Horace Plunkett - Expanding Co-operation

Expanding Co-operation

Already in 1892 he had felt compelled to abandon his non-political attitude, and at the general election in July 1892 he was elected as Irish Unionist Alliance Member of Parliament (MP) for South County Dublin. Continuing, however, his policy of conciliation, Plunkett suggested in August 1895 that a few prominent persons of various political opinions both nationalist and unionist should meet to discuss and frame a scheme of practical legislation in pursuing national development and to make recommendations on the Agriculture and Industries (Ireland) Bill of 1897. The outcome of this proposal was the formation of the Recess Committee with Plunkett as chairman, which included men of such divergent views as the Earl of Mayo, John Redmond, The O'Conor Don and Thomas Sinclair. In July 1896, the Recess Committee issued a report, of which Plunkett was the author, containing valuable accounts of the systems of state aid to agriculture and of technical instruction in foreign countries. This report, and the growing influence of Plunkett, who became a member of the Irish Privy Council in 1897, led to the passing of an Act in 1899 which established a Department of Agriculture and Technical Instruction (DATI) for Ireland, of which the Chief Secretary for Ireland was to be president ex officio. Plunkett was appointed vice-president, a position of de facto leadership which gave him control of the department's operations. He guided the policy and administration of the department in its first seven critical years.

The DATI worked :

• To improve the quality of crops and livestock
• To deal with animal and plant disease
• To encourage fishing and planting of forests
• To collect statistics on many aspects of Irish life.

By 1914 the Department had 138 instructors travelling the country, informing farmers of new methods in agriculture, horticulture and poultry keeping.

The start of the 20th century was a high water-mark in Plunket’s achievements. The IAOS was flourishing and vigorous. In 1903 there were 370 dairy societies, 201 co-operative banks and 146 agricultural societies under the auspices of thee IAOS, and by 1914 there were over 1,000 societies and nearly 90,000 members.

But hard-line Unionists considered him too conciliatory and cost him his seat at the general election In October 1900 by putting up a candidate to split the unionist vote.

It had been intended that the vice-president should be responsible for the department in the House of Commons, but an extensively signed memorial, supported by the Agricultural Council, prayed that he might not be removed from office, and at the government's request he continued to direct the policy of the department without a seat in parliament. He was created Knight Commander of the Royal Victorian Order in 1903.