/^^/^ \7 yn "^nun ( i "/cd ///^^ / /- West Ulster only 67-5. Connaught is lowest with 58-3. We might put the matter thus, in order to reaUze the facts more concretely. Imagine the infants in each province as arranged symbolically in groups of 10,000 each. Then, on an average : — IRELAND AND THE ULSTER LEGEND 17 583 of the Connaught infants in a group 857 „ Munster 949 „ Ulster 1,128 ,, Leinster ,, ,, would have died in a year. In both cases the record for Connaught is best and the record for Leinster is worst. Leinster contains Dublin, and everybody who knows Dublin, knows that the housing conditions under which the poor live in that city are very far from what they ought to be. And apart from special considerations affecting either or both of these Irish cities, we might normally expect that the infant death-rate would be lower in the more rural provinces, more especially under the improved conditions of rural hfe for the people that have existed in Ireland since the Land Act became law. As regards city problems for the housing of the poor, it must be remembered that Dublin inherits from past generations of Enghsh rulers a condition of affairs, as to house property in the heart of the city, that has made it impossible to deal with the housing problem properly without immense expen- diture out of the city rates such as could not be provided without large extension of the city boundaries. Such an extension ,will no doubt be made when there is an Irish Government. Special powers and special grants of some kind will probably be needed to enable the city authorities to solve the problem effectually. What have the statistics to tell us about the mortality from tuberculosis in the several provinces, and the contributions of money for its treatment that have been voted by the County Councils in each province ? We find that Ulster, with the largest number of deaths from tuberculosis, contributes for remedial measures less per 1,000 of the population than any of the other provinces. Munster with 1,152 less deaths pays £3 8s. 8d. per 1,000 more; Connaught with the smallest number of deaths pays at a rate second best to Munster. It may, however, be borne in mind, on Ulster's side, that, Ulster's population being more than half a million larger than the average of Leinster and Munster, her total contribution is not so much smaller in proportion to their average total as her rate is to their average rate. The test, of course, is the rate. As against Ulster's £1 Ss. Sd., we have Connaught 's £2 8s. od. l8 IRELAND AND THE ULSTER LEGEND V. Is Ulster Superior in Morale ? How does Ulster stand, as compared with her sister pro- vinces, in respect of her people's personal morale ? Two definite statistical tests are available. They are both fundamental tests profoundly affecting the national Hfe in respect both to personal character in individuals and social relationships in the community. (i) What proportion of the children who are born into the several provinces of Ireland come into the world under the stigma of illegitimacy ? The record of Ireland, Catholic and Protestant — whether Pro-Irish or Anti-Irish politically — is good in this respect. It is, indeed, the third best in the world. 277 per 10,000 of the total of Irish births was for the five years 1909-13 the number of these little ones born into Ireland. 372 per 10,000 of the Ulster births, 288 and 232 respectively of the Leinster and Munster births, and 70 of the Connaught births per 10,000, in each case were illegitimate. The great contrast between Ulster and Connaught needs no comment beyond the observation that the proportion of illegitimate births in Ulster is five times that in Connaught. (2) The other statistical test of morale is the number of habitual criminals at large in the particular district under obser- vation. The term " habitual criminal " is used here in its technical sense as "a person enumerated by the police who engages habitually in crime as his means, or part of his means, of livelihood. ' ' Taking the yearly average for the years 1908-12, the numbers of these persons enumerated as being at large in the four provinces respectively were 12-2 in Connaught, 68-6 in Munster, 80 in Leinster, and 566-4 in Ulster. The numbers of these persons in each province per 100,000 of the population were, in the same order, 2-00, 6-62, 6-88, 35-81, and 16-56 for all Ireland. Thus there were, approximately, in every 100,000 of their respective popula- tions, 18 habitual criminals in Ulster to i in Connaught, 3^ in Munster, and 3I in Leinster. And for houses classified as "resorts of habitual, criminals at large " the yearly average for 1908-12 was 164-8 in Ulster, and 17-2 for the rest of Ireland, with none in Connaught, This is a starthng result. Whatever may be said in praise or in extenuation of Ulster, there can, for the time, be no escape IRELAND AND THE ULSTER LEGEND 19 from the conclusion that it entirely disposes of her claim to superiority of morale in the present generation. On reflection, however, it must be admitted that, in the nature of things, apart from any claim to special superiority, it might be expected that there should be more habitual criminals in a big money-making city like Belfast than in rural districts, small towns, and even Dublin, the mere capital of a non-self- governing island like Ireland. This idea appears to have occurred also to the compiler, and he followed it up by compihng another table giving the figures on the same subject for all the large towns in England, Ireland and Wales. Scotland is omitted because she publishes no statistics, London — is it strange to say ? — is lowest on this Hst with 15-11 habitual criminals in 100,000 persons, and Dublin with 16-34 — ^i more than London — comes next. Third from the bottom of the list, though with a record just over that of London and Dublin together, is the semi-Irish city of Liverpool. The reader will find it worth while to follow this enquiry farther as it is set out in Table XVI. The statistics are there given separately : — (i) for all the Irish provinces, (2) for Ireland outside Ulster, (3) for England and Wales, and also (4) in analysis for Ulster, treating that portion which is against Irish self- determination apart from the counties which are for it. The result is remarkable. Anti-Irish Ulster is easily at the top, i.e. at the wrong end of the Irish list ; Ulster province comes next, and is followed by all Ireland a very long way behind. Down at the bottom we find Leinster outside Dublin and Connanghi, with I -61 and 2-oo respectively, taking the lowest places ; only 2 per 100,000 of her population is all Connaught has to show in the way of habitual criminals. For a criminals' guest-house, as we have already seen — and indeed it is obvious — she has no use at all. Next lowest, strangely enough at first sight, is Pro-Irish Ulster with 3-77. One cannot but be impressed by the fact that the record of morale, in this respect, should be relatively so exceptionally good in that portion of the country in which the Catholic and non-Catholic populations are so nearly equal and mix so freely with each other. Fourth from the bottom of the list is Ireland outside Ulster, with 5-73, Approximately, taking the figures as they stand, we might say that Pro-Irish Ulster's record is about i^ times as good as that of all Ireland outside 20 IRELAND AND THE ULSTER LEGEND Ulster, that Connaught's record is a little less than twice as good, and Leinster's outside Dublin is 2\ times as good as Pro-Irish Ulster's. This excellent record for Pro-Irish Ulster may be a symptom of social health, causes for which we should expect to find in Ireland wherever Catholics and non-Catholics are nearly equal in number and intermingle freely in the transaction of their indus- trial and social affairs. This they do in the towns and counties of Pro-Irish Ulster, and the development of the co-operative movement in such a mixed county as Cavan or Fermanagh tends to the same effect. It appears, moreover, that even in Ulster as a whole there are 2,949 Protestant children in schools under Catholic teachers, 3,099 Catholic children in schools under Protes- tant teachers, besides 2,080 Protestant and 1,437 Cathohc children under mixed staffs of Cathohcs and Protestants. This would not have been possible some fifty years ago. VI. Connaught and Anti-Irish Ulster : A Contrast. Then, there is Connaught — Catholic Connaught — the Con- naught of Cromwell's curse, of the Great Famine and the whole- sale evictions of the last century, of the Flight of the Irish to their new home beyond the Western Sea. It is the remnant of this Connaught race that has been making records in these statis- tical tables of such a satisfactory and, to many persons, surprising character. For the greater convenience of those who are interested more especially in the prospect of a Connaught, by and by, that may become in some ways a model to the world, the compiler has set forth in detail the contrast as it stands to-day between Anti-Irish Ulster — Sir Edward Carson's own particular Ulster — ■ and her most extreme opposite, the Irish province in the West, The reader will find material for much useful reflection in this sup- plementary table and the compiler's notes. (See Table XXI.) In all the statistical tests of national vitality Connaught does better — and generally much better — than Anti-Irish Ulster, or even Ulster as a whole. Of deaths at all ages, she has in every 10,000 of her popula- tion 165 less than Anti-Irish Ulster for the five years 1909-13. Of deaths under one year of age, she has in every 10,000 of the births, 486 less for the five years than Anti-Irish Ulster and 366 less than Ulster. In other words, the infant mortaHty IRELAND AND THE ULST:ER LEGEND 21 in Anti-Irish Ulster is nearly double that of Connaught. Of illegitimate births she has 361 less in every 10,000 of the births. Anti-Irish Ulster has over six times and County Antrim nearly eight times as many.^ Anti-Irish Ulster has 286 more deaths from tuberculosis in every 10,000 of the deaths than Connaught has, and contributes out of the rates for remedial measures £604 less. The Connaught County Councils also contribute out of the rates for University Scholarships £28 for every £1 contributed for the same purpose in North-East Ulster ; the population of the latter being, however, i| times that of the former. These facts also may be accounted to Connaught for righteousness. Most serious of all are the facts about habitual criminals. The disparity is extraordinary. 546-2 in the one case, 12-2 in the other, were the yearly averages for the five years 1908-12— r over 44f in North-East Ulster for every i in Connaught. In every 100,000 of their respective populations the ratio is 26 to i, VII. Pro-Irish Ulster and Anti-Irish Ulster Compared. From our point of view, however, the most striking fact in all these comparisons is the contrast between Anti-Irish and Pro- Irish Ulster; 52-22 habitual criminals per 100,000 of popu- lation in the first case, to 3-77 in the other ; 14 to i is the ratio. The comparison between the two parts of Ulster may be extended to the statistics concerning birth and the mortality of young children. In the figures for each of the three tests there is a marked contrast. 1. During the five years 1909-13 there were for 10,000 births — In East Ulster 431 illegitimate. In West Ulster 239 illegitimate. 2. In East Ulster 1,069 ^^^^ within a year of birth. In West Ulster 675 died within a year of birth. 3. In every 10,000 of the deaths — In East Ulster 2,304 were of children under 5 years of age. In West Ulster 1,292 were of children under 5 years of age. 4. And as regards mortality due to tuberculosis. In East Ulster 1,352 in 10,000 deaths ] were traced to In West Ulster 881 in 10,000 deaths j this cause. * The rate for Connaught, however, is by far the lowest rate in Europe. (For further details see Table VII.) .22 IRELAND AND THE ULSTER LEGEND 5. It is noteworthy also that West Ulster's ratio of contribu- tion to funds for the treatment of tuberculosis in 1913 was more than three times that of East Ulster. The mortality due to this cause is, as we see above, only two-thirds in the West of what it is in the East. 6. In respect of moneys paid by County Councils and County Boroughs for University Scholarships (1911-14), the discrepancy is still more remarkable, 3s. 2d. in the one case to £4 14s. 2d. in the other. The fact that Donegal heads the list of Irish counties, in respect of the sums contributed for this purpose, should be noted by the reader. It is from the observation of such simple spontaneous symptoms as these that one comes to realize the development of ideals in the mind of the people. VIII. What is Wrong with Belfast ? The results to which our inquiry has led us must have sur- prised the reader in many respects, and not least in respect of those two tests of individual and social morale as to which East Ulster stands out in such marked contrast to Connaught and West Ulster. In respect of the statistics of habitual criminals for England, Ireland and Wales, Leinster outside Dublin and Connaught stand at one end of the list, with i'6i and 2"oo per 100,000 of population respectively. West Ulster comes next, Ireland outside Ulster fourth, followed by Munster and Leinster, all under 7 per 100,000. At the other end of the extended list with the corresponding figures for various parts of England and Wales we find Belfast with 12973 as her record, more than twice as bad as Sheffield with 58'55, which is the highest in England and Wales. What can be the reason for this state of affairs ? Can it be that this and all those other signs of weakness or deca- dence in the statistics of Ulster, and especially " Political Ulster," are due to some false and pernicious view of life which was revealing itself as an anti-social, anti-humanist cult in Belfast, during the five years 1908-12 to which the statistics apply, and which may or may not have been working to similar effect up to the present time. Whatever it is, that is — or was — wrong about Ulster so far as the statistics available are concerned, it seems likely that we may find a clue to it in Belfast. We must there- fore ask ourselves two obvious questions. W[i2± are the con- ditions of up-bringing for the children of Belfast ? What are IRELAND AND THE ULSTER LEGEND 23 the conditions of living for the workers of Belfast ? There are other question?, we should like to ask, but the statistics are not available. So let these two suffice.^ The importance of the second question in the case of Belfast is very great. Belfast is the great centre of shipbuilding and of the linen industry. Large numbers of its people, men and women, live by serving these two interests and others auxiliary to them. Wliat then are the conditions of labour in Belfast ? Are wages sufficient to enable the worker to live in health and decency on what he or she can earn ? If not, there will be inade- quate housing, insufficient food, bad health, misery and, in the long run, increase of crime. It is necessary therefore to inquire, so far as possible, into conditions of labour in the Belfast'linen industry, as described and commented on in the latest official report that is now available. Excerpts from the Report of the Committee appointed by Mr. Winston Churchill in 1911 to inquire into the conditions of employment in the linen industry are therefore among the documents reprinted in these pages. (a) What are the Conditions of Education in Belfast ? It is, however, more convenient first to inquire into the conditions of education in Belfast. The attention of the reader has already been drawn to this subject in relation to the statistics about school attendance in the different parts of the country (p. 57). The school accommodation in Belfast turns out to be grievously inadequate, with the result that, on the one hand, children are packed together in schools which are much too small for the number — more than twice as many in some cases than the school was built to contain. On the other hand, we learn also from the inspectors that there is a further excess of children who are not able to find places in the schools at all. Many of them are doubtless too young to be employed in any other way, and so * In connection with these abnormal figures, attention may be drawn here to the compiler's note on p. 70, stating the strange fact that whereas in the year 191 2 there were in Belfast 490 habitual criminals enumerated by the police, the number in I9i3,the following year, was only 42. 