I beg to move the adjournment of the Dáil until 3 o'clock to-morrow.
RAILWAY POLICY.
I beg to second the motion.
I gave notice that I would raise on the motion for the adjournment the position of the railways, with particular reference to the movement that appears to be afoot for closing down completely the Dundalk, Newry and Greenore Line. The position with regard to this particular railway is that the line is owned by the old London and North Western Company, now the London, Midland and Scottish of Great Britain; and, inasmuch as that particular Company has certain associations in the Saorstát and is receiving certain privileges and benefits through its association with the Saorstát, I think it is due to this country that the Ministry here should have some policy in regard to the probable determination of that Company to close down its services. We have seen during the last few days that certain Governments are afoot to incluce the Northern Government to assist in making Warrenpoint the terminus, the port of call, in place of Greenore. The Government of Northern Ireland has promised, through its Ministers, sympathetic consideration to that suggestion, and sees little difficulty in facilitating the Company to make that change. The Greenore outlet services a considerable portion of the Saorstát. Traffic has been interrupted during the last two or three months by virtue of damage on the line, but, as I understand, efforts have been made to repair that damage, but it seems to be the policy of the Company to close Greenore as the port of outlet, thereby to a considerable extent affecting the travelling facilities as between the Counties of Monaghan and Cavan and the northern parts of the Saorstát. It might be said that traffic would be diverted to Dundalk and that therefore no great harm would arise, but the difficulty there is that to make Dundalk an efficient alternative outlet would mean a great deal of expense, much more than is likely to be undertaken during the next few years. Greenore is deep water at all times, and Dundalk is tidal. I draw attention to this particular case because I think it is necessary to have from the Minister for Industry and Commerce and the President some indication of the views of the Government regarding the railway policy in the Saorstát. If that is the probable view, if you believe that it is going to be to their advantage to discontinue the Greenore route and direct all their attention to the service of their cross-Channel traffic—the Midland, Lancashire and Yorkshire, the London and North Western, as it used to be—from Belfast, then it means there is going to be a considerable loss of traffic and of benefit for the Saorstát by that action. I am raising this question now to direct attention to the fact that this movement is afoot, and to urge upon the Ministry here the necessity of being alive to these movements, and to see to it that the traffic as between Dundalk and Greenore is resumed at the earliest possible moment. I am told that the sailings from Greenore have been reduced recently, and that everything points to an attempt on the part of the London and North Western Company, as it now is, in association with other rail ways in the North-East corner, to divert traffic through Belfast for the benefit of the British railway connections. I ask that the Ministry will take serious notice of this movement, and let the country know at the earliest possible date what their decisions are in regard to railway policy in general.
I wish to join with Deputy Johnson in making this demand. I have put down a question on the Order Paper for to-morrow. I know from information that I have received that what Deputy Johnson has stated is an absolute fact. In fact, I would go further, and say that an attempt is being made to boycott the port of Greenore and the port of Dundalk for the betterment of the port of Belfast. I have no hesitation in saying here that that attempt has the sanction of the Great Northern Railway Company and other Companies in the North. Goods are being diverted from Sligo and Leitrim to Northern County stations and from stations west of Belfast, and are being sent via Clones, so that they will not touch the ports in the Saorstát. If that state of affairs is to be perpetuated, and that the Government here sits idly by while it is being done, and done to the detriment of the Saorstát, it will be a very serious matter. I think, at all events, it is a thing that this Dáil should not allow, because the Railway Companies, as far as I know, at the present time are under a debt to the State. The State has subsidised them and helped them in every way, and I believe that in return for that the people in the Saorstát should get at least fair treatment as far as traffic goes, and no Railway Company should be allowed deliberately to divert traffic from its ordinary channels. Of course, the line from Dundalk to Greenore has been damaged on several occasions, but as far as I know the Company has made no attempt since the last damage was done to have it repaired. Now I do know, and perhaps I may say it deliberately, that the reason the line has not been repaired in that district is that the traffic has been diverted to Newry. Train-loads full of people, who would naturally come to Dundalk every day to do their marketing, are going to Newry. It is a sad state of affairs if a railway company, either big or little, will be allowed to divert traffic in that respect, and to give preference to one part of the country over another. I hope that the Government and the Minister for Commerce will take the matter up seriously with the railway company, and see that they will deal fairly with everybody concerned in the matter. I do not wish to go into some of the details which I have here, but I have no doubt that the information supplied to me in this matter is absolutely true, and that somebody has been trying to do an injury and injustice to the ports within the Free State. I hope that the Ministry and the Government will take a very serious view of this matter, and see that it is remedied before it is too late.
I think there is a good deal to be said in support of what Deputy Hughes has referred to, especially in regard to particular interests in the Great Northern Company being concerned in this business. Some of us have reason to believe that, if there have not been conversations, there have been what amounted to conversations between certain Northern Ministers and certain people connected with the Great Northern Railway for the benefit of areas not inside the Saorstát. As a matter-of-fact, certain things have been said, and certain hints have been thrown out which are decidedly against the interests of the Saorstát. In some cases the matter has gone so far as to suggest an alternative port outside the Saorstát, which is not the port of Belfast. There has always been a considerable amount of traffic from the counties mentioned by both Deputies who have spoken, some going through Belfast, and some through Greenore. It might be well if those citizens in the Free State who send such traffic would consider whether they could not take steps to prevent this exploitation of their traffic against the interests of the Saorstát, because that is what this move over the border amounts to.
I am very glad that Deputy Johnson has raised this subject, because it gives us an opportunity of stating what the position is with regard to this railway question as between Dundalk, Newry, and Greenore, and the position of the Ministry with regard to it. It is not quite correct to say that the Great Northern Railway Company is not endeavouring to re-open the line. This Company has been in communication with the Ministry, and we have made representation to the Minister for Defence that the line from Dundalk to Greenore shall be protected. We are assured that this protection will be immediately forthcoming, and we understand, when the protection is put on, the Great Northern Company will immediately set about effecting the temporary repairs of three bridges at present broken on the line.
Is the Minister correct in saying the Great Northern Railway?
No; it is the Dundalk, Newry and Greenore Railway. This Company did effect temporary repairs to two bridges, but immediately after the repairs were completed the bridges were again destroyed. The Company felt that until adequate protection was afforded it was useless to effect repairs. Until they get protection I feel that we have to agree with them in that decision. Protection is now forthcoming, and I understand repairs will be proceeded with immediately. Perhaps I may here state that the Minister for Defence has intimated that on a demand being made by any Railway Company for protection in any particular area he will take immediate steps to afford protection in that area. On the broader question raised by three Deputies who have spoken, the diversion of traffic, that is not a question of to-day or yesterday; it is a question of long standing. And the Companies which cater for the North of Ireland ports have been endeavouring to capture traffic from the Midland and West of Ireland for years past. It is an old question. The Minister for Industry and Commerce is fully alive to that, and I think I might just state that at a conference which we had with the Railway Companies' representatives three or four weeks ago it was intimated to the representatives of the North of Ireland Companies that we could not tolerate any artificial means being adopted by those Railway Companies to promote the interest of ports outside the Saorstát as against ports within it. The Ministry is fully alive to the position, and we have been keeping in touch with it. At the end of a couple of weeks we shall have to reconsider the whole traffic question. It has the attention of the Ministry, and I am sure the Government is fully alive to the seriousness of the issue raised by the Deputies.
May I ask the Minister whether the promise he has announced, namely, that the Minister for Defence would supply protection to railways, would apply to the Macroom Railway?
The Minister made no restriction.
Is it a new decision?
Yes, we had it to-day.
The Dáil adjourned at 6.45 p.m.