THE CHICAGO EXHIBITION. (Hansard, 15 March 1892)

§ (6.22.) MR. FLYNN
Several questions have been placed on the Paper in regard to the representation of Ireland on the Royal Commission taking charge of British interests at this Exhibition. It was stated some time ago that the Duke of Abercorn had been appointed, nobody knew by whom, to represent Ireland in this matter. I do not wish to say anything 941 personal about the Duke of Abercorn, but at meetings which have been held in Cork, Dublin, and Belfast a request was made that an Irish gentleman connected with Irish trade and commerce should be appointed to represent the Irish section. No attention has been paid to these requests. I am particularly interested in this question, because there is a large and growing trade between the United States and Ireland in woollens and linens, and though the McKinley Tariff Bill may have interfered with the expansion of that trade, we believe it to be only temporary; we believe that tariff will not be long in existence. It is perfectly idle to say that the Duke of Abercorn is fitted to look after these interests. For such a post you want a man of business capacity, thoroughly well acquainted with the details of the trade between America and Ireland, and with the Irish linen and woollen trade generally. Another point is that this Vote is for the expenses of the organisation of the British section. Are we to understand that Ireland is to be altogether excluded from the Exhibition? We do not allow for a moment that the word "British" includes of necessity the word "Irish." Irish individuality will be entirely lost if the word "British" is maintained and no attention paid to Ireland in the matter. I have followed the papers, and I find that English manufacturers have held meetings and shown a great interest in the matter, but it is different in Ireland. We have no guarantee that the Irish linen and woollen trade will be thoroughly represented. We ask that the Treasury should put themselves into communication with the committees which have been formed in Dublin, so that they may meet the wishes of the Irish traders who are deeply interested in the Exhibition. I am much disappointed about the charge of five shillings a foot for space; we say that charge is entirely too high. No charge should be made. It would be far better to increase this Vote to £30,000 or £40,000 than to charge the exhibitors five shillings a foot for space. The committee at Chicago are giving the space free, the only restriction as to space being that it shall be reasonable, and all they 942 ask is that exhibitors from all parts of the world shall come and exhibit. My contention is that as the exhibitor will be put to very considerable cost in the matter of transit before he can get his goods to Chicago, the fact of this further sum of 5s. per square foot will deter many exhibitors who might be prepared to incur the other expenditure. A feeling of distrust has been caused in many minds whether it is worth while to go to Chicago at all, and I hope the Treasury will give attention to the three questions I have suggested: whether it is advisable to retain the charge of 5s. a foot for space, the non-appointment of any Irishman who in any way represents trade or commerce, and the exclusion of Ireland from any mention in the grant of this large sum of money?