448 had disappeared entirely from the list. The war had not yet brolcen out at the time, but the Ulster Volunteers for Civil War were being enrolled in 1912, and men were, it is said, paid 35. a day. The two facts may be connected. That the first i? a fact there can be no doubt at all. The alleged payment of 35. a day can of course be easily verified or disproved by those who have access to the immediate sources of information. •24 IRELAND AND THE ULSTER LEGEND resort to playing in the streets and getting into mischief now and then. Such a condition of things in a great industrial town is very serious. Idle children in the country can employ them- selves either at work or at play to much greater advantage. Mr. J. Chambers, M.A., writes in his Report to the Com- missioners of National Education in 1913-14 that : — " Many of the schools are greatly over crowded, but this overcrowd- ing does not give a true representation of the number of children for whom additional accommodation is required, as, owing to recent regulations, children are refused admission to schools in which there is no space available for them, with the result that many of them never enter any school at all." For one group of schools, the accommodation needed was for 3,005, and the actual accommodation provided was 2,369. For the 636 children exiled from this group of schools by lack of room, there was of course the street. And the street has an unfair advantage in attractiveness over the Belfast schools, seeing that so many of them — about 50 per cent. — have no play- grounds, and only 30 per cent, were reported as suitably supplied. There were 69 schools without playgrounds in 1907. These defects had long been a grievance with the inspectors. In a report for the school year 1909-10 Mr. Keith, a District Inspector, reports that " Serious cases of overcrowding continued to occur." They were not new eleven years ago. Examples are given : 386 children in places provided for 291, 73 taught in a room for 44, and 116 in a room for 47. The Senior Inspector in the same report says that " On visiting another school I opened the door of a class-room when I was met by an atmosphere of appalling foulness. There were 75 in a room, though it could only accommodate 33." " The deficiency is of long standing," says Mr. Dewar, M.A., one of the Senior Inspectors, in his report for 1910-11, " and is growing with the growth of Ballymacarrett. . . . One sees no prospect of any remedy. Matters have been allowed to drift for such a long time that the sight of children loitering in the streets during school hours excites no surprise, or the oft-told tale of failures to find room in any school no sympathy or regret." " I do not think," says another Senior Inspector, Mr. P. J. Kelly, " it is an exaggeration to say that there are, on an average, at least 17,000 children of school-going age who are absent from school each IRELAND AND THE ULSTER LEGEND 25 day. This is an appalling fact and should make Belfast open its eyes." The duty of the citizens of Belfast had, however, been indicated clearly enough by another inspector, Mr. E. P. Dewar, M.A., five years earlier. In 1907 he said, in his report for the year 1906-7 : — " For some years past, school building has practically been at a standstill in Belfast and has not kept pace with the growth of the city. Churches which, in other places, are the leaders in educational movement, and which in former times were so in Belfast, have some- how stepped down from their position and taken a less prominent place in the school life of the city." Later on, however, in the same report one reads as follows about the schools under Roman Catholic management : — " The schools under Roman Catholic management are in the main good and suitable buildings, erected in recent years at much expense to the localities, and I desire to say that the foregoing remarks do not refer at all to these schools. The Methodists too, have done well." This complaint, and the inspector's appeal to the well-to-do non-Catholics of Belfast to stand by the schools, failed in effect. This we know, since the shortage had increased so greatly five years later, as we have already seen. Why did it fail ? Not for lack of zeal on the part of the Protestant clergy, we may be sure, nor for lack of professional support from the teachers and inspectors. Belfast is a city with many wealthy citizens and a large number of others com- fortably off. The responsibility for neglect of popular education rests on them. It is for them — no matter to which branch of the Christian Church they belong, or as secularist citizens of humane pubhc spirit, if they are not attached to any Church — it is for them to organize the necessary -committees of management in every district and see that the schools of Belfast do their duty by the children and are a credit to the great industrial city of Belfast. As matters now stand, there is no escape from the conclusion that, in respect of popular education, the standard of civilization in Belfast is low, and the conclusion is at least suggested that this fact has some effect in swelling the record of habitual crime, and in lowering the standard of physical and moral vitality generally. 26 IRELAND AND THE ULSTER LEGEND Well might the inspector, Mr. Dewar, say as he did in his 1910-11 report : — " There is something amiss with a place which abounds in industrial works and maintains -a teeming population, but is unwilling or reluc- tant to provide the means of giving every child within its bounds the opportunity of learning to read and write." At least ten more schools were estimated by this inspector, as being necessary to make up the deficit in a particular district of Belfast. This was in 1910-11. It is interesting for purposes of comparison to note that just at this time, or soon after, the average on the school roll of the National Schools in Belfast was found to be less than in 1905 by 1,369, whereas in Dublin the average for the same year was 1,661 greater than the corresponding average in 1905. In those seven years the school roll in Dublin had risen in number by 292 more than the school roll in Belfast had fallen. No wonder the Senior Inspector in 1912, Mr. P. J. Kelly, speaks of the dreary and disheartening reading that his report would make if he set down in it all the information he had acquired. The hopelessness of the situation evidently weighed heavily on his mind : — " It is a pity that a city in many respects so progressive," he says, " with pride in its port and defiance in its eye, should have to look calmly on while its children are either cooped up in Hi-ventilated class-rooms or left to face the perils of the street. It cannot be that all the criticism suggested by this topic has been wasted." (b) What are the Conditions of Factory Workers in Belfast ? Inquiry into the conditions of the factory workers — especially the women workers — in Belfast is not less important for our purpose than inquiry into the provision of education for the children, Th« factory or other workshop is, in a very real sense, a continuation school for a boy or a girl during a susceptible period of life. If all the factories in the United Kingdom were equipped and organized on lines similar to those which have been adopted in certain well known firms in Lancashire and York- shire, the standard of efficiency and personal intelligence of the people would rise considerably in a generation. There are also IRELAND AND THE ULSTER LEGEND 27 a few notable examples in Dublin of developments to similar effect. It is, however, with the condition of the factory workers in a very crude material sense that our inquiry is perforce limited for the present in the case of Belfast. The available material consists solely of the Report of a Committee on " Sweating " appointed by Mr. Winston Churchill in 191 1, and deals with the case of out-workers only.^ ^ Attention had been called to the subject by the Medical Officer of Health for Belfast, Dr. H. W. Baillie, in his annual report for 1909, ^ in which he laid stress on the unsatisfactory conditions attending the employment of women as out -workers for the making up of Unen and cotton goods. He had previously complained several times. It was alleged that the small rate of payment which numbers of these «out-workers received necessitated their working for unduly long hours, to the injury of their health and if, as in the majority of cases, they were mothers of families, to the neglect of their homes. As the facts came out in the examination of witnesses, it appeared : — (i) That the women were obHged to work, unless the men got better wages, as otherwise the families could not be maintained. (2) That wages were paid for piecework, but at so low a rate in the case of a large class of workers, engaged in thread drawing, machine stitching, embroidery, etc., that, to put the matter very briefly, condensing the summary in the Blue Book : — Among 531 workers, 422 received less than 2d. an hour, and of these 168 less than i^. an hour. Only 3 received between ^d. and 6d. an hour ; none more. (3) Miss Galway, General Secretary of the Textile Workers' Association, gave evidence as to the effect of certain improvements that had been made in machinery. Her testimony was that the increased power of the machine 1 Workers in the factories were invited to give evidence voluntarily. The Committee reported as follows on the result : "Of the workers in the Belfast factories we could induce only a few to come before us as witnesses, and some of these complained of low weekly wages for full- time employment, and of inadequate piece rates." ' Dr. Baillie had on several previous occasions complained, but with- out result. 28 IRELAND AND THE ULSTER LEGEND tended to double the output per hour, but with increase of wear and tear to the worker who received no increase of pay, as she is paid the same wage as before for a double output on the ground that the machine works twice as fast. This, of course, is contrary to common sense, justice and humanity. And the fact that, according to the evidence, the extra strain is on the eyes adds not a little to the hardship of the situation. The quantity of the work in proportion to the pay may be imagined from one instance. A woman was embroidering small dots on cushion covers. There were 300 dots on each and she was paid one penny for the lot. Another worker had to sew 384 for one penny. Examples in abundance are given in the following pages. The result is " the under- fed, over- wrought physique of" the sweated worker with weakened stamina and lack of resistance to the inroads of disease." Moreover, since practically the whole of these under-paid over- wrought workers are mothers, the evil effects of their unremitting and ill-remunerated toil must be transmitted in some measure to the next generation. No one knows how much of the consumption which prevails amongst the poor is due to sweating, but certainly it works its wicked will on many as a contributory cause. It is impossible to study the evidence given in these reports without coming to the con- clusion that, as to progressive reform in the conditions of life for the factory workers, Belfast is far behind the standard of civilization that obtains in the factories of Yorkshire and Lanca- shire. And, if there has been in the capital of Ulster deteriora- tion of moral character, as well as physique, among the poor of the city — men as well as women — consequent on the existence of this evil state of affairs, the chief blame lies at the door of those who, for their own enrichment, have dared to " grind the faces " of God's poor. Nor can those be accounted innocent who, with influence and authority to prevent this evil, have allowed it to go on. IX. The Truth about the Ulster Legend. This, then, is the truth about the Ulster Legend. In all its particulars it makes a mock at truth. Ulster outside Belfast, and the counties which make up its immediate hinterland, differs, IRELAND AND THE ULSTER LEGEND 29 county by county, from other parts of Ireland in ways that are well within the limits of natural variation, as shown in other lands. But, as regards the myth of Ulster's superior civilization, it is revealed, when brought to the test of statistical inquiry, as, in most of its relevant particulars, the very reverse of the truth. The inquirer, without expecting it, is forced, as we have seen, to probe the matter further than at first intended, in order to account for the discouraging nature of the statistics as to personal morale and physical vitality in the centre of " Political Ulster." In doing so, he comes upon two of the most fruitful causes of race deterioration busy at work within the heart of the rich and much- vaunted city of Belfast. This great city is famous throughout the world for its ship- building and the linen industry. Obviously, there must be many men of brains and. powerful character — real magnates in their way — within its borders. But inside, at the heart of it, helping to build up its wealth, there are thousands of " sweated " workers, wearing out their darkened lives, and of little children plaj^ing aimlessly in the streets all day and idling or toiling in their dreary homes, because there is "no room for them " in the schools. Doubtless it is because this kind of thing has been going on so long that the statistics of physique and morale for Ulster province as a whole are not better than they are. No one could beUeve this Ulster myth who looks into the facts with a view to learning the truth whole and unadulterated. But for those who are careless of truth it is easy enough, and this myth is only one of many myths with belief in which the English enemies to Irish rule in Ireland have, generation after generation, salved their consciences and sought to satisfy the scruples of their friends. The real object of the Ulster myth is to persuade the honest people in England that it is essential for Ulster, and better in the long run for Ireland as a whole, that the country should be governed, as it now is, by an alliance between the Ulster magnates and that portion of the British aristocracy which has interests material or sentimental in Ireland. These make up the party in Ireland who, in alliance with their relatives, friends, sympathizers and other adherents in Great Britain, maintain the tradition of a superior race and emphasize it by association with the Protestant religion. This association is very useful in order to bring the sympathy of the church- 30 IRELAND AND THE ULSTER LEGEND going English Protestant into line with the religious prejudices of the Orangeman in Ulster. The ideal of ascendancy as such, based merely on the principle of hereditary aristocracy, has no chance of effective persistence in the modern world — not even in Great Britain, The Protestant religion and the legend of Ulster's superiority are elements in the manifold protective camouflage under which the old ship sails. But the real gospel of the Anti-Irish, whether hereditary aristocrats or successful business men or place-hunting lawyers, is the maintenance of their own ascendancy. It is " Up the English oligarchic interest in Ireland, up the industrial magnates of Belfast." And, as every one knows, the army chiefs in 1914, when war broke out, were staunch supporters of the cause. It is the lawyers who do the business, and " verily they have their reward." SOPHIE BRYANT CONTENTS OF STATISTICAL TABLES ETC. TABLES PAGE I Population — In the Provinces — On the Land — In Towns over r.ooo Inhabitants — Agricultural Holdings — Number of Holdings — Number at different valuations — percentage within cer- TAIN Valuations 36 II Total Rateable Valuation — Income Tax Assess- ment ON Agricultural Holdings, etc. — Income Tax Assessment on Agricultural Holdings, Business Premises, Factories, Sites, etc. . 38 III Emigration — Emigrants from the Provinces — 1851- 1913, 1909-1913 40 IV Emigration — Emigrants from the Counties — 1851- 1913, 1909-1913 42 V Agricultural and Technical Instruction — Moneys PAID BY Ratepayers for this Purpose — In- ability to compare Belfast and Dublin statis- tically — Opposition to the Dublin Boundaries Extension Bill . 43 VI University Scholarships, Exhibitions, etc. — Moneys paid by County Councils and County Boroughs 46 VII Total Births and Deaths — Illegitimate Births — Deaths of Infants — Deaths from Tubercu- losis — Moneys paid for the Treatment of Tuber- culosis in the Financial Year 1913-1914 . 48 VIII Ratio of Clergymen to Members of Religious De- nominations — Catholic and Non-Catholic Popu- lations — Catholic and Non-Catholic Clergy- men — Unpaid Magistrates ..... 50 Statistics of Illiteracy .... 52 31 32 IRELAND AND THE ULSTER LEGEND TABLES PAGE IX Comparison of Illiterates by Provinces in different Age Groups 55 X Comparison of Illiterates by Groups of Counties in Two Age Groups ...... 56 XI Absentee Pupils from the Public Elementary Schools — Belfast Illiteracy compared with THAT OF Counties outside Ulster — Registrar- General's Letter re Dublin Boundaries . . 57 XII Elementary School Standards — Pupils in Belfast COMPARED with PuPILS THROUGHOUT IRELAND FOR Standards attained 59 XIII Half-time Pupils — Belfast and Oldham compared for Standards attained by Half-time Pupils . 59 XIV Persons able to Read and Write and Persons who " Signed in Writing " the Marriage Registers- Belfast School Accommodation — Extracts from THE Reports of the Belfast School Inspectors regarding School Accommodation, etc. . . 