DEBATES ON REPORTS. - FISHERIES.
The Report of the Department of Fisheries was proposed for adoption by the DIRECTOR OF FISHERIES and seconded by the SUBSTITUTE MINISTER FOR LABOUR.
J. MACENTEE (Monaghan, South) thought the Report on the West Carbery Fishing Society should not be passed over by the Dáil without some strictures on the Department. There must have been a great lack of supervision either on the part of the Bank or the Fishery Department. It was not a sufficient excuse to say that the management of the Society was indifferent. He complained that there was no detailed scheme put forward for the organisation of the Home Market, and asked the Department to inform them more definitely what it proposed to do.
The MINISTER FOR FINANCE explained that the Bank merely acted as the agent of the Government and was not responsible in any way for the supervision of the Society. The position now was that the Bank had advanced £12,000, and allowing for the insurance to be recovered they would be faced with a deficit of about £7,000. Against that there was stock which was valued in the Balance Sheet at £5,000, but it was not likely to realise that amount. The other Fishing Societies, from the financial point of view, were working well enough. He agreed with the Deputy for South Monaghan that there was not enough expert supervision.
The DIRECTOR OF FISHERIES said that the man whom the Society appointed as Manager was not a desirable man and did not carry out the work on co-operative lines. It should be borne in mind that last year was very unstable from the Fish trade point of view; all fish buyers in the South and West of Ireland lost heavily on the year's trading. The whole question of the development of the Irish Fisheries was one that should be taken up on broad National lines.
The Report was then adopted.