QUESTION. OBSERVATIONS. (Hansard, 18 December 1888)

§ THE EARL OF HOWTH

asked Her Majesty's Government if they contemplate carrying out any of the recommendations advocated by the Royal Commission on Irish Industries? He put this Question, not on his own spontaneous motion, but in the interests of a large class of society in Ireland. There was a rumour that the Estimates would be taken early next year; and he greatly feared, from symptoms he had seen, that the Government were likely to avoid dealing with the question of Irish industries unless some pressure was put upon them. In undertaking to deal with the Irish industries, and to expend large sums of money upon them, the Government had, no doubt, the laudable intention of developing those industries; but they had also another object in view, and that was to gain a good name for themselves. They wanted to appear as a parental Government in Ireland, and to obtain the good-will and 625 good wishes of the large mass of society there, and had done so. The position of the Government was clearly that of an individual who had taken apartments in an hotel, and who lived sumptuously and entertained his friends, and then, wanted to run away without paying the bill. That was precisely the position in which the Government practically stood with regard to Ireland at the present moment if they did not soon carry out their engagements. They appointed a Royal Commission to inquire into the subject of the Irish industries, which the previous Government on two occasions had refused to do; but they did this apparently to gain time to get out of their difficulties. Everything connected with the Irish fisheries and railways and other industries had been so thoroughly threshed out that the Royal Commission had only to fall back upon the beaten track. The Government had introduced a Drainage Bill into the House of Commons this Session for the drainage of the Bann, the Shannon, and another river, and on account of the fierce opposition of the Irish Members that Bill was withdrawn. There was also a rumour that the Government had abandoned the idea of dealing with, the Irish fisheries on account of their unfortunate position, as detailed in the Report of the Royal Commission. He trusted, and sincerely hoped, however, that the question of the Irish fisheries would not be consigned to obscurity. The Light Railway Bill in 1883 miscarried, and its operations were disregarded; but that miscarriage had left a large surplus available, which had been subscribed, or brought about, rather by the action of the late Government. He thought from what the present Government had promised they would have had their fisheries and their harbour and their railways satisfactorily improved. Great expectations had been held out by them in that respect; but he regretted that none of these expectations had been realized. Those promises had been given mainly to gain popularity; and he certainly thought that the Government ought not to retire from the scene without carrying out some of those promises. There were various works which they might carry out, and which he was sure would not meet with the opposition of the Irish Members. The first work 626 which he would suggest should be carried out was the junction of the railways in the County Cork. That was a work of enormous value, as it would afford facilities for the whole trade of the South-West of Ireland, and especially the fishing trade, in avoiding the different loadings and unloadings that were now necessary. The next work he would suggest was the construction of additional railway lines in certain districts, such as a railway connecting the coast of Kerry, and more especially the fishing ground there, with the more important towns of Ireland, and a railway through Connemara to Galway. With regard to industrial schools, one of which had been so successfully established at Baltimore by the private generosity of Lady Burdett-Coutts, he thought the best position for them would be in Galway Bay or Donegal Bay. The pupils turned out from those schools, which would in this manner largely meet the wants of the congested districts, would be perfectly fit for service in any Mercantile Marine, or in the Navy; and if they chose to stay at home they would decidedly be an improvement to their neighbourhood, and benefactors to it. He most earnestly called the attention of the Government to these works; and, in conclusion, he wished to say in reference to the statement of Mr. Gladstone, in his speech on Saturday, with regard to the Liberal Unionists, that as an humble Liberal Unionist they were bound to tender their allegiance to the Conservative Party, and in doing so to co-operate with the great and important Body which was led by the Marquess of Hartington on important questions.

§ THE LORD PRIVY SEAL (Earl CADOGAN)

said, that having on several occasions during the present Session endeavoured to the best of his ability to answer Questions put to him by the noble Earl on that subject, he was afraid that he had not been able to satisfy him heretofore; and as his answer must now be of the same tenour as his previous ones, he feared that he would fail again to come up to the full measure of the noble Earl's wishes. He must protest against the account which the noble Earl had given of the conduct of the Government with reference to the Report of the Royal Commissioners on Irish Industries. Still more must he disclaim entirely the motives which the noble Earl 627 had imputed to the conduct of the Government in regard to that important subject. The noble Earl had likened them to a lodger who stayed for a time and lived on the fat of the land in a house and left without paying his bill. Now he could not see the application of that figure of speech; and he must say he thought that the other remarks made by the noble Earl with respect to the conduct of the Government were not only uncalled for but were somewhat unjust. The noble Earl had spoken of their having withdrawn the measures that were brought forward with reference to drainage in Ireland because they met with opposition from the Irish Members "in another place." That was not at all an accurate version of the case. The fact, as their Lordships were aware, and as the noble Earl himself must be aware, was that from the pressure of Business in the other House of Parliament, owing to circumstances over which the Government had no control, it had been necessary to drop not only those Bills, but also many other Bills of importance to various parts of the Empire. He had informed the noble Earl on a previous occasion that inasmuch as the Commissioners in their Report had inverted the order of the subjects referred to them, and had felt it their duty to report first upon the subject of arterial drainage, and secondly upon the questions of fisheries and railways, his right hon. Friend the Chief Secretary for Ireland had deemed it his duty to act on the Report of the Commissioners in the same order as that in which they were dealt with in that Report. With that object in view, the Government introduced Bills dealing with the arterial drainage of the three rivers which had been mentioned. Those Bills were introduced in the other House by his right hon. Friend. Much delay took place before the Government were enabled to introduce them at all. When they were brought in they met—whether rightly or wrongly—with considerable opposition from Members connected with Ireland; and, as he had said before, the pressure of Business had been such that it was impossible for them to proceed with them during the present Session. The noble Earl asked whether it was the intention of Her Majesty's Government to deal with the 628 recommendations of the Royal Commission on Irish Industries in the ensuing Session. It was the intention of his right hon. Friend the Chief Secretary for Ireland to re-introduce the Bills dealing with arterial drainage at an early period in the ensuing Session, with every hope that they would be able to pass through Parliament and become Law. With regard to the other and equally important questions—namely, the fisheries and railways with which the noble Earl dealt—his right hon. Friend was precluded from introducing any measures dealing with these questions until the question of arterial drainage has been entirely disposed of. He must tell the noble Earl that Her Majesty's Government had no intention as that which he imputed to them—of living on the credit of the promises which they had made, and not carrying out those promises to their fulfilment; but they intended to continue to deal with these great and important subjects connected with Ireland at the earliest possible opportunity, and they hoped that all the recommendations of the Royal Commission would be carried out in the ensuing Session.