Irish Manufactures

New Zealand Tablet, 12 June 1913, Page 57

Irish Manufactures

To readers of modern Irish history—covering a century and a-half back— story of Irish manufactures is familiar—how the most important of them were deliberately destroyed by British law, and , conditions made such that revival of them seemed practically impossible. Nevertheless, in spite of adverse circumstances, Ireland has succeeded in acquiring and maintaining a position of excellence in not a few fields of manufacturing industry. Noting the fact the St. Patrick’s Day ‘lrish Number’ of the London Times observes that : ■ ' a

‘ The world is, perhaps, so little accustomed to think of Ireland as a manufacturing country (as, indeed, it is essentially an agricultural one) that few people probably Lave ever considered the peculiarly high reputation which Irish made goods have won for themselves in a variety of lines,’ and the writer goes on to enumerate ‘ Irish ships, Irish linen, Irish embroidery, Irish lace, Irish tweeds, Irish knitted gloves and coats, all as familiar to the public outside Ireland as are the names of Irish racers and Irish bacon.’

As illustrating the superiority of Irish manufacture, in competition in the open v market,’ the Times article says that: ‘ One of the most striking things in Irish industries is the fact that a small carpet company with a share capital of no more than £SOOO, whose headquarters are at Naas (Kildare), makes the sumptuous rugs (the orders being secured in competition with the world) for such hotels as the Carlton and Ritz in London, for other palatial hotbls and great private houses in America, and for such steamships as the Titanic and Britannic. These rugs are Irish designed, Irish dyed, Irish made, and Irish finished.’ In statistics showing the extent of Ireland’s export of manufactured goods, the writer gives the figures for 1911, which reach the total of (in round numbers) £27,000,000.