On Thursday, Mr. Bartley moved an amendment preventing the Irish
Legislature from dealing with bounties. Mr. Gladstone's answer was ingenious. The Congested Dis- trict Board has power to grant premiums to encourage various industries in the poorest parts of Ireland. Was it right to prevent the Irish Parliament from continuing a policy sanctioned by the Imperial Parliament ? Mr. Balfour pointed out that there was all the difference in the world between an encouragement sanctioned by the representatives of England and the granting of protective bounties by an Irish Parliament; and Sir John Lubbock showed that " if the Irish Government gave a bounty on the production of whisky they would greatly stimulate the consumption of whisky as against that of imported spirits. But the Excise duty on whisky went into the Irish Exchequer, while the Customs duties on other spirits belonged to the Imperial Exchequer. The effect, therefore, would be to diminish the Imperial and increase the Irish revenue." The amendment was rejected by 288 votes to 252. Later, the Government agreed to words making it clear that the Irish Parliament should have no power over the laws regulating merchant shipping.
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