61 XV Habitual Criminals at Large — Extraordinary -"Re- duction IN THE 1913 Belfast Police " Enumera- tion " OF Habitual Criminals at Large and their Houses of Resort compared with the Yearly " Enumerations " of the previous Ten Years 70 XVI Habitual Criminals, etc. — North-East Ulster com- pared WITH Pro-Irish-Rule Ulster — Belfast WITH Dublin, London, Liverpool, Birmingham, ETC. — Sweating in Belfast — Extracts from the Reports of Dr. H. W. Baillie and the Home Office Committee on Sweating in Belfast — Analysis of 168 Cases Investigated — Rates VARYING FROM UNDER ^d. TO UNDER id. PER HOUR — Comparison of Ratios of Habitual Criminals at Large and Houses of Resort in Ireland with those in England and Wales .... 72 ULSTER TABLES XVII Anti- and Pro-Irish-Rule Ulster compared. . 81 XVIII County Antrim compared with County Cavan . 84 IRELAND AND THE ULSTER LEGEND 33 TABLES PAGE XIX CouNTvr Tyrone compared with other Pro-Irish- Rule Counties 85 XX Ulster Counties (except Donegal) compared with Counties in other Provinces for Income Tax Assessment and Emigration . . . .88 XXI North-East Ulster compared with the Province OF Connaught 90 APPENDIX Dublin Boundaries Extension Bill — Extracts from the Report of the Lords and Commons Joint Committee — also from " The Irish Times " Leading Article on the Report — Letters from Registrar-General ... 92 LIST OF BLUE BOOKS, WHITE PAPERS AND OTHER DOCUMENTS FROM WHICH THE STATISTICS, ETC., IN THIS BOOK HAVE BEEN COMPILED I 1911 Census Returns. II 1911 Census Returns — White Paper Returns of Income Tax Assessment for 1910-11. Ill & IV Emigration Returns. Registrar-General's Letters. V White Paper Returns. VI & VII Local Taxation (Ireland) Returns. VII Registrar-General's Returns. VIII igii Census of Population and Clergymen — White Paper Returns of Magistrates (unpaid) appointed to end of 1913. IX & X 191 1 Census Returns. XI & XII Reports of the Commissioners of National Education — Letters from the Irish Education Office — Re- turns of Belfast Schools from the Belfast School Attendance Office. XIII Report from Belfast School Inspector — Oldham Edu- cation Office Report — Letters from Belfast School Attendance Office. XIV T911 Census Returns — Registrar-General's Reports. XV & XYl Police Returns. Letters from the Belfast Commis- sioner of Police. 34 IRELAND AND THE ULSTER LEGEND 35 TABLES XVII to XXI Blue Books and White Papers already Quoted— White Paper Returns of Arrests for Drunkenness from January i, 1908, to the last issued December 31, 1912. Belfast Schools : Belfast School Inspectors' Reports. Belfast Workers : Home Office Committee's Report on " Sweating in Belfast— Dr. H. W. Bailie's Report. City of Dublin Extension of Boundaries Bill : Blue Book- "The Irish Times" — "Dod's Parliamentary Companion." CHARTERED ACCOUNTANT'S CERTIFICATE. I CERTIFY that all the figures and quotations given in the Tables, and other matter contained in pages 36 to 94 of this publication, have been correctly extracted from the books and documents set out above. I have verified all calculations of percentages, ratios, and other statistical data, and have further found all references as to dates, names, comparisons, etc., to be correctly quoted. Howard Button, C.B.E., F.C.A., F.C.I.S., of the firm of Chantrey, Button & Co. 61-2 Lin'coln's Inn Fields, London, W.C. 2nd December, 1920. 36 IRELAND AND THE ULSTER LEGEND TABLE I DISTRIBUTION OF POPULAITON. NUMBER AND VALUATION OF AGRICULTURAL HOLDINGS.^ LEINSTER HAS A HIGHER PERCENTAGE OF URBAN POPULA- TION THAN ULSTER. ULSTER HAS A HIGHER PERCENTAGE THAN LEINSTER OF HER POPULATION ON THE LAND. ULSTER HAS A HIGHER PERCENTAGE THAN EITHER LEINSTER OR MUNSTER OF AGRICULTURAL HOLDINGS NOT EXCEEDING £15 VALUATION. ULSTER HAS 42,125 LAND HOLDINGS NOT EXCEED- ING £4 VALUATION PER HOLDING. Section 2 of this Table shows that Leinster had, in 1911, oi every 1,000 of her population 87 more than Ulster had in towns of over 1,000 inhabitants. In Section 3 it is seen that Ulster had 92 more than Leinster in every 1,000 of her population on the Land.^ Few realize that of the Agricultural Holdings in Ulster 69-33 per cent, of them do not exceed a rateable valuation of £15 each ; or that of the 124,367 Holdings (see Sec. 5) not exceeding £15 each, 42,125 do not exceed a rateable valuation of £4 per holding. ^ References to the sources of the information contained in this and the following pages will be found on pages 34-5. * The percentages, averages, ratios, etc., in the Tables, and compiler's notes, have been calculated either to the nearest decimal point, penny or unit as the case may be. IRELAND AND THE ULSTER LEGEND 37 Sections. Leinster. Munster. Ulster. Con- naught. Ireland. 1 Total population of Pro- vinces and Ireland 1,162,044 1.035.495 1,581,696 610,984 4,390,219 2 Total population of all Cities, Towns, etc., over i.ooo Inhabitants 559.568 273,022 623,442 51,538 1.507.570 Per cent, of total popu- lation of Provinces and Ireland 48-15 26-37 39-42 8-44 34-34 Population in Cities (ex- clusive of Belfast and Dublin) and Towns, etc., of over i.ooo Inhabitants 254.766 273,022 236,495 51.538 815,821 3 Population living or occupied on the Land . 501,459 639,802 828,774 520,911 2,490,946 Percentage on the Land of total population 43-15 61-79 52-40 85-26 56-74 Total Families on the Land 108,560 122,818 185,640 105,415 522,433 4 Total Agricultural Hold- ings 114,127 126,248 179,388 115.912 535.675 5 Number of Agricultural Holdings at different Valuations : Not exceeding ;^I5. 69,800 79,338 124,367 99,807 373.312 Over £15, not exceeding ;^30 19.314 22,410 33,131 9.930 84,785 .. iio ., ;^50 10,276 11,852 12,608 2,824 37,560 „ ;^50 „ l^oo 8.334 8,652 6,972 1,988 25.946 ,. i^oo „ ;^300 5,423 3,639 2,062 1,171 12,295 „ ^£300 .... 980 357 248 192 1.777 Percentages of total Agricultural Holdings ■ in Provinces : Holdings not exceeding « £^5 6i-i6 62-84 69-33 86-11 — Over 5^15 „ £zo 16-92 17-75 18-47 8-57 — . .. £lo „ l5o 9'Oi 9-39 7-03 2-44 — .. ^50 „ ;^I00 7-30 6-86 3-89 1-71 — » ;^loo „ ;^300 4-75 2-88 I-I4 I-OI — „ ;^300 .... •86 -28 •14 •16 — 38 IRELAND AND THE ULSTER LEGEND TABLE II TOTAL RATEABLE VALUATION OF AGRICULTURAL HOLDINGS. INCOME TAX ASSESSMENT ON LAND, BUSINESS PREMISES, FACTORIES, DWELLINGS, SITES, ETC. THE VALUATION OF AGRICULTURAL HOLDINGS IN ULSTER PER HOLDING IS LESS THAN IN LEINSTER OR MUNSTER. THE INCOME TAX ASSESSMENT ON LAND AND ON ALL CLASSES OF PROPERTY IN ULSTER IS LESS PER HEAD OF TOTAL POPULA- TION THAN IN LEINSTER OR MUNSTER. The total amounts of rateable valuation and Income Tax Assessment, also the ratios per holding, per capita and family shown in Sections 6 and 7, should be read in conjunction with the figures in Sections 3 and 4 in Table 1. In connection with the Income Tax (Schedules A and B) Assessment shown in Section 8, it is of note that though Ulster had a population of 419,652 in excess of Leinster the Income Tax Assessment was only £346,944 higher. The assessment per head of Leinster is higher in a marked degree than that of Ulster, namely £5 Is. 4d. compared with £3 18s. lOd., but. County Donegal being so lowly assessed per capita, it may be considered unfair to include this County in Ulster to the detriment in assessment of the other Counties. If, then, Donegal be excluded from Ulster for this calcu- lation the rate would be increased to £4 2s. 8d. per head. Before passing from this section it might be noted that if Munster be treated in a similar way by excluding County Kerry the rate for Munster per head would thereby be increased to £4 7s. lid. IRELAND AND THE ULSTER LEGEND 39 Sections. Leinster. Munstcr. Ulster. Connaught. Ireland. 6 Total Rateable 1 Valuation of Agricultural Holdings Average Valua- tion per Holding [16 ;^2,7I2,689 [II I ^^21 9 9 ^-',930,236 ;^i, 280,078 ';(;io,o38,864 [19 I [98 [15 TO /16 6 9 ;^II 10 ;ri8 14 10 7 Income Tax Gross Assessment un- 1 der Schedules A ( i ) and B on Farm, and other Lands, 1 Farm Houses, etc. Per Head of ;^3,990,26o ;£3,45i,690 i;3,789,9:8 ;^i,693,045 ;^I2,924,933 Land popula- tion .... Per Family of Land popula- tion .... il 19 2 ii^ 15 2 i5 7 11 i^ " 5 £2% 2 I ;^20 8 4 il 5 Q ii<3 1 3 ;^5 3 9 i■2■^ 14 9 8 Income Tax Gross Assessment on 1 Land, Business Premises, Fac- tories, Sites, Dwellings, etc., under Schedules A and B, year 1910-1911^. Per capita of ^5.889,983 ;^4,220,79S ;{6,236,927 ^1,855.261 ;^i8,202,969 total population. ib I 4 A I 6 il 18 10 ;^3 9 £4 2 II ^ For a summary of the "Explanatory Memorandum " attached to the White Paper Returns by the Income Tax Authorities, see Appendix, page 94. The compiler applied to the Income Tax authorities, with- out result, for a summary of the Income Tax returns under Schedules D and E for the Provinces. After considerable delay, he was informed that they could not be furnished. 40 IRELAND AND THE ULSTER LEGEND TABLE in EMIGRATION STATISTICS FOR TWO PERIODS— 1851- 1913 AND 1909-1913. The emigration statistics show that Ulster lost through emigration in the five years 1909-1913, 74 more of her popula- tion than Leinster and Munster together lost, and 4,880 more than Leinster and Connaught together. Of the total emigrants from Ireland in the five years under review, 72-96 per cent, went to the United States and 16-71 to Canada. In seeking the emigration figures for 1913, the compiler found in the same Blue Book the emigration statistics from May 1, 1851, to the end of 1913. Though they did not come within the five years he was investigating, he was so surprised at the great number of emigrants from Ulster that he decided to include them. He has arranged a Table, for the two periods, which shows the number of emigrants from each county. It will be seen that Ulster lost of her population from May 1, 1851, to December 31, 1913, 488,727 more than Lein- ster ; and 504,991 more than Connaught. Munster lost 255,426 more than Ulster. County Cork showed the greatest number of emigrants, and Antrim was second in that respect. County Wicklow had the least num'oer of emigrants. County Dublin (including the City) had the lowest per- centage in Ireland of emigrants to population, viz., 29 per cent, for the period from 1851 to end of 1913 — as estimated by the Emigration Authorities on the basis of the different Census returns from 1851 to 1911 inclusive. County Down had the lowest percentage of any Ulster County, viz. 54-5. It is thus seen that the percentage for Dublin was 25 5 lower than that of the lowest of the Ulster counties. IRELAND AND THE ULSTER LEGEND 41 Six Counties in Ulster showed a higher percentage of emigrants to p(H)ulation than County Donegal. The two exceptions— Down and Armagh — showed a percentage of 12-9 and 1-2 respectively lower than County Donegal. The foregoing facts in connection with the emigration from Donegal completely expose the fallacy that to Donegal is attributable the high emigration from Ulster. One cannot help thinking, in view of the extraordinary emigration figures of Ulster, that if, in the past, it had not enjoyed the monopoly of the "Tenant Right" system of land tenure, the number of its emigrants would have^ exceeded those of Munster. Munster's emigration was mainly caused by famines and evictions — the latter being so frequent, as history indicates, that special machinery was devised to level the houses of evicted tenants to prevent re-entry. Sections. Leinster. Munster. Ulster. Con- naught. Ireland. 9 Emigration : Number of Emigrants in the 5 years 1909-1913 in- clusive 20,359 38,677 59,110 33,871 152,017 10 Emigrants from May I, 1 85 1, to December 31, 1913 .... The figures do not include 110,739, Coun- ty not specified, nor 50,234 persons not belonging to Ireland who embarked there since 1858. 737.743 1,481,896 1,226,470 721,479 4,167.588 Per cent, of popula- tion estimated on Census returns, 1851, '61, '71, '81, '91, 1901, '11 . 55-8 1 10-5 69-9 906 79 -9 42 IRELAND AND THE ULSTER LEGEND TABLE IV EMIGRATION TABLE SHOWING THE NUMBER OF EMIGRANTS FROM EACH COUNTY IN IRELAND FOR THE TWO PERIODS— 1851-1913, 1909-1913— AND THEIR PERCENTAGE TO THE POPULATION FOR THE PERIOD 1851-1913. THE PERCENTAGE IS ON THE ESTIMATED POPULATION BASED BY THE EMIGRATION AUTHOR- ITIES ON THE CENSUS RETURNS OF 1851-61-71-81-91- 1901 AND 1911. It should be noted that the figures for each County include all emigrants from the County Boroughs and other Urban Centres. Leinster Counties, etc. Dublin. Kilkenny Wexford Meath . Longford King's . Queen's . Westmeath Louth . Kildare Carlow . Wicklow • Total Munster. Cork . . Kerry . Tipperary . Limerick . Clare . Waterford . Emi- grants from 1851- 1913- 123,864 77,920 75.670 69,205 62,667 62,185 59,824 53.415 46,986 39.354 35>26o 31,393 737,743 Total 552.748 239,764 221,146 191.843 167,642 108,753 1,481,896 Per ; Emi- Cent. I grants, of ; 1909- Pop. 1851- I9I3- 29-0 74-3 58-9 75-2 1037 8i-5 78-7 69-3 58-6 503 72-9 42-4 55-^ II2-3 125-0 104-2 103-3 116-2 947 IIO-5 1913 inclu- sive. 4.783 1. 717 1,207 1.414 2,228 1.454 I,ci8 1,000 2,017 1.463 1,065 20,359 13,258 8,960 3.963 4.4^5 5.540 2.541 38,677 Per Emi- Ulster Counties, Emi- grants, Cent, of grants, 1909- etc. 1851- Pop. 1913 1913- 1851- inclu- 1913- sive. Antrim ^ 294,866 707 17,308 Dowr ^ . 160,922 54-5 ",435 TyTox.e 1 . 148,386 757 5,522 Donegal . 139,210 67-4 6,933 Cavan . 123,803 96-4 4,299 Londonderry^ 114,928 69-8 4.594 Armagh ^ . 105,778 66-2 4-737 Monaghan . 79.444 77-4 2,157 Fermanagh . 59,133 68-8 2,125 Total . 1,226,470 69-9 59.110 1 Counties claimed b y Unio nists. Connaught. Galway . 233.650 97.6 10,583 Mayo 201,474 86-5 12,176 Roscommon 115.550 88-4 5,722 Sligo . . 86,038 81-2 3.697 Leitrim . 84.767 96-6 3,693 Total 721,479 90-6 33,871 The percentages (with the exception of that for Ireland) shown in Tables III and IV, are those given in the Government Emigration Table for the years 1851-1913. See Appendix, page 93. IRELAND AND THE ULSTER LEGEND 43 The emigration figures from May 1, 1851, to December 31, 1913, do not include 110,739 emigrants for whom the author- ities were unable to assign a county, nor 50,234 who embarked in Ireland but belonged to other countries. Excluding the 50,234, the number of emigrants who left Ireland between the above-mentioned dates amounted to 4,278,327. This number showed 82 per cent, of the estimated population. Of the Ulster Counties claimed by the Unionist minority, Antrim lost by emigration more than any of 22 Counties outside Ulster; Down and Tyrone each lost more than any of 16 ; Londonderry more than 14, and Armagh more than any of 13. On comparing them with all the Irish Counties, it is found that 30 of the 32 Counties in Ireland lost less by emigration than Antrim, 23 lost less than Down, 22 less than Tyrone, 17 less than Londonderry, and 15 less than Armagh. TABLE V MONEYS PAID BY RATEPAYERS FOR AGRICULTURAL AND TECHNICAL INSTRUCTION. LEINSTER RAISED BY RATES £13 2s. 5d. PER 100 OF HER LAND POPULATION AND £8 13s. 2d. PER 100 OF HER TOTAL POPULA- TION FOR AGRICULTURAL AND TECHNICAL INSTRUCTION. ULSTER RAISED BY RATES £7 lis. 4d. PER 100 OP HER LAND POPULATION AND £6 15s. lid. PER 100 OF HER TOTAL POPULA- TION FOR AGRICULTURAL AND TECHNICAL INSTRUCTION. Of the moneys raised by rates for Agricultural and Technical Instruction as shown in Section 11, the population (828,774) of rural Ulster contributed £62,704 ; with a less rural population (501,459) Leinster contributed £65,786. Of the Urban District Councils' populations, that of Pem- broke (Co. Dublin) collected the highest rate, viz. £18 13s. 6d. per 100 of the population. The town of Tralee in County Kerry and Pembroke levied a rate of twopence in the £ for each 44 IRELAND AND THE ULSTER LEGEND o! the Ave financial years 1909-10-1913-14 under review. They were the only authorities in Ireland that collected that rate for the entire period. Sections. Leinster. Munster. Ulster. Con- naught. Ireland. II Agricultural and Tech- nical Instruction : Moneys paid by Rate- payers during the five years 1909-10-13-14 Per 100 of population. i;ioo,595 i^ 13 2 ;^67,468 £6 10 4 ;^I0,920 ^4 6 2 /i07,505 l(^ 15 II ;^30,242 £'\ 19 ;^305,8io £^ 19 4 12 Technical Instruction : Moneys paid by Rate- payers in Urban Dis- tricts (exclusive of Belfast and Dubhn) included in previous section Per 100 of population. ;^i6,775 £l 14 2 ;£ll.322 £5 i 9 ;^i,837 i^ 8 3 ;^40.854 15 11 9 The Rate contribution for Technical Instruction, per 100 of her population, by Belfast was £2 14s. 8d. in excess of that of Dublin. The Rate contribution by "Pembroke" (divided from Dublin only by the length of a Canal Bridge), for the same purpose, per 100 of her population, was £10 Os. 6d. in excess of that of Belfast. The County Borough contributions for Technical Instruction included in Section 11 were as follows, per 100 of then: respective populations : Belfast, £8 13s. ; Dublin, £5 IBs. 4d. ; London- derry, £5 15s. 3d. ; Cork £5 13s. 7d. ; and Cork, Limerick and Waterford together, £4 14s. 3d. The difficulty of comparing statistically the cities of Belfast and Dublin is made clear by the letter received by the com- piler from the Registrar- General for Ireland, Sir WilUam J. Thompson, a copy of which will be found on page 58. The Technical Rate contribution of Pembroke (mentioned above) and other places referred to in the letter, if credited to Dublin City, the contributions of that city per cent, of population would be very much increased. The compiler, however, deahng with figures extracted from Government pubUcations, has not felt himself at liberty to allocate them to any but the districts named in the Blue Books and White Papers. IRELAND AND THE ULSTER LEGEND 45 The compiler, desiring to know something of the opposi- tion to the extension of the boundaries of the city of DubUn has referred to the proceedings before the Joint Committee of the Lords and Commons in 1900. It appears that one of the opponents was the chief ground landlord of Pembroke, the Earl of Pembroke and Montgomery. The Earl and his agent gave evidence, the latter stated the valuation of the Earl's Pembroke Estate was £77,000 out of a total valuation of £106,000 for the Township ^ ; Trinity College also opposed the Extension Bill. The singular part of the opposition was its composition. The majority of the Committee were Unionists ^ ; "The Irish Times," which used its influence against the Bill, is the principal Unionist organ outside Ulster. Trinity College returns two Unionists to Parhament ; and as far as the compiler could trace, it was a case of Unionists versus Nationalists. The supporters of the Union of countries divided by the Irish Sea were opponents to the Union of a City and its suburbs connected by canal bridges. Extracts from the Committee's report and from an article in *' The Irish Times " on the report will be found in the Appendix. Vide "The Irish Times," 12th July, 1900. * Vide "Dod's Parliamentary Companion." 