I have few dates yet identified for these; I suspect that at least some of them were co-operative movement oriented (Desmond Greaves has mentioned apocryphally in this connection a link with one O'Brien Hishin somewhere in Co Clare); they probably expand on, or were a 'dry run' for, the 'Groundwork' ideas.

There are records in the Barrington Trust minutes as follows:

1921-22: 'Mr Johnston delivered lectures in these years, but owing to the disturbed state of the country in the latter part of 1922 and in 1923 (there were problems) in having regular courses, and in 1923 they were discontinued.'

1924: 'In this year Mr Johnston instituted classes in his rooms in Trinity College for working men. They were well attended and in July at a meeting which I attended papers were read by three members of his class, and a discussion followed. Mr Thomas Johnson, the Leader of the Labour Party in the Dail, was in the chair.... The classes were continued in the autumn...'

It seems that these Dublin lectures continued in 1925, but by 1926 JJ successfully had made arrangements to set them up locally outside Dublin. There is among JJ's papers however some correspondence, relating to this, which I am placing on record here. The first is a latter, dated 23 September 1925, to Col JM Mitchell, Secretary of the UK Carnegie Trust, in Dunfermline, Scotland:

"I understand that my friend Mr Poynton has written to you on the subject of the position recently vacated by Mr Lennox Robinson. If there is any question of filling that position again I would like to offer myself as a candidate.

"The establishment of the Irish Free State has made more important than ever the task of creating a public opinion capable of appreciating the economic issues which are constantly being presented to us by our legislators. By means of its circulating libraries the Carnegie UK Trust has already done invaluable work in this, as in other, directions.

"For the last four years I have held the position of Barrington Lecturer in Economics. The Barrington Trust is a century-old Trust. The function of the Barrington Lecturer is to give lectures on Social Economics in 'the towns and villages of Ireland'. I have felt for some time that the value of these lectures was diminished because they were not preceded and followed by a course of appropriate reading on the part of those forming the audiences or classes.

"I have also felt that the efforts of the Carnegie Trust to create a reading public in rural Ireland would be assisted if the Library movement were more closely associated with an Institution like the Barrington Trust, which makes it possible for at least one Lecturer to give lectures or hold classes in out of the way places. Latterly, under the auspices of the Barrington Trust, I have been holding classes for non-university students in Dublin, but it is my intention to make a fresh start in the rural districts after the end of the present calendar year. It was also my intention to choose those districts where the Library movement had been most successful, with a view to the closer co-ordination of the work of the two Trusts.

"As things now stand, the conditions of co-ordination would appear to be automatically secured if the Barrington Lecturer were himself placed in charge of the arrangements for the circulation of books.

"If you think that the suggestions contained in this letter are worthy of more intimate discussion you will, I am sure, arrange an interview at some time and place that suit your convenience. I could not go to Dunfermline before December, but perhaps you will be in Dublin before then...".

Colonel Mitchell replied negatively, on the basis that County Library legislation now existed, and the role of the Trust had been taken over by the local authorities. He did however offer to communicate with the Librarians where the Carnegie Trust libraries existed, namely, Antrim, Fermanagh, Galway, Londonderry, Kilkenny, Sligo, Tipperary, Tirconaill, Wexford, Wicklow.

JJ replied to this, taking up the offer of using the Carnegie network for contacting County Librarians. He must have felt that a direct approach from himself as from TCD would have been in danger of rejection. In the letter he quantified his input to the process: twenty five lectures per year, to be delivered anywhere they were likely to be appreciated. He had identified the Carnegie areas as being perhaps more culturally developed, and in a position to benefit from lectures in political economy.

He went on to specify the time-constraints due to his TCD work: 12 December 1925 to 10 January 1926, 23 March to 10 April, 6 July to 30 September 1926. He had received a letter of invitation from Mr McSweeney of the Kilkenny Library. He went on to ask for contact with the librarians of Tipperary, Wexford and Wicklow.

The Colonel replied to this that he had done so, but went on to say that from then on it should be a matter for the County Committees; he wanted to distance the Carnegie Trust from the process: '..in the case of Lectures dealing with subjects like Economics and Social Science, which can hardly be treated in such a way - especially nowadays in Ireland - as not to appear to some section of the public to be propagandist. This would be absolutely fatal to the Trustees' power to help in Ireland. Already, as a result of misapprehensions which to an outsider appear inconceivable, they have been the target of patently unjust vituperation in certain quarters.'

There are pencilled notes by JJ: 'is not co-operation propagandist & has not the Trust come down heavily on the side of co-operation?' and also 'evidently Ireland is now in Col M's black books'.

There is a later letter from the Colonel to the effect that he had heard from Miss Josephine M Walsh of Wexford, who expressed interest. He urged JJ to get in touch directly and gave the address. So the Wexford series was set up successfully; there is a copy of a notice issued by the Wexford County Council, advertising a short course of Lectures in Economics, organised by the Library Service, in the Town Hall, the first one on "Some Consequences of Economic Law" being fixed for Thursday March 8 at 8pm.

There is also a page setting out the topics for what look like a series of six lectures, along lines somewhat similar to the Table of Contents of the 'Groundwork', though differing in detail. It seems he hoped to give the series cohesively in the one location, and the purpose was didactic. Later, in the 30s, the lectures tended to be more critical and controversial on current affairs, and to be one-shot local events in various places.

