Cost of Administration in Ireland

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXXVI, Issue 25, 25 June 1908, Page 33

Cost of Administration in Ireland

In the House of Commons on March 26, Mr. Kettle called attention to the excessive cost of administration in Ireland, and an important debate ensued. His speech was full of interesting and instructive illustrations* Iv Scotland, for example, he showed that there were 963 civil servants assessed for income-tax. In Ireland there were over 4,000. Yet Scotland was a wealthier country, with practically the same population. In Scotland, the aggregate incomes of the civil servants assessed amounted' to £311,964 ; in Ireland the income of the assessed officers was £1,430,000. The Irish officials draw nearly four times as^much pay as the Scottish, with the same population, and less to do. Mr. T. W. Russell declared that 'he had long since been driven to the conclusion that the whole thing was hopeless as it existed.' Mr. Birrell defended some of the expenditure, but his speech was mainly remarkable for its repeated declarations in favour of Home Rule. 'I fully recognise,' he said, 'that the present mode of Administering Ireland is little calculated to minister to the well-being of the Irish people.' It is an ignominious form of government — ignominious to Irishmen themselves and in a very large degree ignominious to the Chief Secretary, and the sooner it is "brought to an end the better. lam not ashamed of the faith that is in me— that the only solution that is to be found for the present state of things will be found in a liberal measure — a very liberal measure — of what is compendiously called Home Bule.'