Cost Advantage Quotes
1st Earl of Strafford. Although Strafford was a terrible ruler of Ireland and was hated by most, he did stimulate the development of the linen trade for which Ireland later became so famous. Most rulers of the time were not that interested in economic development, but he was. Holland and France were then the leaders in producing fine linen. Globalization was even then a factor in international trade. Strafford took advantage of the fertile lands of Ireland, and the abundant supply of cheap labor to import the finest Dutch seed and have Ireland plant thousands of acres of linen flax. He invested his own money also in order to get the industry started, and although the first production were viewed as cheap imitations of Dutch and French linen, soon the creativity and industry of the Irish produced an even better product and Ireland became the world leader of linen production.