46 IRELAND AND THE ULSTER LEGEND TABLE VI UNIVERSITY SCHOLARSHIPS, EXHIBITIONS AND BURSARIES. MONEYS PAID BY TWENTY-SIX COUNTY COUNCILS AND THREE COUNTY BOROUGHS FOR UNIVERSITY SCHOLARSHIPS, ETC., UNDER THE IRISH UNIVERSITIES' ACT, 1908, AS SHOWN IN THE LOCAL TAXATION (IRELAND) RETURNS FOR THE FINANCIAL YEARS, APRIL 1, 1911, TO MARCH 31, 1914. (6 COUNTIES IN ULSTER AND 1 IN LEINSTER MADE NO PAYMENTS.) Leinster. Dublin, C.B. Wicklow Kildare King's . Queen's Louth . Wexford Westmeath Meath . Dublin . Carlow . Kilkenny Longford 776 656 609 560 523 462 416 409 367 300 266 Nil ;^7.o5i Munster. Tipperary Cork . Kerry . Limerick Clare . Waterford Waterford, C.B. . :^i,69i 1,588 840 603 439 200 172 Ulster. ;£5,533 Donegal . i\nbb Monaghan . Belfast, C.B. Tyrone Antrim Armagh . DowTi . Londonderry Cavan . Fernianagh 727 165 40 Nil Nil Nil NU Nil Nil i^fi^l C.B. denotes County Borough. Connaught. Roscommon ;^i,38o Galv/ay . 1,302 Sligo . . 977 Mayo . . 790 Leitrim . 230 ;^4.679 The first moneys shown in the returns were for the year ended March 31st, 1912. Tipperary has two County Councils ; one for the North, and one for the South, Riding. The amounts paid by each Province and by Ireland, as a whole, per 1,000 of population were : Leinster, £6 Is. 4d. ; Munster, £5 6s. lOd. ; Ulster, £1 14s. ; Connaught £7 13s. 2d, ; and by Ireland, £4 10s. lid. What these figures indicate will not surprise readers of history, who, unfortunately, are far from numerous in this IRELAND AND THE ULSTER LEGEND 47 country. To siudents of Irish history it is common knowledge that Europe benefited in the early centuries of our era from the erudition and educational labours of Irish professors and missionari«»s ; they know that Irish CathoUcs, under the intensely paralysing effects of the fearful penal enactments of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, when they were treated practically as slaves, showed such determination not to lose the ennobling effects of the educational work of their forefathers, that, at the risk of their hves, they gave sup- port to those actively engaged in the preservation of invaluable manuscripts and in the diffusion of education in the proscribed Irish language — until then the language of the majority of the people. 48 IRELAND AND THE ULSTER LEGEND TABLE VII STATISTICS OF TOTAL BIRTHS AND DEATHS; ILLE- GITIMATE BIRTHS; DEATHS OF INFANTS; DEATHS FROM TUBERCULOSIS. MONEYS PAID BY COUNTY COUNCILS FOR THE TREATMENT OP TUBERCULOSIS. Of the 6,952 illegitimate births in Ulster, the Anti-Irish- Rule portion of the Province was responsible for 5,588 — see Ulster Table. These figures mean that in Connaught there were 5,117, in Munster 2,876, and in Leinster 1,659 less illegitimate births during the period under review than in the Anti-Irish-Rule Counties of Ulster. Belfast accounted for 2,217 ; Antrim (22,314 births), 1,231 ; Down, 890 ; Londonderry, 757 ; and Armagh (13,426 births), 493. The Pro-Irish-Rule Counties had 1,364 to their debit. Tyrone, the County claimed by the Anti-Irish-Rule party, was at the top with 572 ; Donegal (18,794 births) had 315 ; Fermanagh 201 ; Monaghan 142, and Cavan 134. The ratio for Antrim of 55 "illegitimates" per 1,000 births was not, seemingly, an unusual one. A work by Mr. J. A. Fox, published in 1887, gives 58 as the rate for the year 1885. In the same year the rate for Connaught is given as 9 per 1,000. A couple of Ulster Counties compared with Connaught give cause for serious reflection. In Armagh the lowest number of illegitimate births in Anti-Irish-Rule Ulster was recorded, yet with 54,032 less births in that County, there were 22 more illegitimate births than in the entire Province of Connaught. Antrim with 45,144 less births than Connaught had 760 more illegitimate births. Belfast and Antrim had 736 more illegitimate births than had the Province of Munster. IRELAND AND THE ULSTER LEGEND 49 Sections. Leinster. Munster. Ulster. Con- naught. Ireland. 13 Births : Total Births for the five years, 1909-13 .... 136,354 117.124 186,673 67.458 507,609 14 Illegitimate Births : Total five years, 1909- 13 Per Cent, of total Births 3.929 2-88 2,712 2-32 6,952 372 471 0-70 14,064 2-77 15 Deaths : Total 1 909-1 3 106,565 81,949 136,928 43.781 369,223 16 Deaths of Infants under 1 Total 1909-13 Per Cent, of Births . 15.377 11-28 10,037 8-57 17,712 9-49 3.930 47.056 5-^i 9-27 17 Tuberculosis : Deaths in 1913 .... 2,932 2,195 3.347 913 9.387 18 Moneys paid by County Councils for Treatment of Tuberculosis, 19 1 3- 1 4 Per 1,000 of population ;^2,720 Iz 6 10 1 ;£5.039 ;^2,266 ;^4 17 4.;^! 8 8 ;^i,465 ;^ii,490 ii 8 : ^2 12 4 Leinster had the highest death-rate for infants under one year, owing, in a great measure, no doubt, to the deplorable congestion of the housing conditions within the confined hmits of the City of Dublin. Compared with the Province of Ulster her excess per 1,000 births was nearly 18, and not quite 6, as against the Anti-Irish-Rule postion of Ulster. Connaught holds the best record ; her loss per 1,000 births was between 36 and 37 less than that of Ulster. Compared with North-East Ulster, Connaught' s loss was between 48 and 49 less per 1,000 bu^ths. Munster was second to Connaught, and showed a loss of 21 less than North-East Ulster. Tuberculosis has been dealt with only for the year 1913, as 1913-14 was the first year moneys paid by County Councils, etc., for its treatment were recorded separately in the Local Taxation returns. Connaught shows the lowest percentage of deaths. Munster' s contribution for the treatment of this fell disease is worthy of remark. She paid per 1,000 of her population over three times the rate paid by Ulster, and nearly six times the rate of North-East Ulster. 50 IRELAND AND THE ULSTER LEGEND TABLE VIII STATISTICS OF RELIGIOUS DENOMINATIONS IN IRELAND. 316 DIFFERENT RELIGIOUS DENOMINATIONS IN IRELAND IN 1911. In the 1911 Census returns there were recorded 316 different religious denominations in Ireland. The term non-Catholic includes all creeds other than Catholics. The figures in connection with Clergymen are quite the reverse of what the compiler was led to expect ; in and out of season he had been accustomed to hear when any discussion arose about Ireland that the Catholic clergymen overran the country, and that, as there were so many of them with so little to do and each of them with so few persons to look after spiritually, to fill up their time they made a pastime of pohtics. He has, as a matter of fact, found quite the opposite, as the figures below from the 1911 Census returns show that the Episcopalians, in proportion to their numbers, had two and a quarter times and the Methodists three times more clergymen than had the Catholics. In other words, a Catholic clergyman had, on an average, 460 more persons to look after than had an Episcopalian clergyman, and 570 more than a Methodist clergyman, and 166 more than a Presbyterian clergyman. SECTION 19.— RATIO OF CLERGYMEN TO MEMBERS OF RELIGIOUS DENOMINATIONS. 20.— CATHOLIC AND NON-CATHOLIC POPULATIONS. 21.— CATHOLIC AND NON-CATHOLIC CLERGYMEN. 22.— CATHOLIC AND NON-CATHOLIC UNPAID MAGIS- TRATES. Per Cent. 19 Denominations. Members. of Popu- Clergy- Ratio to lation. men. Members. i Catholics . 3,242,670 73-86 3.924 I to 826 Episcopalians 576,611 13-I3 1.575 I to 366 ' Methodists 62,382 1-42 244 I to 256 Presbyterians 440.525 10-04 667 I to 660 All Others . . . 68,031 1-55 171 I to 398 IRELAND AND THE ULSTER LEGEND 51 TABLE VIII — continued Sections. Leinster. Munster. Ulster. Con- naught. Ireland. 20 Catholic population Per Cent, of total do. . 990,045 85-2 973.805 94-0 690,816 43-7 588,004 96-2 3,242,670 73-9 Non-Catholic population Per Cent, of total do. . 171,999 14-8 6i,6go 6-0 890,880 56-3 22,980 3-8 1. 147. 549 26-1 21 Clergymen ; Catholic Clergymen . Per 10,000 Catholics — — — — 3.924 I2-IO Non-Catholic Clergymen Per 10,000 non-Catho- lics — — — — 2,657 23-15 22 Magistrates — unpaid (at the end of 1913) : Catholic Magistrates Per 10,000 Catholics 773 7-88 727 7-47 775 11-22 328 5-58 2,603 8-03 Non-Catholic Magis- trates Per 10,000 non-Catho- lics 1,108 64-42 769 124-66 1.546 17-35 338 147-08 3.761 32-77 The great disparity shown between the appointments of Catholic and non-Catholic Magistrates should claim the atten- tion of the reader. 52 IRELAND AND THE ULSTER LEGEND STATISTICS OF ILLITERACY. ULSTER HAD A HIGHER PERCENTAGE THAN LEINSTER OR MUNSTER OF PERSONS WHO COULD -NEITHER READ NOR WRITE " BETWEEN THE AGES OF 9 AND 21 AND 9 AND 40 ; AND ALSO HIGHER THAN THE AVERAGE OF ALL IRELAND. The compiler has analysed the 1911 Census of persons who could " neither read nor write." For the purpose oi compari- son he has arranged them in groups of different ages, as follows : — (a) Persons of 9 years of age and of " all ages " over 9. " All ages " is the term applied below to this group. (b) Persons between the ages of 9 and 21. (c) Persons between the ages of 9 and 40. (d) Persons between the ages of 21 and 40. (e) Persons of 40 years of age and upwards. Groups (b) and (c) include all persons of 9, but not those of 21 and 40« years of age, respectively. Group (d) includes all persons of 21, but not those of 40, years of age. Persons of " all ages " in Ulster (excluding County Donegal), who could " Neither Read nor Write," numbered 84,225. County Dublin had a lower percentage of "ilhterates" than the lowest percentage of any Ulster County in the " all ages " group. The highest percentage of 9 Leinster Counties in the " all ages " group was lower than the lowest of 7 Ulster Counties. The highest percentage shown by any of the 12 Leinster Counties was lower than the lowest of 3 Ulster Counties. The percentage of each of the Counties of Clare, Limerick and Tipperai'y in the '* all ages " group of illiterates was lower than the lowest of 7 Ulster Counties. The percentage of Leitrim, in Con- naught, was also lower than the lowest of 7 Ulster Counties. IRELAND AND THE ULSTER LEGEND 53 To make it perfectly clear and free from any misconcep- tion, the results will be put in another form. Ulster had only 2 Counties with a lower percentage of "illiterates" than that of Leitrim. Seven Counties in Ulster had each of them a higher percentage of illiterates than the highest percentage of any one of 9 Counties in Leinster, and of 3 Counties in Munster. Ulster outdistanced by Munster and Connaught counties in their strides to gain the advantages of the first elements of elementary education. County Kerry in the 9-40 age group better than 7 Ulster counties. County Sligo in the 9-21 age group better than 6 Ulster counties. The percentages of illiterates between the ages of 9 and 21 and 9 and 40 in each of 8 Ulster Counties were greater than the percentages of each of the Munster Counties of Clare, Cork, Limerick and Tipperary ; and those of each of 7 Ulster Counties were greater than those of the County of Kerry. In the case of Connaught, in the 9-21 group, 7 Ulster Counties had each a higher percentage than that of Leitrim or Roscommon and, in the 9-40 group, 8 Ulster Counties had a higher percentage than either Leitrim or Roscommon. Six Ulster Counties in the 9-21 group and 7 in the 9-40 group had higher percentages than those of Sligo County in the same groups. The 23 counties outside Ulster showed, in 1911, lower average percentages of illiterates in the 9-21 and 9-40 age groups than the averages of Armagh, Down, Londonderry and Tyrone counties. Though " too old at forty " belongs to the fallacies of the past, in connection with the first elements of elementary educa- tion the percentages of ilhterates between the ages of 9 and 54 IRELAND AND THE ULSTER LEGEND 21 and 9 and 40 are oi greater interest as affecting the future of Ireland. With this point in view, a Table has been compiled of comparative iUiteracy between groups of Ulster Counties (except Donegal) and Counties in the other Pro- vinces. It upsets the theory of the oft-told tale that if Ulster had not the handicap of County Donegal, its relative sta- tistics would eclipse those of the other Provinces. The exclusion of County Donegal does not mean that it had exceptionally high percentages in the 9-21 and 9-40 age groups. Its percentage for the 9-21 was 2-41 and for the 9-40 group 3 87 per cent, higher than the percentages of Armagh, Londonderry and Tyrone together. The compari- son does not seem unfavourable in view of the inacces- sibility of schools in some of the wild and mountainous parts of Donegal. The Uhteracy Table will be found worthy of more than passing notice. In it will be seen that the Ulster Counties of Antrim, Armagh, Down and Londonderry, with the City of Belfast, had higher percentages of persons, between the ages of 9 and 21 and 9 and 40, who could " neither read nor write " at the date of the 1911 Census than had the Counties of Leitrim and Roscommon in the Province of Connaught. In the 9-21 age stage, a group of 3 of the 5 Connaught Counties had a percentage just '01 lower than that of the above-named Ulster Counties. When it is remembered that this is the group of Ulster Counties of which so much propaganda has been spread broadcast in England to the detriment of the other Provinces, one is not prepared to find the educational conditions shown by the Census. It is difficult, after having had dinned into one's ears for years that Ulster set the whole country an example in educational progress, to credit the figures when first seen that show the reverse. It is not easy to understand why the other Provinces have allowed these statements to pass unchal- lenged. In the 1911 Census returns it is plain for every one to see that the average percentages of illiterates between 9 and 21 IRELAND AND THE ULSTER LEGEND 55 and 9 and 40 in all the Counties outside Ulster — 23 — were lower than the average percentages of the Ulster Counties of Armagh, Down, Londonderry and Tyrone. The 23 include such Counties as Mayo, Galway, Kerry and Cork where, in many parts of them, schools are at great distances from the homes of the pupils. The 1911 Census returns also show that the average per- centage of illiterates (between the ages of 9 and 21) of the total number of persons T)etween 9 and 21 in the following Counties— all outside Ulster— Carlow, Clare, Cork, Dublin, Kerry, Kildare, Kilkenny, Leitrim, Limerick, Meath, Queen's, Tipperary, Roscommon and V/estmeath, was lower than the percentage of ilHterates on precisely the same basis in the Counties of Antrim and Down, including the County Borough of Belfast. TABLE IX COMPARISON BY PROVINCES OF ILLITERATES IN DIFFERENT AGE GROUPS. The following Comparative Numbers and Percentages of lUiterates in the Provinces are instructive. The Percentages have been calculated on the population of the different Age Groups shown in the 1911 Census. Age Groups. Lein- Per ster. Cent. Mun- Per x,, ,^^ Per „ ^ Ulster. ^ ster. Cent. ■ Cent. • Con- Per naught. Cent. Between 9 and 21 ,, 21 and 40 40 years and over 5.317 12,824 47.671 2-o6 3-65 I3"55 3.874 9,762 63,481 1-59 7.638 3-39 19,600 20-0I 85,333 2-o8 4-55 17-26 4,280 9,004 62,533 2-8l 628 30-85 Total Illiterates. 65,812 77,117 112,571 75,817 56 IRELAND AND THE ULSTER LEGEND TABLE X ILLITERACY TABLE SHOWING THE TOTAL NUMBEE OF PERSONS BETWEEN THE AGES OF 9 AND 21 AND 9 AND 40, AND THE NUMBER OF ILLITERATES AND THEIR PERCENTAGE OF THE POPULATION IN DIFFERENT GROUPS OF COUNTIES (COUNTY BOROUGHS— EXCEPT BELFAST— NOT INCLUDED). Ulster Counties (exclusive of Co. Donegal). Between | Between 19 and 219 and 40 Years of Age. Years of Age. Antrim, Armagh and^ ' Down : ■ i Total Persons . 