refutation of the vile, malicious, and lying slanders appearing lately in the press, as a Protestant from the North I wish to add my testimony to the uniform and great kindness and consideration I have received from my Roman Catholic friends and neighbors during a residence of over thirty years in the South of Ireland.’ Mr. H. B. Harris, a magistrate for the County of Clare., writes: —‘Allow me ask what necessity is there for reasserting that there is no intolerance here in the South and South-West, seeing that the minority have been successful where there are not more than two or three out of every hundred of the population to contribute to their success belonging to their own religious persuasion. It is pitiable to read utterances of Bishops . and clergy of the Churches of the minority attributing motives to the members of another Christian Church that simply have no foundation in fact. What justification is there in offering insult to those who recognise the Pope of Rome as their head, seeing that the tendency among Church of England clergy and people is so strong to be admitted into the same fold and under the same Shepherd? All these wild imaginings and all this extravagance in language and in writing are due to the aberration of disappointed politicians, who shall, no doubt, be put under restraint in the interests of society when the “Mental Deficiency Bill,” now passing through Parliament, becomes the law of the land.’