THE IRELAND OF TO-DAY. 27 



as " labourers." Moreover, the Irish industries 

 in question are mostly minor industries with 

 small capital, or such as supply local needs — for 

 instance, building firms, clothing factories, &c. 

 The most important industry is perhaps the 

 traffic business, which employs altogether 58,566 

 persons. 



^ In the first rank are the railways. Ireland 

 is a land of private lines ; there are about thirty 

 private companies, the network of which is about 

 3,214 English miles in length. Their work- 

 ing capital amounted in 1902 to about forty 

 millions. The excess of the receipts over the 

 expenses was 1-58 millions, producing an interest 

 therefore of exactly 4 per cent. The Irish rail- 

 ways are in the main passenger lines. Of the 

 gross receipts two millions were brought in by 

 the passenger traffic, and the rest of the receipts 

 is divided as follows : — 



Whilst in England an income of fifty-seven 

 millions from goods transport is balanced by an 

 income of 2>5'4 millions from passenger traffic, 

 the relation between the two in Ireland is as 



^ For the following, see " Ireland, Agricultural and Indus- 

 trial," edited by W. P. Coyne, pp. 73 e^ seq.^ and Railway 

 Statistics ; the Census Report has been also used here, as in 

 other places. 



