Yesterday at question time I asked the Minister for Agriculture to state the reasons for the action taken by the Government with regard to the closing of the College of Science, and also to state the intention of the Government with regard to the future. A long reply was given by the Minister yesterday, which did not quite clear up some of the points I had in mind, and I intended to raise the matter last night on the adjournment, but Deputy Gavan Duffy got in before me. My object in raising it to-night is to give the Minister an opportunity of clearing up some points in this connection which still are doubtful. We were told yesterday that the College of Science was closed for military reasons. I do not wish to go into that. If the military advisers of the Government have said it was necessary to close the College of Science for military reasons, they are the best judges, but to the ordinary lay mind this necessity is not so apparent. It is said that it was necessary for the protection of the Provisional Government that the College should be closed, but to anybody who knows the situation of these buildings, it would seem that there would be equal necessity for the protection of the Government to close the houses upon the opposite side of Merrion Street. It may be said, of course, there is a certain element of danger from the military point of view in allowing four or five hundred students to go into a college—into the grounds— from Merrion Street side, but I am informed that it is possible to have an entrance from Kildare Street, and to shut off the college buildings altogether from the quadrangle of the College of Science. However, that is not the main question, and it would certainly to my mind be more convincing, and I would be more convinced, as to the military necessity, if we had the assurance that this building with its splendidly-equipped laboratories and classrooms was not being used as offices of the Provisional Government. Now, if it was looking for accommodation the Government were, I suggest that accommodation could be got otherwise than by commandeering this splendidly equipped building of the College of Science. They might have gone and commandeered some of the hotels, although they are pretty scarce now, but we have a large number of picture houses that they might have commandeered for this purpose. Now, a statement has been issued on behalf of the students this afternoon, and it is to my mind so important that I will read it in order to give the Minister an opportunity of saying whether it is correct or not. This is an extract from that statement:
"It is learned this afternoon that the Board of Works has prepared plans for the complete internal reconstruction of the College of Science, and that these alterations are being put in hand immediately."
I want to know whether that is true or not. If it is true, it seems to me that in spite of the implication contained in the Minister's statement yesterday, the Government are already prejudging the question of the continuance of the College of Science. If it is not true, I am sure the Minister will be glad of the opportunity of publicly denying the statement. In his statement yesterday, the Minister referred to the reconstruction of the College of Science. I am not quite clear, because I have not been able to gather from the statement exactly what we are to understand by the proposed reconstruction of the College of Science. He says, when it is reconstructed it will be reconstructed in accordance with the merits of the case. I trust he will throw some light upon that matter of the reconstruction of the College. It is alleged that there is a duplication of work, as between the College of Science and the Universities. That may be so, but to my mind it is not a sufficient reason for closing up this institution. If the same kind of work is being carried on in the universities, it is possible that there is room for both, and my information is, that institutions similar to the College of Science are found in most progressive countries. I have been further told—it may not be the case, but in any case the statement has been made —that the students from the National University, especially third and fourth years' pupils, doing their engineering course, have been sent from the Universities to the College of Science, because there are better opportunities in the College of Science than exist in the Universities. Now, there is the question of the rights of the students and the rights of the staff, and I think the students as a whole were taken rather short. Advertisements appeared, I understand, in the Press that the College would open in the ordinary way, and it was only when they had come up to town that they were told they must find accommodation elsewhere, and they have since had a certain amount of knocking about from one building to another and a very great deal of dissatisfaction exists and to my mind with a great deal of justice. What I am concerned with really, is the intention of the Government with regard to the future of this College, and whether it is their intention, when the military necessity has disappeared, to revert to the status-quo. There is a very large volume of opinion, I submit, in this country, anxious that the College of Science should continue as at present, and I think no decision should be taken without very great care and very great consideration to discontinue this institution. I would further be glad if the Minister would say what exactly is the position of the staff of the College—whether their salaries are to be paid; whether it is the intention to get rid of them, or whether they are to carry on their work still in other quarters that have been found for them. I wish to say again, that my object in raising the matter is more to get these things cleared up publicly than otherwise, and I suggest that on the points I have raised that the Minister will clear them up.