itute in Cork, both
institutions for teaching practical agriculture, were, as a matter of
course, handed over from the Board of National Education.

The desirability of bringing order and simplicity into these branches of
administration, where co-related action was not provided for before, was
obvious. A few years ago, to take a somewhat extreme case, when a
virulent attack of potato disease broke out which demanded prompt and
active Governmental intervention, the task of instructing farmers how to
spray their potatoes was shared by no fewer than six official or
semi-official bodies. The consolidation of administration effected by
the Act, in addition to being a real step towards efficiency and
economy, relieved the Chief Secretary of an immense amount of detailed
work to which he could not possibly give adequate personal attention,
and made it possible for him to devote a greater share of his time to
the larger problems of general Irish legislation and finance.

The newly created powers of the Department, which were added to and
co-ordinated with the various pre-existing functions of the several
departments whose consolidation I have mentioned above, fairly fulfilled
the recommendation of the Recess Committee that the Department should
have 'a wide reference and a free hand.' These powers include the
aiding, improving, and developing of agriculture in all its branches;
horticulture, forestry, home and cottage industries; sea and inland
fisheries; the aiding and facilitating of the transit of produce; and
the organisation of a system of education in science and art, and in
technology as applied to these various subjects. The provision of
technical instruction suitable to the needs of the few manufacturing
centres in Ireland was included, but need not be dealt with in any
detail in these pages, since, as I have said before, the questions
connected therewith are more or less common to all such centres and have
no specially Irish significance.

For all the administrative functions transferred to the new Department
moneys are, as before, annually voted by Parliament. Towards the
fulfilment of the second purpose mentioned above--the development of the
resources of the country upon the principles of the Recess Committee--an
annual income of L166,000, which was derived in about equal parts from
Irish and imperial sources, and is called the Department's Endowment,
together with a capital sum of about L200,000, were provided.