It will be seen that a very wide sphere of usefulness was thus opened
out for the new Department in two distinct ways. The consolidation,
under one authority, of many scattered but co-related functions was
clearly a move in the right direction. Upon this part of its
recommendations the Recess Committee had no difficulty in coming to a
quick decision. But the real importance of their Report lay in the
direction of the new work which was to be assigned to the Department.
Under the new order of things, if the Department, acting with as well as
for the people, succeeds in doing well what legitimately may and ought
to be done by the Government towards the development of the resources of
the country, and, at the same time, as far as possible confines its
interference to helping the Irish people to help themselves, a wholly
new spirit will be imported into the industrial life of the nation.

The very nature of the work which the Department was called into
existence to accomplish made it absolutely essential that it should keep
in touch with the classes whom its work would most immediately affect,
and without whose active co-operation no lasting good could be achieved.
The machinery for this purpose was provided by the establishment of a
Council of Agriculture and two Boards, one of the latter being concerned
with agriculture, rural industries, and inland fisheries, the other with
technical instruction. These representative bodies, whose constitution
is interesting as a new departure in administration, were adapted from
similar continental councils which have been found by experience, in
those foreign countries which are Ireland's economic rivals, to be the
most valuable of all means whereby the administration keeps in touch
with the agricultural and industrial classes, and becomes truly
responsive to their needs and wishes.

The Council of Agriculture consists of two members appointed by each
County Council (Cork being regarded as two counties and returning four
members), making in all sixty-eight persons. The Department also appoint
one half this number of persons, observing in their nomination the same
provincial proportions as obtained in the appointments by the popular
bodies. This adds thirty-four members, and makes in all one hundred and
two Councillors, in addition to the President and Vice-President of the
Department, who are _ex-officio_ members. Thus, if all the members
attended a Council meeting, the Vice-Preside