S o8 ENGLISH POLITICAL HISTORY 



In the next ten or fifteen years, it was contemplated, the charges for Land Pur- 

 chase might well increase by 450,000, and for National Insurance by 300,000, while 

 the cost of Old Age Pensions within twenty years might decrease by 200,000; thus a 

 normal increase might be expected in the deficit, bringing it up to over 2,000,000., ' I*V. 

 arranging for Ireland to manage her own finances, England was bound to give her a fair 

 start and not to expect to score by the change; and the subsidy now proposed was esti- 

 mated accordingly. As against this, it was claimed on the Nationalist side that since 

 1817 Ireland had altogether contributed about 330,000,000 to what was strictly 

 Imperial expenditure, so that she was justified now in getting even a larger subsidy 

 back towards internal expenditure, the scale of which had been imposed according to 

 English and not Irish ideas. According to the new system proposed under the Bill it 

 was calculated that under Home Rule the first year's finances would work out as follows, 

 in the Irish and (on Irish account) the Imperial Budgets: 



Irish Revenue. Irish Expenditure. 



. : 



Transferred Sum . 6,127,000 Not separately specified .... ...., . ,>. , .,. . . 5,462,000 



Post Office. . . 1,354,000 Post Office . . ..''". . r ..."'.. . 1,660,000 



Fee Stamps . . 81,000 ' 



7,062,000 



Surplus . .;,-, .'...:. :: .. ; : : . SOO.OOO 



Total. . . 7,562,000 Total . . ; : . :':' 'V 7,562,000 



Imperial Revenue. Imperial Expenditure. 



' 



Irish Revenus, (ex- .. Transferred Sum .:..;::.:'.:";"'. . . 6,127,000 



eluding Post Of- .. Old Age Pensions . . . .-..':, .-. ; > . 2,664,000 



fice and Fee . . Nat. Insurance & Labour Exchange . . .... 191,500 



Stamps) . . 9,404,000 Land Purchase Charges . . . ."'. . 761,000 



Deficit .... 2,015,000 Constabulary . . . ; . . . . . 1,377,500 



Collection . . .. .;: }: .'-.. >o.. ; t 298,000 



Total. . 11,419,000 Total ..'...' .../..".. ......... ,. ,.... 11,419,000 



For convenience a summary of the Bill is here given, clause by clause, omitting de- 

 tails as to the financial adjustment between the Irish and Imperial Exchequers. 



Precis of Government of Ireland Bill, 1912. 



(1) Sets up Irish Parliament, with two Houses; a Senate and a House of Commons. 

 Supreme power of Imperial Parliament however to remain undiminished over all persons, 

 matters and things, within H. M.'s dominions. 



(2) Irish Parliament shall have power to make laws for the peace, order and good govern- 

 ment of Ireland, but only in respect of matters exclusively relating to Ireland or some part 

 thereof. It cannot legislate concerning the Crown, peace or war, army or navy, treaties or 

 foreign relations, dignities and titles, treason, naturalization, foreign trade (except for 

 taxation), quarantine, navigation, lighthouses, etc., coinage, weights and measures, trade 

 marks, copyright and patents; nor on any "reserved matters," including the subject-matter 

 of the Land Purchase Act, Old Age Pensions Act, and National Insurance Act, the collec- 

 tion of taxes, the Royal Irish Constabulary, the Post Office Savings Banks, and Trustee 

 Savings Banks, Friendly Societies, or Irish Public Loans up to date of the Act. Any laws 

 in contravention of these limitations to be void. [In Committee, the question of Trinity 

 College, Dublin, was added to the "reserved" matters.] 



(3) Irish Parliament shall not make any law so as, either directly or indirectly, to 

 establish or endow any religion or prohibit its free exercise, or give a preference or advantage, 

 disability or disadvantage, to any religious belief or status, or make any religious belief or 

 ceremony a condition of the validity of marriage. Any law in contravention of this limita- 

 tion to be void. 



(4) Executive power in Ireland to continue vested in the King. As regards Irish serv- 

 ices, the Lord Lieutenant or other chief executive officers approved in his place shall ex- 

 ercise any prerogative or executive power which may be delegated by the King; this power 

 being exercised through such Irish departments as the Irish Parliament by its own Act may 

 establish, and officers (i.e. ministers) to administer these departments being appointed by 

 the Lord Lieutenant and holding office during his pleasure. Ministers must be members of 

 the Irish Privy CouncU, and of the Irish Parliament (if in office longer than six months). 



(5) After six years' a transfer of the management of the Royal Irish Constabulary shall 

 be made to the Irish Government. Also, if the Irish Parliament so resolves, the public 



