t districts now unprovided with railway
facilities. Many of these projects, though industrially remunerative to
Ireland and advantageous to England also as tapping new sources of food
supply, would not be, in strictness, commercially remunerative in the
sense of giving fair return on capital over working expenses, and it is
idle to expect that private capital will ever be subscribed for these
purposes. They can only be undertaken either directly by State funds, or
by money provided by the State, and lent to the large amalgamated lines
at low interest. This is the policy inaugurated by Mr. Arthur Balfour,
which has been of untold benefit to many districts in Ireland. Probably
a public grant of, say, L2,000,000, and loanable money available to the
extent of L8,000,000, would largely solve the problem. For the reasons
already given it is only by Imperial credit, and under the aegis of a
united Parliament and Government, that capital on this large scale can
be available for these purposes.

CANALS AND NAVIGATION.

The problem of canals and inland navigation in Ireland is a minor one,
but the same principles largely apply. The Royal Commission[101]
recommended that all the chief waterways, canals, and rivers necessary
for inland transport should be purchased and remain under the control of
the State, the controlling authority, however, not themselves, to become
carriers on any waterways. At the same time, they strongly urged that
the problem of arterial drainage and relief from floods should not be
treated separately, but that the control of drainage works should be
under the same central authority as that which is to control waterways
and navigation.

It is not necessary to refer in detail to the Report. Apart from the
sum necessary to buy out the existing owners of canals and waterways,
towards which L2,451,346 had been contributed from private sources, the
Commissioners contemplated a further expenditure of about L200,000 on
new works. In addition the sum of L500,000 would be required, on a
moderate estimate for drainage and the prevention of floods. The
pressing nature of the latter problem is once more emphatically
evidenced by the wholesale injury to property and the public health by
the recent flooding of the basins of the Shannon, Barrow, Bann, and
other rivers. Here, again, we have problems which it is idle to expect
an Irish Parliament to solve satisfactorily for years to come, or,
indeed, ever. Ways and means