THE AGRARIAN REFORM OF 1903. 129 



must rather aim at producing more than she does, 

 and producing it more cheaply. Through her 

 lack of capital and of technical training this can 

 only be done by means of co-operative associa- 

 tions. Only by co-operation can the methods 

 of modern production be made available for 

 farmers who, at best, are only just above the 

 rank of cottiers. The Irish peasant must raise 

 the productivity of his holding by means of co- 

 operative organization, and must give up trusting 

 solely to the gains, in the way of land legislation, 

 which can be won for him at the game of politics. 

 In a country so undeveloped as Ireland it was 

 surely the duty of the State to promote produc- 

 tion, but it could only fulfil this duty with success 

 when the producers also bestirred themselves. 



In 1899 this policy had led to the creation of 

 the Irish Department of Agriculture, and on the 

 other side had by 1903 brought about the estab- 

 lishment of over 800 co-operative associations 

 with a membership of 80,000 and a turn-over of 

 two millions sterling. But it had also put the 

 Irish problem in a new light before the English 

 people. Here for the first time was an Irish 

 movement which was ready to embrace all 

 classes, and which had no essential hostility to 

 any person — for the complaints of the small Irish 

 shopkeepers naturally went unheeded in a country 

 where co-operative institutions were so highly 

 developed as in England. Here was a move- 

 ment which demanded from Parliament no new 

 division of the yearly surplus, but simply aimed 



K 