121,063 ' 258,134 ,, Illiterates. Percentage . Antrim, Armagh, Belfast, Down and London- derry : Total Persons . Illiterates. Percentage . Antrim, Armagh, Belfast, Down, Londonderry • and Tyrone : Total Persons . ,, Illiterates. Percentage . Cavan and Mona- ghan : Total Persons Illiterates. Percentage . Cavan, Fermanagh and Monaghan Total Persons . Illiterates. Percentage . Armagh, London- derry and Tyrone ; Total Persons . ,, Illiterates. Percentage . 1,833 151 237,144 3.743 1 58 268,447 4.5" 1-68 7,028 272 520,410 12,989 2-50 588,727 16,152 2-74 Munster, Leinster and Connaught Counties. I Between I9 and 21 i Years I of Age. Between 9 and 40 Years of Age. Cork and Tipper- ary : Total Persons * Illiterates Percentage . Dublin, Kilkenny and Meath : Total Persons . Illiterates. Percentage . 108,419 1.377 1-27 Clare, Cork, Kerry, Limerick and Tipperary : Total Persons . Illiterates Percentage . 68,575 891 1-30 197,478 2,645 1-34 241,416 4.794 1-99 164.535 2,994 1-82 424,697 9,352 2-20 35,804 686 1-92 49,150 981 2 00 77,168 2,512 3-26 106,313 3.603 3-39 82,120 1,972 2-40 174,802 7.583 4-34 Leitrim and Ros- common : Total Persons . Illiterates . Percentage . Leitrim, Roscom- mon and Sligo Total Persons . Illiterates. Percentage . Leitrim, Mayo, Ros- common and Sligo : Total Persons . ,, Illiterates. Percentage . 205,871 7,602 8-69 IRELAND AND THE ULSTER LEGEND 57 ILLITERACY IN BELFAST COMPARED WITH THAT OF COUNTIES IN LEINSTER, MUNSTER AND CONNAUGHT. An analysis of the 1911 Census returns of illiterates between the ages of 9 and 21 shows that the percentage of 1-52 of illiterates, between these ages, in Belfast was higher than that of each of the 13 Counties (all outside Ulster) named below. Cork, Kilkenny and Queen's Counties showed each a per- centage not above 1-23 ; Clare, Dublin, Limerick and Tipperary showed each a percentage not above 1-36 ; Carlow, Kildare, Leitrim, Meath and Roscommon each not above 1*42. West- meath, the 13th County, showed a percentage of 1-51. County Kerry was only 01 higher than that of Belfast. The analysis shows also that the average percentage of illiterates, between the same ages, in 20 of the 23 Counties outside Ulster was lower than that of Belfast. TABLE XI DAILY ABSENTEE PUPILS FROM THE NATIONAL PUBLIC ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS IN IRELAND. The figures for four years have been taken from the Educa- tion Reports, but as the 80th Report has not been published, the figures for the fifth year have been received direct from the Irish Education Office. The Table gives 1909-13. the average daily for the five years- The daily average of absentee pupils from the PubUc Ele- mentary Schools in Ulster compared with other Provinces is worthy of note. . Leinster. Munster. Ulster. Con- naught. Ireland. Daily Average of Absentee Pupils from School, 1 909- 13 40,961-4 47.II3-4 72,752-8 38.289-4 199.117 58 IRELAND AND THE ULSTER LEGEND The letter from the Registrar-General alluded to on page 44 — a copy of which will be seen below — shows the impossi- biUty of comparing statistically the County Boroughs of Belfast and Dublin. The boundaries of Belfast, unlike those of Dublin, have within them the residential districts of the leading and wealthi- est citizens. The area of the County Borough of DubUn is only shghtly over half that of Belfast. The Belfast authorities had no difficulty in obtaining Parha- mentary sanction to extend the boundaries of the Borough. The Dublin authorities, on the contrary, after incurring very great expenditure in promoting a Bill to extend the limits' of the County Borough, were refused permission by Parliament to include the residential districts of Rathmines and Rathgar and Pembroke. See Appendix, p. 92. General Register Office, Charlemont House, Dublin, 1st October, 1919. Sir, — In reply to your letter of the 23rd ultimo, I beg to say that the Dublin Registration Area consists of the County Borough of Dublin and Urband Districts of Rathmines and Rathgar, Pem- broke, Blackrock and Kingstown. It is not an administrative unit, but an area adopted by the Registrar-General for Ireland, with the object of presenting a more accurate view of the vital statistics of the town population of Dublin than if the facts for the County Borough alone were employed. In order to afford comparison with urban centres like Belfast County Borough, therefore, figures for the Registration Area should be used in preference to those for the Dublin County Borough. It will be noted that the area of Belfast County Borough is 14,937 acres, of Dublin County Borough 7,911 acres, and of Dublin Registration Area 13,743. I am, Sir, W. A. McKnight, Esq., Your obedient Servant, 14-16 Inverness Terrace, William J. Thompson, London, W.2. Registrar-General. IRELAND AND THE ULSTER LEGEND 59 TABLE XII PUBLIC ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS. THE REPORT OF THE COMMISSIONERS FOR NATIONAL EDU- CATION FOR THE YEAR 1912 ^ SHOWS THAT OF THE PUPILS ON THE SCHOOL ROLLS OF THE PUBLIC ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS THROUGHOUT IRELAND, 92 in every 1,000 Pupils were above the Fifth Standard. 1 „ 17 „ in the Sixth Standard. 1 „ 38 „ „ Seventh „ 1 „ 146 „ „ Eighth „ THE BELFAST SCHOOL ATTENDANCE COMMITTEE'S RETURNS SHOW THAT IN BELFAST, IN MAY, 1919,^ THERE WERE 64,132 PUPILS ON THE ROLLS OF 286 BELFAST SCHOOLS. THE RETURNS ALSO SHOW THAT THE RATIOS OF PUPILS TO STANDARDS WERE AS FOLLOWS :— 33 in every 1,000 Pupils in the 286 Schools were above the Fifth Standard. 1 „ 39 Pupils in the Sixth Standard. 1 „ 156 „ „ Seventh „ 1 „ 1,002 „ „ Eighth „ TABLE Xin HALF-TIME PUPILS. BELFAST AND OLDHAM COMPARED. A REPORT TO THE EDUCATION COMMISSIONERS IN 1914 BY A BELFAST SCHOOL INSPECTOR REGARDING 329 HALF-TIME PUPILS (OVER 12 YEARS OLD) IN A BELFAST SCHOOL STATES, INTER ALIA, THAT THERE WERE :— 59 half-time Pupils in the First Standard. 102 „ „ „ Second „ 113 „ „ „ Third 33 „ „ „ Fourth „ 22 „ „ „ Fifth 329 ^ This is the last report published respecting Standards. " No statistics procurable before those of May, 191 9. 6o IRELAND AND THE ULSTER LEGEND A REPORT PUBLISHED BY THE EDUCATION COMMITTEE OP THE LANCASHIRE INDUSTRIAL TOWN OF OLDHAM SHOWS THAT ON THE 31ST OF JANUARY, 1914, THERE WERE 1,267 HALF-TIME PUPILS IN THE SCHOOL^ IN THAT TOWN, AND THE NUMBER OP HALF-TIME PUPILS IN EACH STANDARD WAS AS FOLLOWS :— No Pupils in the First Standard. 1 Pupil in the Second Standard. 34 Pupils , , Third 122 „ , , Fourth 363 „ , Fifth 575 „ , , Sixth 171 „ , Seventh 1 Pupil , , Ex-Seventh In May, 1919, there were in the Belfast Schools 1,613 Half-time Pupils. The following extracts from letters re- ceived from the Secretary to the Belfast School Attendance Committee in reference to the above-mentioned " Half-Timers " indicate no improvement by half-time pupils since 1914. " Half-timers are generally in low Standards ; the majority not above Third." — November 13, 1919. " You may take it there is an abnormal number in low classes — probably 50 per cent, not above Second." — December 15, 1919. The compiler, to enable him to compare the educational progress of the " half-time" pupils of Belfast with that of the " half-time " pupils of other industrial centres (half-time pupils in any centre in Ireland outside Belfast are very few), had to seek statistics in England. He communi- cated with the Educational Authorities of London, Birmingham, Manches- ter, Salford, Leeds, Oldham, etc. The figures relating to Oldham, given in Table XIH, are the only ones he has been able to procure. He learned from the other authorities that there arc no " half-timers " in their schools. In Ireland and England " half-time " pupils must be over 12 years of age. IRELAND AND THE ULSTER LEGEND 6i TABLE XIV PERCENTAGES OF PERSONS "ABLE TO READ AND WRITE" AND WHO "SIGNED IN WRITING" THE MARRIAGE REGISTERS. ULSTER HAD A LESS PERCENTAGE OF PERSONS " ABLE TO READ AND WRITE." AND OF PERSONS WHO "SIGNED IN WRITING" THE MARRIAGE REGISTERS, THAN LEINSTER OR MUNSTER. Sections. Lein- ster. Mun- ster. Ulster. Con- naught. Ireland. Percentage of Persons nine years of age and over ' ' Able to Read and Write" as per 191 1 Census 90-5 88-8 87-0 93-18 81-6 90-74 87-6 Marriage Registers : Yearly Average Percentage of men who "Signed in Writing," 1909-13 94-98 95-22 93-88 Yearly Average Percentage of women who " Signed in Writ- ing " during the same Period 96-50 96-98 94-92 94-84 95-8o The percentages of persons 9 years o£ age and over have been taken from 1911 Census Percentage Tables. The percentages from the Marriage Registers are the averages of the five years 1909-1913 furnished by the Returns of the Registrar- General for Marriages, etc. In reference to the latter, the Registrar-General in his Returns observes : — " The proportion of persons who signed their names in writing, as compared with those who signed by ' Mark ' in the Marriage Registers and Certificates, affords an interesting indicatioh of the degree of elementary education of the persons, ..." 62 IRELAND AND THE ULSTER LEGEND On comparing the percentages of Connaught women with that of Ulster men, who signed the Marriage Registers " in writing," one sees that the former exceed the latter by 1-66 per cent. In the case of Ulster and Connaught women, the percentage was in favour of Ulster women by 08 per cent. It should, however, be noted that in the last year of average — 1913 — the percentage of Connaught women who signed the Marriage Registers " in writing " exceeds that of Ulster men by 24 and of Ulster women by -1 per cent. The 1911 Census Returns of persons, in the 32 Counties in Ireland, who were " Able to Read and Write " show that County Dublin heads the list with the highest percentage. Dublin was followed by Kildare, Tipperary, Limerick and Queen's Counties. Antrim and Kilkenny, being eaual, *' tied " for the 6th place. Of the other 8 Ulster Counties, Down stood 11th in the list, Cavan 18th, Fermanagh 23rd, London- derry 25th, Monaghan 26th ; Armagh and Tyrone, being equal, " tied " for the 28th place ; Donegal was 32nd. Of the County Boroughs, Belfast was first, followed by Dublin, Cork, Limerick. Londonderry and Waterford. IRELAND AND THE ULSTER LEGEND 63 BELFAST SCHOOL ACCOMMODATION. As the question of the School Accommodation in Belfast is not a new one, it may be due to the Belfast School Inspectors that they should receive credit for their untiring efforts to move the Belfast Authorities to provide proper Schools and Class-rooms for Belfast Children. Extracts from their reports dating from 1906 to 1913-14 School Year are given below : — In his Report to the Commissioners of National Education in Ireland in 1906, Mr. P. J. Kelly observed : — " It is a curious fact that a prosperous and progressive city such as Belfast . . . should, nevertheless, be the most backward of the British Isles in the matter of School Accommodation. I venture to say that the poorest counties in Ireland are better off in this respect than a city which rightly prides itself on its wealth and enterprise and progress." In a Report made by Mr. E. P. Dewar, M.A., for the year 1906-1907, it was stated :— " For some years past school building has practically been at a standstill in Belfast. . . . The churches which in other places are the leaders in educational movements and which in former times were so in Belfast, have somehow stepped down from their position, and taken a less prominent part in the school life of the city." " For some reason schools have not been built, and the poor of the city were the first to feel the loss. The classes who were least able to help themselves were forced to stand by and see their children deprived of the chance of receiving an education." 4e Hs ;ie >|i 49 " Turning over my notes at random, I shall give the dimen- sions of a few of these rooms and the number of pupils found in them when I visited ; also the number of pupils which could be accommodated in each, allowing 9 feet square for each pupil. Class- Dimensions Number room. in feet. Present. I 15 X 9I X 12 48 2 15 X gl X 12 31 3 I3I X II X 9 52 4 I2|: X 7| X 13I 30 5 I2f X 7-I X I3I 38 6 iii X 7 X 17 31 64 IRELAND AND THE ULSTER LEGEND Number which could be accom- modated at 9 ft. 15 15 17 II II 9 " It is clear that these rooms were so congested as to prohibit the free movements of the bodies of the pupils, but when I add that the rooms were inadequately lighted and heated, it will be further evident that the brains of the scholars must have been as inert as their bodies," " In one school, I found 40 pupils and a teacher in a room 12 ft. 10 in. by 7 ft. 5 in. ; in another there were 44 pupils and a teacher in an apartment 11 ft. by 9 ft. ; 66 infants and a teacher in a room 15 ft. by 9I ft. " The Black Hole of Calcutta is the only instance of greater overcrowding that occurs to me." ** The Schools under B.C. management are, in the main, good and suitable buildings, erected in recent years at much expense to the locahties, and I desire to say that the foregoing remarks do not refer at all to those Schools. The Methodists, too, have done well, and they are almost entitled to exemp- tion from these observations. There are some good buildings under the E.G. and Presbyterian management, but in the main as regards these schools, it is, I think, clear that the present system of providing school accommodation in Belfast has hopelessly broken down, and I would say it is more particularly so in the case of schools under lay management." R.C. = Roman Cathohc. E.C. = Episcopalian. IRELAND AND THE ULSTER LEGEND 65 Excerpts from the General Report of the Senior Inspector, Mr. P. J. Kelly (No. 1 Circuit), for the School Year 1909-10. " Mr. Keith reports : — " Serious cases of overcrowding continue to occur. One city school supplies space for 291 children. At one visit I found 386 present. In one of the rooms with accommodation for 47, 102 infants spent their school days. At another school where there is accommodation for 232, 324 children were in attendance ; while y^ pupils were taught in a room for 44, and 116 in a room for 47. Part of the time about 50 of the 116 referred to were taught in a tiled unheated passage, and this occurred on a snowy day in winter.' " In another school 103 children were given conversational lessons in a room 16 by 15, acconnuodating 24. In this room 49 babies spent their school day. At a girls' school accommo- dating 20S, 403 were enrolled and I found 311 present. ..." " At another Infants' School an unheated room 10 by 10 is used as a class-room. Here the children have to endure one of two evils in winter, either to perish with cold if the door is kept open, or inhale vitiated air if it is shut. There were 197 children in attendance at another school which suppMes space for 100." " In the case of two schools referred to by Mr. Keith matters were still worse when I visited them. On visiting a school in September last, I found 37 pupils (boys and girls) under instruc- tion in a small yard. Sixteen boys were sitting on the tiled floor of the yard, and two others were standing with their backs to the door of one of the out-offices. The teacher thought this preferable to crowding the children into a class-room which is no better than a den." " On visiting another school, I opened a door of a class-room, when I was met by an atmosphere of appalling foulness. There were 75 in a ro n, though it could only accommodate 33." " I append some cases of overcrowded class-rooms that came under my own notice : — (The Senior Inspector cites in detail 43 class-rooms ; bui space will not permit giving in detail more than 10. The total E 66 IRELAND AND THE ULSTER LEGEND number of pupils proxiclcd for was 1,196, the number present wab 2,960 — an excess of 1,764. — Compiler's note.) Class- Accom- 1 Class- Accom- rooms. modation. Present. . rooms modation. Present I 18 53 6 50 145 2 34 130 7 23 43 3 50 115 8 17 52 4 6 33 , 9 29 74 5 47 151 i 10 21 42 155 482 I 140 356 " Citizens interested in school matters would do well to visit old Springfield school, and see for themselves a sample of the school houses which have gained for Belfast an unenviable notoriety." Excerpts from the General Report of the Senior Inspector, Mr. E. P. Bewar, M.A. (No. 2 Circuit), for the School Year, 1910-11. " The provision made for the education of children in Bally- macarrett is exceedingly scant and inadequate. The schools are too few, and many of them are overcrowded so that children are repeatedly refused admission to them and are forced to grow up in idleness, and destitute of the merest elements of learning." " This deficiency is of long standing, and is growing with the growth of Ball3'macarrett ; and, in the meantime, one sees no prospect of any remedy. Matters have been allowed to drift for such a long time that the sight of children loitering in the streets during school hours excites no surprise, or the oft-told tale of failure? to find room in any school no sjinpathy or regret." " There is something amiss with a place which abounds in industrial works and maintains a teeming population, but is unwilling or reluctant to provide the means of giving every child within its bounds the opportunity of learning to read or write. In an age when knowledge is essential, and should be widespread it is pitiful to find children deprived of the right to attend school and debarred from receiving what a school is able to give." IRELAND AND THE ULSTER LEGEND 67 " If schools were provided for the surpkis of all Ballymacarrett schools at least ten more would be required, each capable of accommodating 230 children." Excerpts from the General Report of the Senior Inspector, Mr. P. J. Kelly (No. 2 Circuit), for the School Year, 1911-12. " Early in 191 1 the Commissioners called for a full report from the Belfast Inspectors of cases of overcrowding in the city schools. If the information then obtained by my colleagues and myself were to be embodied in this report it would make dreary and disheartening reading." " It is a pity that a city in many respects so progressive, with ' pride in its port and defiance in its eye,' should have to look calmly on while its children arc either cooped up in ill-ventilated class-rooms or left to face the perils of the street. It cannot be that all the criticism suggested by this topic has been wasted." " There is a great deal of indifference to, or want of know- ledge of, the conditions under which teachers and children work in a large number of city schools." " I do not think it is an exaggeration to say that there are on an average at least 17,000 children of school-going age who are absent each day. This is an appalling fact, and should make Belfast open its eyes." Excerpts from the General Report of the Senior Inspector, Mr. J. Chambers, M.A. (No. 1 Circuit), for the School Year, 1913-14. " Many of the schools are greatly overcrowded, but this over- crowding does not give a true representation of the number of children for whom additional accommodation is required, as owing to recent regulations children arc refused admission to schools in which there is no space available for them, with the result that many of them never enter any school." " In the following list of 15 schools . . . overcrowding, often of a serious nature, exists." 