QUEENSLAND GOVERNOR ON IRELAND.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVI, Issue 272, 21 April 1914, Page 6

QUEENSLAND GOVERNOR ON IRELAND.

NO PART OF THE EMPIRE MAKING SUCH PRO! lit ESS.

The 'Governor of Queensland, Sir William MacGregor, was the' guest of honor at the St. Patrick's dinner of the Irish Association in Brisbane. In replying to the toast of liis health, proposed by the Hon. Frank McDonnell, M.L.C., his Excellency said he did not believe that there was any part of our great Empire at the present time that was making such industrial and such economic progress as old Ireland. (Applause.) If they looked into what had been done in agriculture in the last lew years, he could assure them that they would he quite astounded. The advance that had been made was simply phenomenal. There were now over 80,000 holdings hi Ireland, and 40,000 of these were freehold. That of itself was a tremendous advance. Me had no doubt many would be surprised to learn that there were about 3,000.000 acres of land under cultivation. When they looked at the value of the products; the progress which had been made struck the imagination at once. The trade of Ireland had gone up within the Inst eight years from £104,000,000 to £141,000.000. As a matter of fact, in 1013 the trade went up by £8,750,000. The amount which came from the farms was something extraordinary something like .€45,000,000. Ireland at the present time exceeded Queensland in her export of cattle to England, for while Queensland provided 3:15,000, Ireland sent 550,000. In addition to that she sent about 45,000 horses. Ireland did a considerable part of the feeding of England. In 1012 she sent over more potatoes than any other nation; she was second only to Denmark in butter; second only to Russia in the export of eggs; and she was only fourth in supplying sheep and mutton. These were figures that were almost enough to take the breath away when they thought how little the exports of Ireland were a few years ago. In educational matters the progress iiau been quite as great as in 'agriculture, and not in any one ibraneh, but in every branch. He looked 'upon the future of Ireland, industrial and agricultural, as of the highest promise. (Applause.)