The amount of the Vote which the Minister for Finance has moved, added to the amount taken in the Vote on Account earlier, makes up the full total of £124,009, which is the net sum required under Vote 56 for this year. The sub-heads are set out in the ordinary way, and the explanation, as is usual, given. I wish to call attention to three points, as to which I presume my attention will be directed if I fail to notice them—that is to say, the three sub-divisions of the items which show the greatest increase. The greatest increase is shown in heading A—Salaries, Wages, and Allowances—there being shown there a net increase of £13,233. That is set out in the details of the sub-head later, which will show on examination that that increase is to be accounted for by three sums: a sum of about £2,100, increase in the Secretariat; a sum of about £2,100 odd in the Commerce and Technical Branch, and a sum of about £11,845 in the Statistics side. The explanation of these items is simple.
With regard to the amount of £2,100 for the Secretariat, the explanation is that if certain proposals which are at the moment under consideration go through, a Directorate will disappear from the Industries side and the post of Assistant-Secretary will be created. The new post of Assistant-Secretary is given in the details of sub-head A, page 221. There has now been added to this Vote for the first time the salary of a legal adviser to the Department. This is not a new appointment—neither of the two is a new appointment in the sense of an increase of personnel. It is simply a transfer of officers from one end to another. The salary of the legal adviser was heretofore borne on the Supreme Court Vote, but that officer had been pretty definitely attached to my Department and had been giving full-time work there, and he now appears definitely on the expenditure side of my Department. That item of £2,100 is made up of the post of Assistant-Secretary, who possibly will be a transferred Director from the other side, and, secondly the transfer of the legal adviser's salary from the Supreme Court Vote to this Vote.
On the Commerce and Technical side, there has been an increase of £2,106. That is expenditure incurred, in connection with the payment of staff for preliminary work in respect to the setting-up of the Patent Comptroller's Office, which was established under the Industrial and Commercial Property Act. Deputies will remember that under the terms of that Act there was what amounted to an appointed day for the opening of the office, but certain preliminary work had to be done beforehand, so that the office would be able to deal with the arrears of applications for patents, trade marks and designs when it is actually and officially opened. Certain staff had to be allocated to the office therefore before it was formally opened and an expenditure is set down for the staff at the moment of £2,106.
The largest increase in expenditure has been on the Statistics side, which shows an increase of £11,845. There is at present work proceeding on three different types of census—the census of population, the census of agricultural production, and the census of industrial production. The provision now being made for the census of population amounts to £10,242 out of the increase of £11,845, and the provision made for the other types of census —agricultural production and industrial production—amount to about £1,600.
Deputies will probably be anxious to know what is the actual state of things with regard to the census of population, and what are the prospects with regard to the other two. The census of population was taken in April, 1926. The papers were all returned by the middle of July of that year, and a preliminary report was published in August. The compilation of the detailed figures is now being proceeded with. The work in connection with the compilation of the final figures is very heavy, and has involved in the past year a big increase in, the clerical staff. As their work has been completed, the staff that was engaged on the preliminary work of punching cards with regard to the final figures, with the exception of two who have been retained for certain work which still hangs over, have been disbanded. By means of sorting and counting machines, by which the main bulk of the work of the future will be done, the work of classifying these figures is proceeding, and the classification is done under a varied group of headings. The actual population has to be classified by age, a rough classification for the smallest unit of area—the district electoral division—with a more precise calculation by unit of age for each county. The younger people will have to be then classified with regard to orphanhood conditions, and others by marriageable conditions. There has then to be a classification with regard to Irish, religion, housing conditions, birth-place, occupation, industries, industrial status (employer and employee, and so on), unemployment, size of farm worked by the family, the question as to whether people are married, or widows, or widowers with dependents, and certain family statistics got out with regard to the number of children in each family. Then, of course, these classifications have to be crossed one with the other. The results will be published by subjects. It is proposed to publish different volumes upon each subject, and it is expected that about four or five of these volumes will be published before the end of the year, but the earliest of them need not be expected before the autumn.
The census of industrial production was founded upon the Census Production Order, and in accordance with that all people in the Free State who are carrying on any of the industries, trades or businesses specified in that Order were supplied with questionnaires upon which they were required to furnish certain detailed particulars relating to production during the year 1926. That Order was issued in June to industries classified in about 40 groups. The Schedules upon the questions that had to be replied to were issued in January of this year. Fifteen thousand odd persons, firms, or authorities received these, and the returns were requested to be furnished by 1st March of this year. But a very small proportion of the returns had come in by that time, and reminders have since been issued from time to time, with the result that returns have been received to date from about 11,000 of the 15,000 people or firms. The number outstanding, notwithstanding the reminders sent out, is very large—disappointingly large, even allowing for the fact that it is the first time that a census of production has been taken under the authority of the Oireachtas, and for inexperience in filling returns, and allowing even for mistakes in sending out papers improperly addressed to certain firms and people. Of course, more drastic action will have to be taken if the returns are not furnished by the 4,000 odd firms which still have to supply the returns. However, certain further reminders will be sent out previous to any action of a drastic type being taken.
A scrutiny has already been commenced on the returns received, but no publication of the figures can be thought of until the full returns are received, because until that time the compilation of the final figures cannot be properly approached. The output of agricultural production is also being determined. Inquiries were made from about 30,000 farmers. Special inquiries were addressed to them on the 30th April last. Inquiries of a similar type will be made at the end of August and December, so as to get data to estimate particularly the output of live stock products. That is simply proceeding at the moment. Further similar inquiries will be made from time to time.
The other items that show an increase are smallish items. There is an increase under sub-head F—Fees and Expenses of Medical Referees—which is further defined in the sub-head as fees and expenses payable under the particular section of the Workmen's Compensation Act, to the medical practitioners appointed for the purposes of the Act. It is quite clear that at the best this estimate can only be a conjectural one. One does not know what accidents might occur requiring greater attention and a greater number of visits, much more inspection and much more attention from these people. It varies from year to year, and no precise calculation can be made as to it. It is founded upon the best view that can be taken from the expenditure in past years, taking into consideration the increased number of cases on which these people might be called.
The only other item on the list on. which there has been an increase is in the last sub-head—the Gift from the Free State to the International Labour Office in Geneva. It shows an increase of £150, but, of course, it does not mean that the £450 now being voted is supplementing, and in addition to the £300 voted last year. A sum of £300 was put down last year as the best possible estimate that could be found. It was then conjectural. The sum of £450 is now based on a report that a decision had been come to as to the type of gift, and after an expert in the particular work had been to Geneva and had given his best estimate of what the precise gift would cost. There may have to be further additions made to it later for the cost of sending the gift actually to the office—the transport and the setting up of it—but it will be a very small item. The other items are as they have been explained in previous years, but I would prefer to reply to questions raised later on, rather than enter into an exposition of the details now.