Letter from John R. Johnson to Lord Wimborne, 18 November, 1915 Letters 1916-1923 John R. Johnson

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This is a letter from John R. Johnson to Ivor Churchill Guest (1873-1939). Johnson is aware that Kerry County Council has made, or is about to make, a written submission to the Lord Lieutenant requesting him to change the criteria for appointment of members to the management committee of the Tralee and Dingle Light Railway. The letter suggests that the County Council has appointed its own members, who are not qualified, to the management committee, and are now trying to legitimise the appointments.Ivor Churchill Guest, 1st Viscount Wimborne was appointed the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland in 1915. Guest worked closely alongside Sir Matthew Nathan (1862-1939) in the administration of Ireland. Following the suppression of the Rising, Guest, under pressure, was forced to resign as Lord Lieutenant. A later inquiry into the Rising exonerated Guest and held Augustine Birrell (1850-1933) chiefly responsible for the events that occurred. Guest would continue to serve as Lord Lieutenant until 1918.

 National Archives of Ireland Chief Secretary's Office Registered Papers, CSO RP/1916/19612/1 https://letters1916.ie/item/418 English John R. Johnson 1915-11-18 Kilquane, Dingle, County Kerry, Ireland Ivor Churchill Guest Male Industry and Public Administration

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 Kilquane, Dingle Nov. 18th 1915 To His Excellency The Lord Lieutenant of Ireland May it please Your Excellency to be informed that a resolution of the County Council of Kerry has been or is about to be forwarded to you praying that Your Excellency might be induced to amend or remove from the order in Council which governs the qualifications etc. of membership of the Committee of management of the Tralee & Dingle Light Railway anything that would prevent the members of the said Co. Council from sitting & acting on the said Committee. As Your Excellency may see from the said order in Council a member must have at least £20 valuation must be resident in the Guarrantyingarea in order to be elligible for membership on that Com mittee. Nothing would be easier than to find in the Guarrantying area men possessing the above qualifications and those men would be most willing to act as members of this Committee to safeguard their own pockets if selected by the County Council: the Tralee & Dingle Railway 30 miles or so in length and under the control of the present Committee of management in the year 1914 there was a difficiency of £5500- It was by reason of this allarmingdifficiency that this action of Moriarty versus O'Donnell was brought to the Kings Bench Court which decided that O'Donnell was wrong in so far as he was a paid officer, being in receipt of a Salary together with a free pass over this line which is the gift of the County Council of which he was a member; Now the County Council have begged of Your Excellency by resolution to continue them on this committee so that they may use the said railway for their own interest and to the financial detriment of the Ratepayers of West Kerry. Please see cutting from Kerry Paper enclosed This Committee consists of six members and only three (3) of the six have the necessary valuation namely £20. I trust Your Excellency being given the above facts will abstain in the interest of the over taxed ratepayers from altering the order referred to, to suit the convenience of those Gentlemen who want this railway for their own use and purpose. That Your Excellency will leave the order in Council as it stands and relieve the ratepayers of a burthen for which they will forever continue to bless Your Excellency. With apologies for troubling Your Excellency at such length I remain your obt. servant John R. Johnson R.D.C. Kilquane, Dingle, County Kerry, Ireland Letter from John R. Johnson to Lord Wimborne, 18 November, 1915 John R. Johnson Letter from John R. Johnson to Lord Wimborne, 18 November, 1915 Ivor Churchill Guest Letter from James Patrick Farrell to Lord Wimborne, 27 March 1916Letter from W. H. M. Cobbe to Lord Wimborne, 29 April 1916Letter from 'a loyal subject' to Lord Wimborne, 30 April 1916Letter from William Sheehan to Lord Wimborne, 26 May 1916Letter from David G. Curtin to Lord Wimborne, 25 March 1916Letter from John R. Johnson to Lord Wimborne, 18 November, 1915Letter from 'A Loyal Subject' to Lord Wimborne, undated, circa 22 November, 1915Letter from Patrick H. O'Brien to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, 20 June 1916Letter from the Town Clerk, Blackrock, County Dublin, to Lord Wimborne, 20 April 1916Letter from Major J. Crean to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, 4 May 1916Letter from M. Bonham Carter to Lord Wimborne, 19 February 1916Letter from Edward Marsh to Lord Wimborne, 13 May 1916Letter from Patrick O'Brien to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, 21 June 1916Letter from Reginald Le Normand Brabazon, the Earl of Meath, to Lord Wimborne, 7 February 1916Letter from the Earl of Shaftsbury to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, 31 December 1915Letter from John Butler to Lord Wimborne, 15 November 1915Letter from Nicholas Nally to the Lord Lieutenant, 17 May 1916Letter from Lord Wimborne to Sir John Maxwell, 1 May 1916.Letter from Lord Wimborne to Sir John Maxwell, 1 May 1916Letter from Lord Wimborne to Sir John Maxwell, 3 May 1916Letter from William M. Nolan to Lord Wimborne, 13 March 1916Letter from Thomas G. Buchanan to Lord Wimborne, 19 May 1916Letter from Jones McKenna to Lord Wimborne, 21 August 1916Letter from Hanoria Shanahan to the Lord Lieutenant, Lord Wimborne, 29 March 1916Letter from Peter Molloy to Lord Wimborne, 29 January 1916Letter from Lord Wimborne to Sir John Maxwell, 29 April 1916