"LET THE COBBLER STICK TO HIS LAST."

Taranaki Daily News, 10 August 1916, Page 6

"LET THE COBBLER STICK TO HIS LAST."

To the Editor. Sir,-For the benefit of Mr. Wright, may I ask you to publish a few lines of' statistics? Since 1855 the Royal Commission found that Ireland was, by unjust taxation, robbed of at least the > sum of £ 135.000,000. No compensation ■ has been made to this day. This is England's own estimate. Taking the ac--5 tual %"ies between 1820 and 1870 Eng- , land netted Irish surpluses at an aver- » age rate or n,K:>,432 a year. The > total of such surpluses* down' to 1315 re--1 suited in a net take of £375,702.41". On the dishonest and economically false • plea that revenue paid by people like' ; t ? lc Guinesses. Jamesons, etc., in Ireland was not Irish revenue because it was ' largely due to consumer- all over the 1 Empire, the Government has persistently given fallacious returns for Ireland's I contribution. With all due respect to • Mr. Wright, a loan advanced on good >' security and at fair interest is not an attempt to pay a debt of justice. It ' 's an historic laet, admitted by the Royal Commission, that England has ' robbed and is still robbing Ireland. Mr. •' right says he travelled much in Ireland. His letter is a good testimonial ' to the sleeping accommodation of that ■ country. I suppos- it would be of little i use to remind him of what Burke, Glad- ' stone, Morloy, Lecky, Chesterton, and. ' lastly, Belloc, have to say on the wliole--1 sale bribery and corruption by .which a ' minority were enabled to ruie Ireland. 1 It is because of that bribery that true ' Irishmen have the feelings they have ! regarding England. I speak of a minor- > ity ruling Ireland. Remember that Ulster returns seventeen Nationalist re--1 pi'esentatives to Parliament, against sixteen Unionists. Ulster is therefore Nationalist, if the voice of her electors 1 counts for anything. We know the feeling of the remaining provinces. Does 1 Mr. Wright now sec why Campbell's 1 appointment is an injustice and an in--1 suit?—l am. etc., READER, ilawera, August S.