At the same time that we sent out those orders, and when a good many of us had ceased to supply the milk, we sent a deputation up here to Dublin to the Government— that is the part of the Government that had remained loyal to the Treaty, and who were then in control of the country. On certain statements which, I believe, were made at that interview, I largely base the claim which I make here, that compensation should be granted to the farmers. I have the word of one responsible member of the deputation on behalf of the farmers. One of the Ministers, when asked if the Government could see their way to compensate the farmers if the farmers refused to supply the milk, said: "We are in a position to compensate." Relying on this partial promise, these men went down to the country, and word was spread that if the farmers did cease to supply that there was a reasonable chance that the matter would be taken up by the Government, and that compensation would be granted. Meanwhile, the matter went on. Those workers, or revolutionaries, or Irregulars remained in possession of these creameries and continued to work these creameries, working them with the supply of milk they got. They continued to interfere with the sale of the milk and the milk products of those farmers who had refused to supply them. I saw, myself, in the streets of Clonmel, butter taken in by the farmers' wives, seized by the Red Flaggers, and strewn about the street. I say that the farmers were prevented and intimidated so that they could not sell their butter. All kinds of efforts were made to prevent the farmers carrying on their business in the usual manner. Night raids were made on farmers' houses, their separators were broken, and their dairy utensils were smashed up. Armed men in lorries appeared in the markets in Co. Waterford, and elsewhere, and intimidated the farmers.
The question may be asked: was that movement an Irregular movement; had it any connection with the movement of the Party that called itself the Republican Party? There are Deputies here who are in a much better position than I to give the inside view in that regard; but my view is, that it was connected, and directly connected, with the movement of the Irregulars. We do know that some of the responsible leaders in my county had given it a good deal of their moral support. We do know that those men who took over the creameries were supplied with coal and other articles from the Barracks, which were then under the command of the Irregular leaders. In justice to some of those leaders—some who have since died for the cause they supported— they repudiated it. At the same time it is evident to anybody that some of the Irregular leaders were willing to support any movement which might make it difficult for the Government then in power to control the country, and if they did not give the taking over of creameries their active support they, at least, gave it tacit support.
The creameries remained in possession of the men who took them over forcibly, and the farmers in practically all cases had to leave their milk at home. Some of them manufactured butter with the object of using it; others had to spill the milk in the fields. It is a fact that in the neighbourhood of some farm houses, on account of the milk being continually spilled on the ground, nuisances were caused, and the thing became a danger to the health of the farmers. This claim which we are making is not one that we cannot substantiate with figures. We have got an accurate account from all the farmers of their losses. We have detailed accounts from each farmer stating the loss suffered and the number of gallons of milk that had to be wasted. I am willing to submit that statement of losses to the Government if they will receive it with any kind of intention of dealing with the matter in a genuine fashion.
The state of affairs I have described continued until eventually, at the time those counties came under the control of the Government forces, the creameries went back again into the hands of the original owners, not before, however, as was the case in some places, they had been destroyed. A creamery in Tipperary, valued at £100,000, was burned down. It is well known that this creamery was in the possession of the Irregular forces, and was being used as a munition factory. It is known that munitions were manufactured there, and large quantities of arms were stored there. Incidentally I might mention that the lives of those connected with the farmers' movement were endangered during this period. Serious attempts were made to take my life, and a serious attempt was made to take the life of one of the managers in Clonmel, Mr. Reidy. He was taken prisoner, and was held for several days. The condition of affairs was that the farmers who suffered those great losses were in many cases purely dairy farmers. They lost their produce for one whole dairy year, and the year following was not much of an improvement, because some of them lost the value of a certain proportion of their products owing to the closing of Messrs. Cleeve's creameries, which was possibly due to the Red Flag menace of last year.
Now, the Government insists that these men shall meet their obligations to the State; they insist that they shall pay the annuities that are due, and pay also the local rates. The Government has taken special powers to see that these annuities and these rates are enforced. I admit the farmers owe an obligation to the Government, and they are under an obligation to pay taxes and rates. But if the farmers owe an obligation to the Government, the Government owe an obligation to the farmers. The Government has an obligation to protect its citizens, and if it does not find itself in a position to protect those citizens, I maintain it has a moral right to compensate them for the losses they have suffered owing to lack of protection. I think that is a perfectly genuine, legal, moral claim.
I do not think it is fair for the Government to hide behind any case such as the Compensation for Property Act, and to say that this is not a direct loss, or that it is only a consequential loss. It is very hard to differentiate between a direct loss and a consequential loss. If people came out and spilled the farmers' milk, that would be a direct loss because it happened in a direct way; but, because the loss happened in an indirect way it is only a consequential loss. I know those farmers are in a bad way. Many of them are not able to meet their obligations. Processes and other legal proceedings are being taken against them, and I ask the Minister and the Government is it fair that while the Government, unwilling or unable to come to their aid in dire necessity, they should now force these men to pay what they have not got because of the failure of the Government to support them. I ask the Government, therefore, to accept this motion, and hold out some hope that compensation or recompense will be made to those farmers for the loss they suffered, and suffered in support of the law and order and good government against the efforts to establish Socialism and perhaps Bolshevism in this country.