68 IRELAND AND THE ULSTER LEGEND (The figures summarized are as follows — compiler's note.) Accommodation Needed Actual Accommodation Excess 15 Schools— 3,005 2,369 636 " If I were to make out a list of schools in which the terms of Rule 185 are not strictly observed, it would include treble the number in the above list. About 50 per cent, of the city schools have no playgrounds ; 20 per cent, have playgrounds of moderate dimensions ; and 30 per cent, are suitably supplied." " There are a great many half-time pupils in the Circuit, but the education children receive while so employed is of little value. The time for the abolition of the half-time system has, in my opinion, arrived." " The attendance, as a whole, continues much the same as in previous years, and cannot be considered satisfactory. Many children only make the attendances required to escape prosecu- tion. . . . The majority of the children leave school and ' go to work ' as early as the law permits," Miss M. R. Kelly, M.A. ("Woman Inspector on Special Duty"), writes :— " In poor areas, where a hand-to-mouth existence prevails, children come to school only when they must and leave when they can. Many never reach Standard IV, and few get beyond it before the mills claim them for half-time. In these industrial districts, too, the girls are often kept at home day after day for duties which the mothers, being out at work, are unable to per- form. ... On the other hand, and for the same reason, the infants are sent to school often at a very early age when the advantage to school and child is doubtful." " , . . In schools which touch the social low-water mark, the pupils naturally appear degen- erate, and girls attending on the ' half-time ' system have a drawn, withered look." " In the Convent schools, and in schools situated in well-to-do locaUties, one finds a fair number enrolled in Standards VI and VII ; in the working-class districts children rarely get beyond Standard V." IRELAND AND THE ULSTER LEGEND 69 Excerpts from the General Report 0! the Senior Inspector, Mr. P. J. Kelly (No. 2 Circuit), for the School Year 1913-14. " Since I came to Belfast 13 years ago, I have been referring in all my general reports to the inadequate and often unsatis- factory accommodation which many of the city schools afford. I have charge of 'i'j city schools on the Antrim side of the Lagan, and 72 on the County Down side. It is among the 72 referred to that the overcrowding is most marked. ... It is of interest to note that the average on the rolls in Belfast for 1912 was less than the average for 1905 by 1,369, whereas in Dublin the average for 1912 was 1,661 greater than the corresponding average for 1905." "... Another school has accommodation for 70, but 104 were present. I found 43 pupils in a room 12 ft. 11 in. by 11 ft. 9 in. This room has a sloping corrugated iron roof, one end of which is only a few feet from the floor. I make bold to say that a County Down farmer would not think it too good for a foul house." " In the city schools children come to school at an early age. It is certain, however, that there are many children whose" early education has been grossly neglected. I have noted a case where a number of boys were admitted who were too old to be enrolled as infants, but were unfit for First Standard." " The half-time pupils in one school were classified by Stan- dards as follows : Standard I, 59 ; II, 102 ; III, 113 ; IV, 33 ; V, 22 =- 329. " All these pupils must have been over 12 yQ^rs of age, and as nearly 50 per cent, of them were enrolled in Standards I and II, it is clear that their attendance at school must have been irregular in the extreme. The teacher informed me that 19 of those enrolled in Standard I had to be taught with the infants. ..." 70 IRELAND AND THE ULSTER LEGEND TABLE XV STATISTICS OF "HABITUAL CRIMINALS AT LARGE'' AND HOUSES CLASSIFIED BY THE POLICE AS RESORTS OF HABITUAL CRIMINALS. Sections. Lein- ster. ^i"^- 1 Ulster, ster. Con- naught. Ireland. " Habitual Criminals at Large " enumerated by the Police in April of each year : Yearly average for the five years, 1908-1912 80 68-6 566-4 12-2 727-2 Ratio per 100,000 population . 6-88 6-62 35-81 2-00 16-56 " Habitual Criminals at Large " : Yearly average, five years, 1909-1913 76-8 63 461-6 12-8 614-2 Houses classified by the Police as Resorts of Habitual Crimi- nals : Yearly average, five years, 1908-1912 .... 7-4 9-8 i 164-8 j — 182 Ratio per 100,000 population . 0-64 0-95 10-42 1 — 4-15 The compiler when dealing with the statistics of " habitual criminals at large " in Ulster was confronted by the fact that while 490 habitual criminals were enumerated by the Police in Belfast in April, 1912, only 42 appeared in the Police " enumer- ation " of April, 1913. Between the dates of the 1912 and the 1913 Police " enumerations " Ulster was busy in gun-running and in movements connected with the "Ulster Covenant" and the Proclamation of the Ulster Provisional Government. As the 448 " habitual criminals " had, more or less, for ten years contributed to the total of the Police enumerations made in Ulster in each year, it was decided to give the average for two periods of five years. That a yearly average from 1909 to 1913 would not represent the " habitual criminals at large " under normal conditions in Ulster is confirmed by the yearly average for the ten years 1903-1912, being 7061. To avoid any misconception as to the reason for showing the average for the two periods--1908-12, 1909-13— the figures for the five years preceding 1908 are subjoined. The total Pohce " enumerations " of habitual criminals at large for Ulster (including Belfast) and for Belfast for the five years 1903-1907 amounted to 4,229 and 3,297, or a yearly average for each of 845-8 and 659-4 respectively. IRELAND AND THE ULSTER LEGEND 71 The reduction in the Belfast Police Enumerations oi " Habitual Criminals at Large " and " Houses of Bad Charac- ter " from 490 and 136 in April, 1912, to 42 and 58 respectively in April, 1913, remains still a my^^-^'y The mysterious disappearance of such a large number of habitual criminals under the conditions reigning in Belfast during 1912 calls for more than passing notice. One of the peculiai'ities of the 1913 Belfast Police enumeration of "habitual criminals at large" and their houses of resort is that it shows 16 more "houses of criminal resort" than "habitual criminals at large/' No information could be obtained from the Commissioner of Police in Belfast as to what had become of the 448 habitual criminals. His reply to the inquiry was to ask what the information was wanted for, and when he was informed, he referred the compiler to the Inspector-General at Dublin Castle. The Inspector-General has since been communicated with, but up to the time of publication no reply has been received. In view of the great difference in the numbers between the Belfast and Dublin yearly "enumerations" of habitual criminals at large and of their houses of resort, steps were taken to ascertain Vvhether Belfasfs were lower than those of the largest centres of industry in Enplane!, Scotland and V/ales. The detailed Table below shows that Belfast, compared with the largest industrial centres in England and Wales, holds the position of having the highest ratio of "habitual criminals at large" and "houses of bad char- acter " to population. The extraordinary number of habitual criminals in Bel- fast, their houses of resort, and the social and economic atmosphere they seemed to indicate, led tho compiler to search for the underlying cause of such conaiuons. Information was sought regarding the environment of Belfast children. This he found in the reports of the Belfast School Inspec- tors ; and also in the report of the Commiitee appointed by the Home Secretary, Mr. Winston Churchill, in 1911, to inquire into the wage and other conditions of workers employed in connection with the Linen Industry of Belfast, etc. 72 IRELAND AND THE ULSTER LEGEND TABLE XVI HABITUAL CRIMINALS AT LARGE AND HOUSES OF BAD CHARACTER ENUMERATED BY THE POLICE ON THE FIRST TUESDAY IN APRIL OF EACH YEAR FOR THE FRrE YEARS 1908-1912. Police yearly Enumeration of *' Habitual Criminals at Large " and their Houses of Resort in Ulster, Belfast, Dublin and all Ireland compared with the Police Enumeration for the Metropohtan Police District— including the City Pohce District— of London and other large centres of population in England and Wales ; also with those of all England and Wales. Habitual Ratio Houses Ratio Popula- Criinnuil^ per at l.virce. 100,000. of Bad Charac- ter. 4- per i!on, 191 1 100.000. Census. Belfast 502 Sheftield -'>6 Leeds 24 1 Birmingham 2S0 Manchester 309 Cardiff 79 Hull no Liverpool -:3',' Dublin, jMctropolitan Police District OSo London, Metropolitan and City ]'o]ice Districts . i.o(j--,-.\ Ulster, Anti-Irish-Rulc. . 546-2 Ulster, Province of . . . 5064 England 3,802 2 England and Wales . . 3,989-2 Leinstcr So-o Munster 68 -6 Ireland, excluding Ulster . i6o-S Ulster, Pro-Irish-Rule . . 20-2 Connaught 12-2 Leinster, excluding Dublin Metropolitan Police Dis- trict population . . . 12-0 12973 58-55 54-18 53-36 4334 43-34 30-86 31-62 16-34 15-11 52-22 35-81 11-34 1 1 06 6-88 6-62 5-73 3-77 2-00 i-6i M5'2 26-4 41-6 53-8 24-2 12-6 18-8 36-2 0-8 508-0 157-4 164-8 1,017-4 1,035-8 7-4 9-8 17-2 7-4 >s'il 6-6 37-52 5-81 9-34 10-23 3-39 6-gi 6-76 4S5 o-ig 701 15-05 10-42 2-09 2-87 064 o-w5 0-61 1-38 Kil 0-83 386,947 454.63^ 445.550 5-'5.833 714.333 182,259 277,991 746,4-!i 416,104 7.251,358 1,046,030 ; 1,581,696 34.045.290 36,070,492 1,162,044 1.035.495 2.808,523 535,666 610,984 745.940 Columns 2 and 4 show the yearly average for the 5 years ; 3 and 5 the ratio per 100,000 of the populations. IRELAND AND THE ULSTER LEGEND 73 Column 6 shows the 1911 Census populations with the exception oJ London. The average of the Ave years 1908-12 is obtained by dividing the total Enumerations of the five years by 5. For example, the total of the Enumerations for the London Metro- politan Police — including the City District — was 5,477. The yearly average amounted to 1,096-4 " Habitual Criminals at Lai'ge." The Police define ** Habitual Criminals " as persons who engage habitually in crime as their means or part of their means of livelihood. They describe " Houses of Bad Character " as houses where Habitual Criminals regularly resort and meet ; also Houses of Receivers of Stolen Goods. The London Metropolitan and City population is based on the" yearly Pohce Returns. The Dublin Metropolitan Police District population, which includes that of the city, is shown separately in the Census Returns. In connection with the populations of the County Boroughs of Birming- ham and Sheffield, it is to be observed that the areas and populations of these County Boroughs were increased between the date of the 191 1 Census and that of the 1912 (2nd April) enumerations of " habitual criminals at large." The figures m the Table are those recorded in the i\>ii Census. By the Birmingham Extension Order, 191 1, which came into operation in part on the 9th November, 191 1, and in full on the 1st April, 1 91 2, Birmingliam was extended to include an addition of 314,369 persons to its population. Sheffield, by an Order of 1911, which came into operation on the ist April. 1012, was extended to include an addition of 5,284 persons. It has not, however, been deemed necessary to vary the basis of the ratios. A day, even, had not intervened between the date of the completion of the Extensions and that of the 191 2 Enumera- tions ; furthermore, the 1912 enumeration of habitual criminals at large in each of the County Bor(.ughs had been exceeded by that of a prior year in the period 1008-12. If the 1012 figures had been omitted and the averages for the five years ended April, 191 1, taken, the ratios would be slightly higher for the habitual criminals at large and lower for houses Cif bad character. 74 IRELAND AND THE ULSTER LEGEND EXTRACTS FROM THE REPORTS OF DR. H. W. BAILIE, MEDICAL OFFICER OF HEALTH FOR BELFAST, AND THE HOME OFFICE COMMITTEE ON THE " SWEATING " OF LINEN WORKERS IN BELFAST. After carefully perusing the Belfast School Reports ex- tending over 15 years, together with the reports above men- tioned, it is difficult to avoid the conclusion that it is owing to the deplorable educational, economic and social conditions that Belfast holds its unenviable record in connection with *' Habitual Criminals at Large ' ' and their Houses of Resort. That readers may liave in a cr3'stallized form some of the wage conditions revealed in the "sweating" reports, a few ex- tracts from them follow. DR. H. W. BAILIE, IN HIS REPORT (ISSUED IN 1910) INTER ALIA, STATED : " It is to be regretted that no improvement has been noted in the rate of paymint given to out-workers in tlic city. The increase of work during tlie year lias not been accompanied by any increase in the rate of payment, which is still in the majority of cases far too low. " In the last week in December, for instance, a woman was observed embroidering small dots on cushion covers ; there were 300 dots on each cushion, and for sewing these by hand she received the sum of one penny. She said that for a day's work of this sort she would have difficulty in making sixpence. Nor is this an exceptional case. Quite recently our Inspector was shown handkerchiefs which were to be ornamented by a design in dots ; these dots were counted, and it was found that the worker had to sew 384 dots for one penny. Comment is needless. Other classes of work arc as badl}- paid. The finishing of shirts, which consists of making the button-holes, sewing on buttons, and making small gussets at the wrists and sides of the shirts, may be instanced. In each shirt, six or seven button-holes have to be cut and hand-sewn, eight buttons have to be sewn on and IRELAND AND THE ULSTER LEGEND 75 four gussets made. This work is paid at the rate of sixpence for one dozen shirts. Nor is this a cheap class of goods, permitting scamped work. The sewing has to be neat and well finished, and the button-holes evenly sewn, the shirts being of a fine quality for which the buying public has to give a good price. " The making-up trades in general pay very poorly. Among the various kinds of badly paid work noticed may be mentioned — " Children's Pinafores, flounced and braided, at Women's Chemises, Women's Aprons, Men's Drawers, Men's Shirts, Blouses, Ladies' Overalls, 4|d. 7|d. 2M. idd. lOd. 9d. 9d. per dozen " SWEATING " OF WOMEN WORKERS IN THE BELFAST MAKING-UP TRADES. HOME OFFICE COMMITTEE OF INVESTIGATION, APPOINTED BY MR WINSTON CHURCHILL IN 1911, TO INQUIRE AND REPORT ON THE STATEMENTS MADE IN 1910 BY DR. H. W. BAILIE, MEDICAL OFFICER OF HEALTH FOR BELFAST, IN HIS REPORT ON THE SWEATING OF WOMEN OUT-WORKERS IN THE LINEN TRADE IN BELFAST AND DISTRICT. Of the 531 "Investigated" cases of Belfast women out-workers' pay (for Thread-drawing and Clipping, Fancy Sewing, Embroidery, Machine Stitching, Vice-folding, Top- sewing, etc.) investigated by and testified to by three Official witnesses before the Committee of Inquiry, there were : — 3 Cases at rates of pay above 4d. but under 6d. per