If and when I can identify further dates and locations I may follow this up, although there are indications from JJ later, during his Seanad period, that he was somewhat dismissive of these earlier efforts to bring enlightenment to the plain people of Ireland, admitting that he had trouble in filling the halls.

There is also a handwritten letter from Manliffe Barringdon dated 24/03/26, thanking JJ and enclosing a cheque for £25. He goes on as follows: "I saw your name on the Commission to investigate food prices. I think the necessaries of life, food, fuel, boots, clothes etc are dearer here than almost anywhere else, and the Protectionists want to make them dearer still!". The Barrington ethos was primarily free-trade economic liberalism and JJ was trying to make this work in the Irish interest, without invoking protectionism, by stressing the potential for co-operative enterprise organisation.

Outside the framework of the Barrington Trust there are letters relating to JJ's outreach work in the 20s, as follows:

September 24 and 28, 1925: from Louis Bennett, Secretary of the Women Workers' Union; this was an attempt, in the context of the coal dispute, with a view to mediation, '..to get three or four men such as yourself, outside the Labour Movement, but interested in the working classes of Dublin, to come together and consider if they could intervene in this dispute, and at least secure a truce between the two conflicting Unions..'. She had also asked Rev John Flanagan, Rev Denham Osborne and Mr RM Tweedy to meet her and two colleagues, and she wanted JJ to help. Nothing seems to have come of this mediation attempt.

September 26 1925: from John Busteed in Cork seeking to enlist JJ as a judge in an essay competition organised by the Cork Chamber of Commerce, for the most constructive proposal for income tax.

October 20 1925: from Michael P Linehan, Irish National Teachers Organisation, expressing doubt about the attendance of Trade Union officials at JJ's autumn course of lectures, given that the TUC was organising its own course.

November 12 1925: from PJ Tuohy, General Secretary of the Irish Fishermens's Association, seeking JJ's participation in a public meeting on Wednesday December 2 '..to focus public attention on the very unsatisfactory position of the Irish fishing industry... to review what has been done... to organise public opinion behind the just demands... particularly on behalf of a few important ports where the need is especially acute. The main speaker would be Col Maurice Moore, who was one of the vice-Presidents; the other was Thomas O'Donnell BL. The President was Rev CP White PP, and the treasurer was Prof EP Culverwell, TCD.

JJ went to this, and took out non-fisherman supportive membership for £1; there is a membership card, and a book of rules, which promote '..the benefits of combination in the sale of their produce, and the purchase of nets and gear...'. There was a standing committee named in the Rules for 1925-6, with groupings in the Dublin, Cork, Galway, Wicklow, Kerry, Louth and Donegal areas. They had an office at 5 North Earl St, Dublin. This was a serious organisation, and the fact that people like JJ and Culverwell were welcome supporters is an indication that the momentum of 'Protestant radical co-operativism' had persisted since the Home Rule period and had survived the burning of Plunkett's house by the 'irregulars'.

JJ did some reviewing for the Irish Statesman in 1925-26, including a book by Foster and Catchings Profits. This was picked up by one WH Wakinshaw, in Newcastle on Tyne; it had been sent him by one of the authors. Wakinshaw wrote a letter to JJ, as follows, enclosing a copy of a polemical book he had written, The Golden Crucifixion of John Bull:

12 Lovaine Crescent, Newcastle-on-Tyne, 5/7/27

Dear Sir: I have read with much interest your review of Profits, of which review a copy has been sent me by Dr WT Foster, of the Pollak Foundation.

For some time I have been in correspondence with Dr Foster, upon an original analysis of my own of production and finance, and after reading your review I am enclosing herewith the analysis developed at length in the pamphlet The Golden Crucifixion of John Bull. The thesis in it is confirmed, from an entirely different angle, both by Profits and Business without a Buyer, though Foster and Catchings do not specifically touch on my analysis.

I should be interested in any criticisms you may care to offer upon the pamphlet, for having had an Oxford training myself, I am quite convinced that orthodox economics is so hopeless largely because it is dominated by people who seem to have no idea of what should be its philosophical structure etc. Hence we have attempted in the pamphlet, first, to work in the new logic and scheme of thought necessary as the intellectual weapon to grasp, secondly, the practical organisation and remedies we have enunciated.

Perhaps I may add, not irrelevantly, that I have had 8 years in Vickers, the Lux Soap Combine, and a food import house, while my colleague has been twice that period with such people as Fairfield, Clarke Chapman, Palmers and other big engineering firms, including some time with the Inchcape interests after 2 years at the Admiralty. That is why it is perhaps difficult even to feign courtesy over the rubbish people like Stamp and others write about Production and Wealth!

I am, yours faithfully, WH Wakinshaw.

This polemic by a pair of amateur economists writing from the perspective of productive industry, and against the stranglehold of financial orthodoxy, contains concepts which are proto-Keynesian, in that they call for conscious control of the money supply by the State, with demand management in the service of the community. They also prefigure JJ's later 'consumer demand theory of credit'. Regrettably JJ did not keep a copy of his reply.

Some navigational notes:

Copyright Dr Roy Johnston 1999