Let me give the final survey of Anglo-Irish finance since the Union, in the tabular form shown by Professor Oldham at the meeting of the British Association in September, 1911: 

NET BALANCES PAID BY IRELAND TO GREAT BRITAIN.

Single      Irish “True”   Expenditure      Balance       Decadal
Year.         Revenue.     in Ireland.      One Year.       Balance. 
L              L              L              L
1819-20      5,256,564      1,564,880      3,691,684     36,916,840
1829-30      5,502,125      1,345,549      4,156,576     41,565,760
1839-40      5,415,889      1,789,567      3,626,322     36,263,220
1849-50      4,861,465      2,247,687      2,613,778     26,137,780
1859-60      7,700,334      2,304,334      5,396,000     53,960,000
1869-70      7,426,332      2,938,122      4,488,210     44,882,100
1879-80      7,280,856      4,054,549      3,226,307     32,263,070
1889-90      7,734,678      5,057,708      2,676,970     26,769,700
1899-1900    8,664,500      6,980,000      1,684,500     16,845,000

Averaged Balances for 90 years    315,603,470
Add, Actual Balances, 1900-09      16,214,000

Net Payments, in 99 years    331,817,470
Deduct Drawings, deficit of 1909-10   2,357,500

Net Payments, in 100 years   329,459,970
Add, Actual Balance, 1910-11          321,000

Net Balances paid by Ireland to Great Britain, 1809-1911 329,780,970

What has become of Sir David Barbour’s argument in favour of the existing fiscal system?  He admitted that Ireland was overtaxed by two millions and three-quarters.  But he showed, it will be remembered, that if not only the revenue, but the expenditure and contribution to Imperial services had all been in proportion to Ireland’s real taxable capacity of one-twentieth, she would have been a loser by a million.[117] Ireland, therefore, he argued, had certainly no grievance, while Great Britain received the substantial, though not strictly sufficient, sum of two millions as Ireland’s contribution to Imperial expenses.

Let us apply the same reasoning to the present situation.  Ireland, by hypothesis, is “overtaxed” by three millions,[118] but if not only the revenue, but the expenditure and contribution to Imperial services of Ireland were all in proportion to her real taxable capacity, which we may estimate now at one-twenty-fifth, we find that she would be a loser by five millions.  Her “true” revenue from all sources ought on this supposition to be L6,605,900; it is L10,032,000.  Her local expenditure ought to be L2,875,540; it is L11,344,500.  Her contribution to Imperial services ought to be L3,730,360; it is a minus quantity of L1,312,500.  Sir David Barbour’s reasoning, then, leads us to this astounding paradox, that Ireland, while overtaxed by three millions, gains five millions by the arrangement.  Moreover, whether we accept Sir David Barbour’s reasoning or not, it is a fact that to-day Ireland,