hour. " above 3d. but not over 4d. per hour. » from 2d. to 3d., both inclusive. ♦' above Id. but under 2d. per hour. at Id. per hour. under Id. per hour. 8 98 153 101 168 531 76 IRELAND AND THE ULSTER LEGEND The analysis of the 168 cases at under Id. pei hour shows the following results : — 33 Cases were at rates over |d. but under Id. per hour. 68 " »' » over |d. but not over |d. per hour. 64 » M » over Jd. but not over |d. per hour. 3 >' M at a id. or less. 168 The Committee's Report helps one to judge the trend of mind of some of the Belfast employers. This will be seen from the following extracts : — " An attempt was made by some of the employers to show (Qs. 2,935, 3,111, 4,714) that the competition of firms for workers v\'as sufficient to ensure the out-worker a fair wage." " The Belfast employers who gave evidence contended for the most part that the rates per hour mentioned in the ' investi- gated cases ' were, on the whole, lower than those which are normally earned by a worker of average efficiency, and that many mstances of low payment would be accounted for by the fact that the worker whom the witness visited was below the general standard." " In these circumstances we determined to satisfy ourselves independently as to the rates per hour which average out-workcrs would earn at the several processes, and we accordingly arranged with some Belfast employers for workers chosen by them to carry out in our presence work identical with that referred to in some of the cases in the evidence." " The opinion we have formed is that cases of undoubtedly low payme7its to out- workers in certain branches of the making-up trades have been proved." " In order to appreciate the full significance of these cases it is necessary to bear in mind that they were selected haphazard, and that the tests were conducted under conditions arranged by the employers themselves with workers chosen by them, who were evidently skilled, and some of them worked at a speed which they would not have been able to maintain during ordinary employment. Even in these circumstances, however, the rates per hour earned will be seen to fall conspicuously below those IRELAND AND THE ULSTER LEGEND ^7 which the employers had mentioned to us as being, in their opinion, within the earning power of fair average workers, and in fact most of them come within the lowest ranges of the rates given above in the Tables of Investigated cases." " In addition there is the evidence given by Dr. H. W. Bailie, the medical superintendent officer of health for Belfast, as to cases which he personally investigated. In one of these a young woman, believed by him to be from 25 to 27 years of age, was employed in making medium-sized chemises at ()d. per dozen, and earned after paying i\d. for thread and her tram-fare to and from the factory, only \d. per hour. She earned about the same amount in making a larger size for 11^. a dozen (Os. 2,672-4). Of another worker he stated (Q. 2,675) : — She worked a large number of years ; is a good speedy worker ; sews hand-hemmed handkerchiefs at 2s. per dozen ; and could not possibly earn more than id. an hour. He also gave various other instances of out-workers earning at the rate of \d., id., and 2^. an hour (Qs. 2,678-80)." " Considerable difficulty was experienced in inducing both factory workers and out-workers to come forward as witnesses, on account of a general apprehension on their part that they might thereby lose their employment." " Of the workers in the Belfast making-up factories we could induce only a few to come before us as witnesses, and some of these complained of low weekly wages for full-time employment and of inadequate piece rates." " The principal market for much of the Belfast and Lurgan work appears to be the United States (Qs. 4,524, 4,639-80)." "Miss Jane Agnew, Sanitary Sub-Inspector under Dr. H. W. Bailie, examined : — " (Q. 45) Now as to wages. ... In your calls at houses, how many cases did you note as to rafes of wages ? — About 270. " (Q. 48) Did you actually take written notes ? — Yes, in all these cases I did." Miss Agnew describes the out-workers in Belfast (Q. 85) as follows : — " Widows and spinsters depending upon the work for their livelihood, married women whose husbands are out of work, and women whose husbands are labourers earning small pay." 78 IRELAND AND THE ULSTER LEGEND Miss M. Galway, General Secretary of the Textile Operatives' Association of Ireland, examined. " Chairman (Q. 387) : Are the workers in the making-tip trades represented to any extent in your association ? — Unfortunately they are not. Is it the case that you undertook an investigation into the condition of the making-up trades in Belfast at the request of the Belfast Trades and Labour Council ? — Yes. " (Q- 396) Now with regard to the rate of wages, you say in your statement that the improvement in the methods of produc- tion adopted during the last twenty years has not resulted in a corresponding improvement in the payment of wages to the employees ? — No. The speeding up and improvement of machines have resulted in a lowering of the rate of wages. (Q. 397) Will you kindly give us some instances in support of this statement ? — For instance, a rate of ^d. a dozen for lace-edging handkerchiefs was received twelve years ago, whereas workers now receive 2d. per dozen for the same work. " (Q. 402). Is the net result that the workers earn less wages in the same time ? — They earn about the same, but they do nearly double the quantity of work. (Q, 403) Is there more physical exertion ? — Yes. (Q. 404) Is the strain on the worker greater ? Yes, on the eyesight ; they must sit very close over the machine. (Q. 405) You consider that the introduction of this higher speed machinery actually results in greater wear and tear of the workers ? — It does. (Q. 408) You also say in your statement that where the machinery has not been improved, you have observed a lower- ing of wages ? — Yes. Firm — reduced three years ago rates paid to smoothers from 3^., 4^., and ^d. a gross to3(^. 4^., and 5^^. for 20 dozen, . . . equalling lod. per day." » Mr. W. J. Sefton, Sanitary Inspector for Belfast, examined. " (Q- 650) Now, with regard to rates of pay, how did you get the names of the 178 out-workers that you visited ? —1 got them from the returns made to the Public Health Departmeni by the employers. * Other instances were also furnished to the Committee. IRELAND AND THE ULSTER LEGEND 79 " (Q. 660) Do you think that the results which you obtained from your calls constitute typical and average cases ? — I believe they do." The evidence of the foregoing witnesses — Miss Agnew, Miss Galway and Mr. Sefton — takes up nearly 32 pages of the Blue Book. They investigated 531 cases. The Table in the report shows that 422 of them were at rates under 2d. an hour; 168 of the '422 were under id. an hour. Of the 531 there were only Ij. cases at rates above ^d. an hour ; 2 of the 11 were between ^d. and ()d. — none higher. EMPLOYMENT OF CHILDREN. " A painful feature incidental to out-work in the making-up trades in many towns is the extent to which children are employed at home. . . . The evidence of two school teachers (Qs. 2,443, etc., and 4,934, etc.), as well as that of Dr Agnew, medical superin- tendent officer of health for Lurgan, should be carefully read in this connection. . . . We have an abundance of evidence that young children are often kept working for long hours even until very late at night (Os. 1,168, 1,376, etc.)." 8o IRELAND AND THE ULSTER LEGEND COMPARISON OP POLICE "ENUMERATIONS" TAKEN OF HABITUAL CRIMINALS AT LARGE AND HOUSES OF BAD CHAR- ACTER, BETWEEN IRELAND AND ENGLAND AND WALES. After a perusal of the foregoing extracts, readers will not be quite unprepared for some of the comparative figures in the following paragraphs. An examination of the PoUce " enumerations " for England and Wales during the five years 1908-12 shows that the ratio for the Province of Ulster of "Habitual Criminals at Large,'' per 100,000 of her population, was 3 times, and that of Unionist Ulster 4^ times more than the ratio of England and Wales ; that the ratio of Ireland outside Ulster was but slightly over half that of England and Wales. In the case of houses where habitual criminals resort the ratio of Ulster Province was 3| times, and that of Unionist Ulster 5 times the ratio of England and Wales. The ratio for Ireland outside Ulster was less than a quarter of the ratio of England and Wales. Belfast compared with the largest centres of population — excluding London — showed a yearly average of 192 4 more habitual criminals at large than the highest average in England and Wales. It would seem that statistics for " habitual ciiminals at large" are not published for Scotland. The compiler, after a long and fruitless search for a Scottish official publi- cation containing them, sought information at the Scottish Office in Whitehall, London. The official in charge very willingly endeavoured to trace any pubhc record, but. re- grettably, his efforts met with a like result. Thus is explained the absence of Scottish statistics from the comparative Table of " Habitual Criminals at Large." IRELAND AND THE ULSTER LEGEND 8i TABLE XVII ULSTER AS SEEN THROUGH PARLIAMENTARY BLUE BOOKS AND WHITE PAPERS. The difficulty encountered at the initial stage in the inves- tigation of the facts concerning Ulster was how to arrive at a method of separating the counties into two groups — those in favour of Irish-Rule and those against it. As it was impos- sible to obtain any official figures bearing on the subject other than the 1911 Census returns of Catholics and non-Catholics in the various Ulster Counties, a division on the basis of those returns has been adopted. This basis the compiler considers to be faulty, as he understands that thousands of non-Catholic Ulster-Irishmen favour Irish-Rule. He regrets having to adopt such a basis ; history shows that the fact of diversity in creed has been used far too long to the detriment of the development of a United Ireland. Anti- Irish- Rule Counties. Antrim . Armagh . Belfast . Down . London- derry Percent- age of Non- Catholic Popu- lation. Non- ' Catholic Popu- j lation, 1911 Census. I Catholic Popu- lation, 1911 Census. 39.751 54.526 93.243 64.485 Pro- Irish- Kule Counties. Percent- age of Catholic j Popu- I lation, I 1911 Census. Cavan . i Donegal . Fer- managh [ Monaghan Tyrone . | 8i-5 78-9 56-2 74-7 554 Catholic Popu- lation, 191 1 Census. 74.271 133.021 34.740 53.363 Non- Catholic Popu- lation, 1 9 1 1 Census. 16,902 35.516 27,096 18,092 79.015 63,650 729,624 316,406 316,406 Anti-Irish-Rule . . 1,046^030 population. Pro-Irish-Rule 374,410 161,256 161,256 535,666 populat'n. r 82 IRELAND AND THE ULSTER LEGEND TABLE XVn — continued Col.j Nos. of Sees. Column 2. Table comprising 12 Sections ; the " He.adings " in each appl}' to both Anti-Irish- Rule and Irish-Rule Groups. Columns 3 and 5 show Aiiti-Irisk-Rule and 4 and 6 Irish-Rule Statistics. 3- 4- 5- Anti- Anti- Pro- Irish- Irish- Rule Fotals. Irish- Rule Totals. 1 1 Rule Per- centages and Ratios. 6. Pro- Irish - Rule Per- centages and Ratios. Births for the 5 years, 1909-13, with perceutage to population, lOii Census Illegitimate Births for 5 years, 1909-13, with per cent, of total Births Deaths for 5 years, 1909-13, with per cent, of total population Infant Deaths under 1 for 5 years, 1909-13, with per cent, of total Births Deaths of Children under 5, 1909-13, ; with per cent, of total Deaths . 1 Deaths from Tuberculosis during 1913, with per cent, of total Deaths in i q 1 3 Treatment of Tuberculosis ; moneys paid in year 1913- 14 by C.C. for this purpose, with rale per 1,000 of pop.| University Scholarships, Bursaries, ■ etc. ; moneys paid by C.C.'s and C.B.'s from March, 191 1, to i April, 1914, with ratio per 1,000 i of population Emigrants from Ulster between January i, 1909, and December 31, 1913, with per cent, of popu- lation Emigrants from May i, 1851, to December 31, 1913, with per cent, of estimated population based on Census — 1851-1911 " Habitual Criminals at Large " recorded by the Police in April each year ; average for 5 years, 1908-12, with ratio per 100,000 of population Resorts of Habitual Criminals known to the Police ; average for 5 years, 190S-12, with ratio as in Sec. 11 129,654 : 57.0^9 j 12-39^ 10-64 5..588 j i.3_^4 i 4-31 i 2-39 92,270 I 44,658 ; 8-82 : 8- 34 13,8661 3,846 I 10 -69 i 6-75 ^^^57 i 5,772 ! 23-04 I 12-92 -'555 1 792 i 13-52 4861 j ;^i,405 \lo 16 6 £2 12 5 8-8i i^ ^^ I £^.5^2 ]fP 3^ 2,^4 14 38.074! 21.036 I 3-64 i 3-93 ^7^'494 I 549.976 ; 65-29 j 76-45 546-2 20-2 I 52-22 157-4 7*4 15-05 3-77 1-38 C.C. = County Council. C.B. = County Borough. Columns 3 and 5 should be read in conjunction ; likewise columns 4 and 6. IRELAND AND THE ULSDiR LEGEND 83 The Counties with a non-Catholic majority are grouped as Anti-Irish-Rule, i.e. as opposed to Irish-Rule ; those with a Catholic majority as Pro-Irish-Rule, i.e. as in favour of it. Each group has two columns allotted to it in the Table, one for the Government figures, the other'for percentages, ratios, etc. When particular years are not given the figures repre- sent a review of the five years from January 1, 1909, to Decem- ber 31, 1913. The figures of County Londonderry population include 40,780 in the County Borough, the Catholic population of which was 22,923 and the non-Catholic 17,857. The percentage columns— Nos. 5 and 6— in Section 2, show that for every 10,000 births in the Anti-Irish-Rule group there were 431 illegitimate births, as against 239 in the Pro- Irish-Rule group of counties. The mortahty as seen in Sections 4, 5 and 6, to which Bel- fast in no small measure contributes, is not easy to reconcile with the generally accepted idea that this part of Ulster, of which Belfast is the centre, is the most enhghtened and progressive part of Ireland. It is true that Belfast, unUke Dublin, is practically a new city, with all the advantages of embracing within her municipal boundaries the residences^ of her wealthiest citizens. This fact makes it all the more difficult to assign a reasonable cause for the mortahty figures in the three Sections. The emigration figures of both groups should command the thoughtful notice of all readers. Of the 546 " habitual criminals at large " in the Anti- Irish-Rule group, Belfast was responsible for 502. 84 IRELAND AND THE ULSTER LEGEND TABLE XVra COUNTY ANTRIM COMPARED WITH COUNTY CAVAN. A comparison is shown below of the County in Ulster having the least number of its population in favour of Irish- Rule with the County having the least number opposed to Irish-Rule. Antrim, according to the basis adopted, has only 20 5 per cent, of its population in favour of, and County Cavan has 18 5 per cent, of its population against, Irish-Rule. Antrim is entirely represented by Members of Parhament opposed to Irish-Rule ; the Members for Cavan are in favour of Irish-Rule. Sections. Illegitimate Births : percentage of total births Total Deaths : percentage of population Infant Deaths under i : percentage of total births Children's Deaths under 5 : percentage; of total deaths Deaths from Tuberculosis in 191 3 : percentage of total deaths Tuberculosis Treatment : moneys paid by Rate- payers for its treatment, 19 13- 14 Agricultural and Technical Instruction : moneys paid by Ratepayers for this purpose for the 5 years, 1909-10-1913-14, per cent, of population Arrests for Drunkenness between 9 p.m. on Satur- days and 7 a.m. on Mondays, 5 years, 1908-12, per 1,000 population Habitual Criminals at Large : yearly average, 1908-12 Habitual Criminals' Resorts : yearly average, 1908-12 Antrim. 