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EDITED BY EOIN MAC, NE·ILL. Vo l. 2.
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No. 43
(New Series).
NOTES.
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Mr. 'Patrick Fullam of Donore, D'rogheda, writes to tI~e" Irish Independent" of Sep t. 19, to say that the Meath Farmers' Association, of wh~ch he is a member, had received a com1nunication from Col. Morgan stating that there was no conimandeering of h<J,y for the Government. Nevertheless, a person ·representing himself to be an agent of Col. Morgan and the Government called on Mr. Fullam and told him the Government wanted all the hay suitable for their p urpose and would have to get it. H e also t c ' · Mr. Fullam that the price would be 3s. 9d. a cwt., the market price in Drogheda being 5s. 6d. Mr. Fullam replied tha t " if they took it, they would ha~e to' bring the armed forces of the Crown to assist them." The "agent" went away, but "returned next day and stated be was prepa·red to make an amended and final offe:, wl)ich was 4s . 3d . per cwt."
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Apparently the vendor was asked to sign a . "I document consenting to the terms. inquired,'' writes Mr. Fullam, "if I refused to sign the document, 'will you come and take my bay by force? His reI?lY was, Yes, the Government want' it and must have it. The same tactics were pursued with all my neighbours . . Two of them were peremptorily ordered to stop delivering hay they sold to Drogheda traders at 5s. 6d. and give it to him at 4s. 6d. Another who carries on a large building business, and had only two acres of hay and stated he required it for his own use, was also compelled to sign. " Mr. Fullam, strange to say, ' is indignant at these measures, which he describ~ as "G9vernment robbery, " and he makes some' remarks which I forbear to quote about the present condition of Ireland, the National Pa~ty, and the Home Rule Bill. I
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Mr. Fullam is evidently mistaken . We have Mr. Asquith's assurance that we are a Free 1People and can only be asked for Free Gifts. Our Minister of Agriculture, Mr. T . W. Russell, has publicly assured us . that t here · would be no oommandeering .under . market price. We also know from the Imperi'a list Press that this· sort of' military regime and Government robbery is what should have to eir:pect:Arom ~the . Hun:s, · and . tlnt Eng1ancl 'is
we
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 2, 1915.
Price One Penny.
fighting to save Irish farmers from such treat- fact's ai:e on record. Mr. William O'Brien ment. Relying on the word of Mr. · Asquith opposed the tax in Parliament. The Iri sh a11d the· Imperialist p ,ress, we can come to no Party contented itself with abstention. Mr. other conclusion than that Mr. , Fullam :i1d his . Fie~d, ¥ -P·.; upderwent a heckling for this at neighbours have Qeen imposed upon by same the protest ~eet·ing in the Phrenix Park, "unscrupulous agent of the German Governmei1 t meeting which the Irish Pa:rty di<;i not organise, masquerading as one of the liberty-loving and and Mr. Field said that the Party had acted, or rather refrained from action, under .M r. libezty-protecting ·soldiers of the Empire. Redmond's orders. That meeting decided to * * * At last we have the Government's plan of overrule Mr. Redmond's orders, and Mr. war taxation. The Income Tax, first imposed Redmond. had to obey the decision . H e on Ireland by Gladstone, is to ~ increased by returned to Parliament at this stage to oppose £44,400,000. In order to raise this sum, the the tax. Mr. Devlin, who is usually · well marg in of exempt .inco~nes is .lmrnred to £r30. informed abo&t matters of this kind, had • a A vast number of comparatively poor men are more pressi1ig engagement in Paris. The thus brought for the first time under income belated opposition of Mr. Redmond did not at tax . Ireland is especially ha:rd hit, for the all mislead Mr. Lloyd George. Mr. George proportion of incomes newly taxed is. far larger was extreri1ely angry, and did not conceal bis Sma ll vexation, but he found no fault with ·Mr. Redin I reland than in Great Britain. farm_e-rs, small traders, the poorer clergy, and mond and the Irish Party, and did not gi\·e the better paid· artisans, as well as many other . them the credit OT d i ~c redit of defeating the ciasses, a.re to become ' subjec_t to the new tax. In a disappointed outburst, · he declared taxation. The same classes and tho ·e still that " tl~e House of Commons had quailed poorer, down ·to the liumblest wage earner, ~:fore a..n enraged mob of Irish brewers and will have to provide the main part of the I ublicans." \
following estimated increases : Postal revenue, £ 4,97 5,000; Patent Medicines, £z50,ooo ; Tea, £4,500,000; Tobacco, £5 , Loo,ooo ; Cocoa, £190,000; Sugar, £ .II, 700,000. ·
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As agains·t this, the wealthy people wi'll be asked to l?ay in Supertax £z,685,000; on War Profits, £ Jo,ooo,ooo. It need not be observed that a tax on increased war profits is not a tax at all in the ordinuy sense. It diminishe no . man's income. It only compels certain patriot · · to share the gains• of patriotism with the general p ublic. One journal devoted to the cause of wealthy patriotism. declares that the taxation of war profits will be " a check upon eriterprise." Rather ! ·It ·is too bad to check this sort of patriotic enterprise, but something has to be done to concilate the less enterprising and patriotic majority.
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Such are the fact .But what Mr. Lloyd backed up George called an enraged mob was . by the whole Irish Press , by -the Irish farmers, and by the Irish people: No'y let us ~ee the consequences. · Not only did the Bouse of Comm~ns., the Coalition Ministry, Mr. Lloyd George himself, and :Mr. Redmond yield to the .Irish demand on that occasion, but we now find that they learned · ·o salutary a lesson as pre\·ented them from attempting, in a case of far greater need , to revive this particular tax. They have not revived it although, as .I quoted some weeks ago, Lord Lansdowne stated the intent)qn of Government to levy an addition al tax of £ 17 ,000,000 this year on alcohol, to be i.ncrea~ed next year to £ 19,000,000. The · , xcuse given for the quailing this time is that any increase of the tax would be' unproductiYe. We liave an easy te~t ·of the value of that excuse. A short time ago, the ne;spapers announced that the licensed traders of Bel fa 8t had incx:eased th~ :retail price of spir its about twenty per cei1t: ,
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Last May, Mr. Lloyd George's proposal to tax · Ireland through her alcoholic products was defeated by the Irish people. I have just read a letter to the Press stating that Ireland was saved from thattaxation by Mr. Redmond and * * The licensed frad(~rs are the best judges of the Irish ·Party, and it is a fact that when the be pro-proposal was withdrawn the wires were pulled · what increase of p:rice is likely J . . and resolutions obtained thanking the I rish ductive in their own trade. Did they ex:pect ' Party-for what it had not done. The historicl\.1 · the increase put on by themselviw to b• unpn.•
to