§ (6.32.) SIR THOMAS ESMONDE (Dublin Co., S.)
We believe that the neglect with which this Commission has treated Irish exhibitors constitutes a very serious grievance. You will remember that when the proposal was first made by the United States that this country should participate in the Chicago Exhibition it was taken up very warmly, and a Royal Commission was appointed to see that the various parts of England and Ireland were properly represented. The Commission appointed eleven Committees, numbering something like 387 members, to carry out its recommendations; but amongst all these gentlemen there was not a single representative of Ireland, and the only gentleman who has been appointed by this Commission to represent Ireland is the Duke of Abercorn. I doubt very much whether he will be accepted as a representative by any large section of the Irish community. This Commission appointed Committees to deal with all the Irish industries, and it will scarcely be believed that the most important industry in Ireland—the agricultural industry—is not represented on any of these Committees. We hold that the Commission has displayed a gross neglect of its duties in regard to Ireland. The only body with which they communicated was the Royal Dublin Society, which, although it may do a good deal of useful work for Ireland, 943 is scarcely the proper channel of approach when the interests of the Irish industrial community are concerned in a matter of this kind. The Commission may take shelter behind the Royal Dublin Society, but that explanation cannot be accepted in Ireland as an explanation of the gross neglect with which they have treated the Irish industrial community. A sum of £25,000 was granted for the expenses of this Commission, and now there is a further sum of £10,000, and of that £35,000 I venture to say that £50 would cover the sum that has been spent on behalf of Ireland. We think this is a very great grievance, as it places the Irish industries at a very great disadvantage. Then we have had no information of the workings of this Commission; and, so far as I can ascertain, no Irishman has been able to secure space in the Chicago Exhibition. The charge for space, too, we hold to be exorbitant, and I believe that for the smallest space which will be allotted in the Exhibition a sum of no less than £5 will be charged. We are informed that the Commissioners have advertised in various Irish newspapers! So well did they draw the attention of the Irish people to the matter that no meetings on the subject were held in Ireland until after the date on which the last application for space in the Exhibition could have been made. We consider that Ireland has had no recognition at the hands of this Commission, and that this money, which was voted by Parliament for Ireland as well as England, has been expended in such a manner that Ireland has been altogether left out. We are told that a large amount of this sum is required for the expenses of the English Art Section. We have no objection to the proper representation of English art at the Chicago Exhibition, but it should not be done solely at the expense of Ireland. We consider that these Commissioners have practically put Ireland on the shelf, and we submit that the time for sending in applications by intending exhibitors should be extended so that Irish exhibitors may have a chance of being represented, and we desire that some fair proportion of this money should be 944 spent in giving Irish industry a chance of being represented at the Exhibition. It is our opinion that the Committee has no desire to encourage the exhibition of Irish industry at Chicago. The Irish people are sufficiently alive to the importance of being represented, and I see that meetings have been held in different parts of the country urging upon this House and upon the public the desirability of taking steps to secure the proper representation of Ireland at the Exhibition. A thoroughly representative meeting was held in the City of Dublin, at which a resolution was passed urging the necessity for the allocation of a sum of money to assist in the proper representation of Irish industry at that Exhibition. It will be interesting to see what steps will be taken with respect to that resolution; but we very much fear that whatever professions may be made by the Commission, they will not be sincere, and that Ireland has very little to hope for in the way of assistance from this Commission. We have been looking at the amounts expended by other countries in the matter of this Exhibition, and we find that France has voted £80,000; Germany, £52,000; the Republic of Mexico, £150,000; Japan, £126,000; the Dominion of Canada, £30,000; Austria, £29,000; New South Wales, £30,000; Ecuador, £25,000; Peru, £25,000; and Guatemala, £24,000. This great and rich country contributes £35,000, but not a penny of it is for Ireland. This House is asked to vote £1,400,000 for the cost of police for Ireland; but the idea of asking for money to promote Irish industries, even a small proportion of this £35,000, does not seem to occur to the Government. One of the main arguments of the Unionist Administration is that their aim is the material well-being of the Irish people, and here is an opportunity for Her Majesty's Government to show that they really desire to benefit the material interests of the Irish people. Let them take up the matter of the Chicago Exhibition, and grant the request we make that a certain amount of money may be set apart for Ireland's exhibitors; let them extend the time for exhibitors to send in applications, and then something may be 945 done. We fear that nothing will be done; we are afraid that the Royal Commissioners do not care for Irish interests; but we desire that the Irish people should have an opportunity at the Chicago Exhibition of showing their industrial capacity. And I consider that our purpose is most surely to be attained by Ireland's securing a separate and distinct recognition and representation of her own at the World's Fair.

§ (6.46.) THE ATTORNEY GENERAL (Sir R. WEBSTER,) Isle of Wight
I am extremely anxious to make a statement on this subject in reply to what has been said by hon. Members opposite, and I think I shall be enabled to satisfy them on every point. But it is important, as the hon. Baronet has said, that the Vote should be taken, and time does not allow me to make a statement now. If hon. Gentlemen will allow the Vote to be taken now, on the Report stage I will take the opportunity of tendering to the hon. Baronet (Sir T. Esmonde) information which it is quite evident from his speech he has not received.

§ (6.46.) MR. WEBB
I really think this is a matter of so much importance that we should take the opportunity to insist upon something being done. Time is running on, and it is essential that the Government should do something for the material development of Irish industries. Already we have a market for Irish manufactures in the United States, and this is an opportunity not to be neglected for encouraging the trade. I speak more particularly in the interest of the industries of the South of Ireland, but in no way wishing to detract from the importance of Northern industries. We feel it is a great mistake not to have on the management of these business matters Irishmen with whom we could feel sure Irish interests would be taken care of. With every respect for the noblemen and gentlemen on the Commission, we do not recognise their connection with and interest in Irish commercial and manufacturing 946 interests. We do not understand why such a heavy charge as five shillings per square foot should be imposed for exhibition space, seeing that the Chicago Committee make no such charge, and in addition exhibitors will have the cost of carriage and of caretakers. We desire that prominence should be given to an Irish section as distinguished from England and Scotland, and that we should not simply be contented with a British section.