WHILE the Dublin Press is wailing over the sorry plight of the farmers in the South, who have in many instances no crops to save – and for those that have, there is no means of saving it – the farmers of the North are having a very prosperous season.

All the crops have been put in as usual and will be saved, unless some catastrophe befall them.

In addition, the large military and police forces are giving strong impetus to trade, and money is not so scarce as it would otherwise have been.

In Enniskillen, as much as £1 per week is being paid for one room.

Into the pockets of the farmers direct, through the acting as Special Constables, the Fermanagh farmers are getting from England a free gift of £35,000 annually in hard cash.

To Enniskillen town, the military mean the circulation of at least £1,000 per week; and Lisnaskea has never had more prosperous times, as it is estimated £500 weekly is spent in this small town.

Irvinestown and Pettigo are benefitting similarly.

In addition to all this there is spent by the A Class Special Constabulary in the county at least another £1,200 a week.

All the provisions for this force are bought locally, this money circulates, and extra employment given.

It must be remembered that all these thousands of pounds are a free gift from the British Treasury, and adding up all these sums, which are moderate estimates, it will be found that County Fermanagh is benefitting yearly to the extent of:

Hard cash £35,000

Trade £166,400

Small industries are lauded, but what industry could equal these huge sums?

Never was the county more prospersous.

As part of the Free State, it would by this time have been in bankruptcy.