16 6 ^ 8-97 0-2 0-8 Cavan. S-52 1-47 8-50 7-70 8-37 5-92 16-45 11-63 12-91 6-83 NU i^o £6 6 u 4'io Nil Nil In the case of emigration one cannot compare the two Counties, as emigrants from certain parts of Belfast are included in the County Antrim returns. IRELAND AND THE ULSTER LEGEND 85 TABLE XIX Of the Counties in the Pro-Irish-Rule group, Tyrone has the largest minority, on the basis adopted, opposed to Irish-Rule. In this connection readers may be interested to see how Tyrone compares in the different sections with the rest of the group. The population of Tyrone is 26 63 per cent, of the group population. The group consists of the Counties of Cavan, Donegal, Fermanagh, Monaghan and Tyrone. Sections. Illegitimate Births : percentage of total births Total Deaths : percentage of population Infant Deaths under i : percentage of total births Children's Deaths under 5 : percentage of total deaths Deaths from Tuberculosis in 1913 : percentage of total deaths in 1913 Emigration from January i, 1909, to December 31, 1913 : percent, of 191 1 Census population . .' Emigration from May i, 1851, to December 31, 1913 : per cent, of population on basis of Census Returns from 1851 to 191 1 inclusive .... Arrests for Drunkenness from 9 p.m. on Saturdays to 7 a.m. on Mondays, for 5 years, 1908-12, per 1,000 of population "Habitual Criminals at Large": average yearly Police Enumeration, 1908-12 Habitual Criminals' Resorts : yearly average Pohce Enumeration for 5 years, 1908-12 Moneys paid by County Councils for the treatment of Tuberculosis in 1913-14 financial year . . Moneys paid by County Councils for University Scholarships, Bursaries, etc., from March, 191 1, to March 31, 1914 75-69 8-33 i8-6 6-2 £40 Cavan, Donegal, Fermanagh and Monaghan. I -90 8-05 6-38 12-72 8-52 3-95 76-73 4-81 1-6 1-2 ;^l,38i ;^2,482 86 IRELAND AND THE ULSTER LEGEND ULSTER COUNTIES (EXCEPT DONEGAL) COMPARED WITH COUNTIES IN OTHER PROVINCES FOR INCOME TAX ASSESSMENT AND EMIGRATION. In this Table (XX, pp. 88-9) all the Counties in Ulster, with the exception of Donegal, are compared with Counties in the other Provinces. County Donegal having a low per capita Income Tax (Schedules A and B) Assessment, its omission is in favour of Ulster. A glance at the Income Tax Assessment column shows that in 7 Sections out of the 8 in the Table, the total Assess- ment of the Counties compared with Ulster Counties is higher. Sections 1 and 2 comprise the wealthiest portion of Ulster. Belfast with its linen industry, factories and shipbuilding yards, is included. In Section 1, Antrim, Armagh, Down, Londonderry and Tyrone, with the County Boroughs of Belfast and Londonderry, having a population of 1,188,695, are compared with Leinster having a population of 1,162,044. In Leinster no selection is made. Dublin is counterbalanced by Counties less favour- ably situated. All the conditions seem to favour Ulster, yet its total Income Tax (under Schedules A and B) Assess- ment is £1,042,697 less and per capita 19s. 9d. less than that of Leinster. Section 2 includes what might be termed the "hub" of industrial Ulster ; still compared with the Southern Group in 2a it is found that the total Income Tax Assessment is £226,504 less. In Section 3, it is seen that the Munster Counties are assessed at a total of £338,949 higher, and also £1 2s. lOd. per capita higher than the Ulster Counties. IRELAND AND THE ULSTER LEGEND 87 The Government Income Tax Assessments under Schedules A and B in this Table should dissipate the erroneous impres- sions which seem to prevail regarding the relative economic importance of Ulster and the Southern Counties. The Emigration returns in column 5 should arrest the attention of all. The returns for the five years 1909-13 show that 23,237 more people emigrated from the part of Ulster that is looked upon as the most prosperous, than from the Province of Leinster. Ulster shows in every section the highest number of emigrants from each group of Counties and from each County compared with those from the other Provinces, for the years 1909-13. The last column, which contains the Emigration returns from May 1, 1851, to December 31, 1913, shows that the Coun- ties of Ulster in No. 1 section lost, by emigration, in that period 87,137 more than Leinster. The Anti-Irish-Rule part of Ulster lost by emigration 65-29 per cent, of her estimated population between 1851 and the end of 1913. The percentage lost by Leinster was 55 8. IRELAND AND THE ULSTER LEGEND TABLE XX ULSTER COUNTIES (EXCEPT DONEGAL) COMPARED WITH COUNTIES IN OTHER PROVINCES FOR INCOME TAX ASSESSMENT AND EMIGRATION. I. 2. 3- 4- 5- 6. 7- The Counties named below are compared for Natives Natives Income Tax Assessment of of on Land and all Business Gross Ratio Ireland Ireland Premises, Factories, Sites, Assess- per who Per who Dwellings, etc., under the ment capita emi- Cent. emi- Complete Schedules A and under of 191 1 grated of grated B ; also for Emigration Schedules Census 1909 to Popu- in during two Periods : A and B. Popula- 1913 lation. Penod (a) January i, 1909. to tion. inclu- 1851 to December 31, 1913 ; sive. 1913. (b) May i, 1851, to December 31, 1913- 1 Counties of Antrim, Ar- £ £ s. d. magh, Down, London- derry and Tyrone, inclu- sive of Belfast and Lon- donderry Cities, 191 1 Cen- sus Population 1,188,695 4,847,286 4 I 7 43.596 3.67 824,880 10 Leinster Province, Popula- tion 1,162,044 5.889,983 5 I 4 20,359 1-75 737.743 2 Counties of Antrim, Down and Londonderry, inclu- sive of Belfast and Lon- donderry Cities, Popula- tion 925.739 .... 3.774.910 4 I 7 33.337 360 570,716 2a Counties of Dublin*, Corkf and Meath*, inclusive of Dublin and Cork Cities, Population 934,391 . 4,001,414 458 19.455 208 745.817 3 Counties of Armagh, Lon- donderry and Tyrone, inclusive of Londonderry City, I'opulalion 403,581 1.572.996 3 17 " 14.853 3-68 369.092 3a Counties of LimcricK Tip- perary and V/aierford,t : inclusive ol Limerick and 1 Waterford Cities, I^opu- I lation 379,468 1,911,045 509 10,919 2-88 521.742 IRELAND AND THE ULSTER LEGEND 89 TABLE XX — continued I. 2. The Counties named 3- 4. 5- 6. 7. below are compared for Income Tax Assessment Natives Natives on Land and all Business Ratio of of Premises, Factories, Sites, Gross per Ireland Per Ireland Dwellings, etc., under the Assess- capita who Cent. who Complete Schedules A and ment of 191 1 emi- of emi- B ; also for Emigration under Census grated Popu- grated during two Periods : Schedules Popula- 1909 to lation. in (a) January i, 1909, to A and B. tion. 1913 Period December 31, 1913 ; inclu- 1851 to (6) May i, 1851, to sive. 1913. December 31, 191 3. 4 County of Londonderry, i i s. d. inclusive of Londonderry City, Population 140,625 500,620 3 11 2 4.594 3.27 114,928 4a County Limerick, inclusive f of the City of Limerick, Population 143,069 . 668,071 4 13 5 4.4^5 3.09 191.843 5 County Fermanagh, Popu- lation 61,836 .... 303.379 4 18 I 2,125 3-44 59.133 5a County Westmeath, Popu- * lation 59,986 .... 398,006 6 12 8 1,000 1-67 53.415 6 County Armagh, Popula- tion 120,291 .... 5". 701 4 5 I 4.737 3-94 105,778 6a County Wexford, Popula- * tion 102,273 .... 488,785 4 15 7 1,207 i-iS 75.670 7 County Cavan, Population 91,173 357.227 3 18 4 4.299 472 123,803 7a County Roscommon, Popu- X lation 93.956 .... 388,879 429 3.722 3-96 115.550 8 County Monaghan, Popu- lation 71,455 .... 336.107 4 14 I 2,157 3-02 79.444 Za County Kilkenny, Popula- * tion 74,962 .... 459.659 628 1.717 2-29 77.920 All populations in this Table are from the 1911 Census Returns. The Income Tax Assessments are from a " White Paper " Return for the year ended April 5, 1911. Column No. 6 contains the percentage of emigrants for the five years 1909-13 to population. * = Counties in LEINSTER. t = Counties in MUNSTER. X = County in CONNAUGHT. QO IRELAND AND THE ULSTER LEGEND TABLE XXI ANTI-IRISH-RULE ULSTER versus CONNAUGHT. While going through the Ulster Table, the compiler remembered, as a student of history, reading of the Crom- wellian phrase used, during a most unfortunate period of Irish history, in connection with deportees from the different Provinces in Ireland. The deportees were given the option "to go to Hell or Connaught." Before leaving the Table he thought it would be of interest, at this juncture, to compare under different sections, Anti-Irish-Rule Ulster with the Province looked upon, even in Cromwell's time, as comparable to the nether regions. The results of the comparison will be found below : — Sections. Antrim, i Armagh, j Down, I Londonderry, j with the Cities of Belfast and I Londonderry, j Births : per cent, of Population for 5 years, 1909-13 Illegitimate Births : per cent, of total Births, 1909-13 Deaths : per cent, of Population, 5 years, 1909-13 . 4 Deaths of Infants under i : per cent, of , Births, 1909-13 5 Deaths of Children under 5 : per cent, of I Deaths 6 Deaths from Tuberculosis : per cent, of I total Deaths in 1913 7 Arrests for Drunkenness : Arrests between I 9 p.m. on Saturdays and 7 a.m. on I Mondays, Belfast 's^ arrests and popula- I tion excluded from the Ratio per I 1,000 of Population, 5 years, 1908-12 . Connaught. 12-39 10-69 23-0.} 1352 S-63 11-04 4-31 0-70 8-82 7.17 583 i3-4(> 10-66 4-47 * The Belfast arrests — 4,123 — have been cxcUulcd ; it would not be fair to include them, as public-houses " open " in Belfast on Sundays, while in Connaught, as in all rural districts, they are not allowed to open. IRELAND AND THE ULSTER LEGEND TABLE XXI — continued 91 Sections. Antrim, Armagh, Down, Londonderry, with the Cities of Belfast and Londonderry. Connaught. 8 Tuberculosis Treatment : Moneys paid by County Councils for this purpose in 1913-14 Financial Year £861 ;^i.465 9 University Scholarships, etc. : Moneys paid out of rates by County Councils and County Boroughs under the Univer- sities Act for 3 years, 1911-12 to 1913-14 £165 ;^4.679 10 Agricultural and Technical Instructions: Moneys paid from rates by County Councils only, for this purpose ^ . ^31,983 16 II £28,404 10 II II Emigrants from January i, 1909, to December 31, 1913 Emigrants from May i, 1851, to December 31. 1913 38.074 33.871 12 676,494 721,479 13 " Habitual Criminals at Large " : Yearly average of Police enumerations for the 5 years, 1908-12 . ^. " Houses of Bad Character " : Yearly average of such houses known to the Police as resorts of Habitual Criminals, 5 years, 1908-12 546-2 12-2 14 157-4 Nil ^ The amounts do not include moneys paid by Urban Authorities, County Borough, or Urban District Councils for Technical Instruction. 92 IRELAND AND THE ULSTER LEGEND APPENDIX Extracts from the report of the Joint Committee of the Lords and Commons (4 Peers, 2 Baronets and 2 M.P.'s without titles) on the City of Dublin Extension of Boundaries Bill. Also extracts from " The Irish Times " leading article on the day following the decision of the Committee. " That in the case of the Dublin Corporation Bill they have approved the Bill with certain amendments, among which are those excluding the two townships of Rathmines and Pem- broke from the extension of the boundaries of the City of Dublin." " Further the Committee unanimously desire to call attention to the heavy burdens falling upon the City of Dublin ratepayers for objects to which the two townships of Rathmines and Pem- broke do not in their opinion adequately contribute." " They are of opinion that these residential townships should be contributors to these burdens." " They invite the attention of the Government to this subject, and suggest that legislation should be proposed to Parhament following the principle of the law equalizing rates in London." The following appeared in the leading article in '' The Irish Times," 20th July, 1900. "... They refused, however, to hand over the two important townships, Rathmines and Pembroke, which the extensionists coveted most, and this is the unkindest cut of all. The opposition of the district was too strong to be overborne. As we insisted from the inception of the controversy, there was no justification for the proposal to absorb them. . . . We trust there is no ground for the apprehension that they will be compelled to defend their rights in the near future." IRELAND AND THE ULSTER LEGEND 93 EMIGRATION PERCENTAGES, 1851-1913. The following letters have been received from the Registrar- General for Ireland, Sir William J. Thompson, by the compiler in reply to his inquiries as to how the percentages of 112*3 and 125*0 had bt^en arrived at for the Counties of Cork and Kerry respectively. " I beg to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the 24th vdtimo, and to say that the table to which you refer gives the average estimated population of the several counties and also the total numbers of emigrants for the 62 years dealt with. The percentage shows to what extent the total number of emigrants during the period exceeds or falls short of that average estimate." " In reply to your letter of the 4th instant, I beg to say that the elements connected with the difference in population between one Census enumeration and another are Natural Increase, Movements of the population Inwards and Movements Outwards." " You would appear to have overlooked the first two of these items in the course of your investigation." " Take the case of the County of Cork (referred to in your letter) there was a decrease of 257,204 (or 40 per cent.) in the population (392,104) as enumerated at the Census of 1911 in comparison with the Census population of 1851." ^ " During the period 1851-1913, 552,748 persons emigrated, so that 552,748 —257,204, or 295,544 may be ascribed to Natural Increase and Movements of the population into the County." " The Table in question deals with the emigration element as affecting the population, and it shows the relative extent of the exodus from the several counties of Ireland." * Note. — The addition of 257,204 to 392,104 gives the Census popula- tion of 1851, i.e. 649,308. Summary of ** Explanatory Memorandum," attached to the White Paper showing the Income Tax Assessment Returns, under Schedules A and B, for the year ended 5th day of April, 1911. Schedule A. (i) This section covers the annual value of farm-lands, buildings, and farm-houses occupied by tenant farmers or farm- servants, also orchards, woodlands, lakes, etc., and gardens or pleasure-grounds in excess of one acre held with mansions or houses. Schedule A. (2) Includes the annual value of all private dwelling-houses, houses used partly as dwellings and partly for trade purposes, business premises, warehouses, etc. In the case of mansions or houses the valuation includes the value of any gardens or pleasure-grounds up to one acre. The annual value of business premises, warehouses, etc., includes that of any small parcels of land proper thereto. Schedule A. (3) Embraces the annual value of manorial rights, fines, sporting rights, and other small items. Schedule B. The Assessment under this Schedule represents the profits in respect of the occupation of lands, and such profits are by law deemed to be one-third of the annual value. When lands are occupied as nurseries or market gardens, though assessable under this Schedule, the profits are estimated accord- ing to the rule of Schedule D. Note. — Under Schedule B, the Assessments for the Provinces were as follows : — Leinst.er, ;^997,6i3 ; Ulster, ;£947, 746 ; Munster, ;^862,472 ; Connaught, A23.261. The total amount for Ireland under Schedule A (3) was /i,8i6. 94 BIBLIOGRAPHY Pagan Ireland : E. Hull (Gill & Son, Dublin), 1904. Early Christian Ireland : By the same Author and Publisher?, 1905. Celtic Ireland : Mrs. Sophie Bryant, D.Sc., Litt.D. (Kegan Paul & Co., London), 1889 The Genius of the Gael : By the same Author (Fisher Unwin), 1913. Social History of Ancient Ireland : P. W. Joyce (Longmans & Co., London), 1906-7. Irish Nationality : Mrs. A. Stopford Green, Litt.D., Historian (widow of John Richard Green), Home University Librar}-, 191 1. (Mrs. Green edited the revised editions of " A Short History of the English People.") Making of Ireland and its Undoing : By the same Author (Mac- millan & Co., London), 1908. (Now published by Maunsel & Co., Dublin), los. 6d. History of Ireland in the Eighteenth Century : W. E. H. Lecky (Longmans & Co., London), 1892. England's Wealth, Ireland's Poverty : T. Lough (Downey & Co., London), 1896. Ireland a Nation : Robert Lynd (Grant Richards, Ltd., London), 1919. The Framework of Home Rule : Erskine Childers (E.. Arnold, London), 191 1. Labour in Irish History : J. Connolly (Maunsel & Co., Dublin and London), 1917, 4s. Ulster and Ireland : J. W. Good (Maunsel & Co., Ltd., Dublin and London), 1919, 4s. 6d. Phases of Irish History : Eoin Macneill (Gill & Son, Dublin), 1919. The Evolution of Sein Fein : R. M. Henry (Fisher Unwin, London), 1920. Ourselves Alone in Ulster : Mrs. Alice Stopford Green, Litt.D. (Maunsel & Co., Dublin and London), 1918. Pamphlet 4d. Loyalty and Disloyalty (same author and publishers) : 1920. Pamphlet 3^. 95 96 BIBLIOGRAPHY Military Rule in Ireland : Erskine Childers (The Talbot Press, Dublin), 1920. Pamphlet 6d. The Case for Ireland Considered : H. Harrison, O.B.E,, M.C. (Irish Dominion League, London), 1920. Pamphlet 3^. The Complete Grammar of Anarchy : By Members of the War Cabinet and their Friends. Compiled by J. J. Horgan (Maunsel & Co., Dublin, 1918 — Republished by Nesbit & Co., Ltd., London, 1919.) The words used for the Title are those adopted from a speech made on 5th October, 1912, by an ex-Prime Minister of England. A Handbook for Rebels : Edited by Thomas Johnson (Maunsel & Co., Dublin and London), 1918. Being Extracts from the Speeches of Sir Edward Carson, Mr. Bonar Law, Mr. F. E. Smith (now Lord Chancellor of England), and others. A History of Ireland and Its People (Illustrated) : Alderman W. G. Wilkins, J. P., Derby. (92 pp. is.), 1920. Ireland as seen by two French Writers : — Contemporary Ireland : L. Paul Dubois (Maunsel & Co., Dubhn and London), 1908. M. Dubois was " crowned " by the Academic Fran^aise for this book. LTrlande dans la Crise Universelle du 3 AOUT, 1914, AU 25 juiLLET, 1917, ETC. : Louis Treguise (Felix Alcan, Paris), 1918. (Nouvelle Edition, pai^aitra 1921). Hammond ... THE TERROR IN ACTION . . (prepaid) 2o cts. 3 COPIES " 50 CTS. Figgis. D. .THE ECONOMIC CASE FOR IRISH INDEPENDENCE 75 CTS. OHEGARTY. P. S . .THE INDESTRUCTIBLE NATION. . . .$1.00 GOOD, J. W IRISH UNIONISM $1.50 LYND. R IRELAND : A NATION $2.00 HENRY. R. M THE EVOLUTION OF SINN FEIN $2.00 GREEN. A. S. . . . . MAKING AND UNMAKING OF IRELAND. .$2.00 021 377 967 9 LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 021 377 967 9 Hollinger Corp. pH8.5