asked the Minister for Industry and Commerce if he will state the industries which have applied for protective tariffs since January, 1924, to date, giving the particular industries with the names and situation of firms which have been granted protection; and also whether he will state what industries have been investigated with a view to protective tariffs being imposed without an application having been lodged by the industry or industries.
CEISTEANNA—QUESTIONS. ORAL ANSWERS. - INDUSTRIES REQUIRING PROTECTION.
The industries which have applied for protective tariffs since January, 1924, to date, are:—Coachbuilding, Boot and Shoe, Glass Bottles, Soap and Candles, Confectionery (including Jam), Blankets, Furniture, Metallic Bedsteads, Shirt-making, Hosiery, Wholesale Clothing, Chemical Manures, Box and Packing-cases, Tanning, Fibre, Packet Salt, Fish Barrels, Margarine, Woollen Piece Goods, Wheaten Flour, Oatmeal, Agricultural Machinery, Down Quilts, Rosary Beads, Brushes, Printed Matter and Stationery, Wrapping Paper, Brassfounding, Bell-founding, Felts (i.e., roofing, etc.), Galvanised hollow ware.
In addition, applications were received from individual firms engaged in the manufacture of briar pipes, leather trunks, calcium carbide, matches, bicycles, paints, baskets and tin-ware.
Protective tariffs have been imposed in the following industries:—Blankets and Blanketing, Boots and Shoes, Bottles or Jars of Glass, Candles, Clothing, Personal, and Wearing Apparel, Furniture (other than Bedsteads) made wholly or partly of wood, and Bedsteads of any material, Motor Bodies, Soap, Soap substitutes and Soap Powders, Sugar Confectionery (including Jam), Oatmeal.
Investigations have been carried out in the bacon-curing and yeast industries without an application having been lodged by the industries concerned.
A list of the names and situation of the firms engaged in protected industries would involve particulars of from 250 to 300 firms, and I do not consider that any useful purpose would be served by preparing it. The forthcoming census of production will give all relevant information as to the position of particular industries.
Will the Minister tell us if the information that he has now given to the House was at the disposal of, or was used by, the Minister for Finance when he was making his Second Reading speech on the Tariff Commission Bill?
Yes, I think so.
Arising out of the Minister's reply, are we to understand that protective tariffs have been given to a large number of industries that have not asked for them, such as hat-making, umbrella-making, and others?
There may have been a lack of detail in the answer setting out the industries which have applied for protective tariffs. Obviously if I were to sub-divide any of the industries set forth in the list I read into their respective sub-divisions—the subdivisions into which any of them might fall—I could enlarge the list many times over. It cannot be taken as a fact that in many instances tariffs have been given without the industry first making an application.
In some instances that happened?
I do not remember any particular application being put forward in regard to umbrellas, to take one instance cited by the Deputy.
Can the Minister give us any estimate of the time it would take to go over that list under the procedure connected with the proposed Tariff Commission? It is the intention, apparently, that the Tariff Commission will make fuller inquiry into all circumstances connected with the imposition of tariffs. Can the Minister say what time will be occupied by the Tariff Commission in going through that list?
Inasmuch as a body composed of three civil servants already went through the information leading up to the imposition of tariffs in the case of the industries I have set out——
And the rejection of tariffs.
I am talking of tariffed industries. The circumstances connected with industries that have been granted tariffs have been fully examined. All the necessary information was put forward. When one takes away the tariffed industries from the list setting out industries that have applied for protective tariffs, it does not look as if the labours of the Tariff Commission will be very heavy.
The Minister for Finance said there were hundreds of cases in which applications were made. As regards those in which evidence can be brought forward, will they be asked to appear before the Tariff Commission and repeat the evidence given on a previous occasion? I think the Minister mentioned that the Tariff Commission would consider the cases of industries even in which tariffs had been imposed. Will the evidence formerly given in these cases be taken into consideration, or must the whole thing be repeated? Will the industries have to bring fresh evidence before the Commission in order to prove the necessity of a tariff?
Before the Minister replies, I am going to allow Deputy Baxter to ask the last supplementary question.
Could the Minister give us a list of the industries that have not asked for protection?
In reply to Deputy D'Alton, one of the difficulties in connection with an application for a tariff under the old procedure was that an industry made an application and submitted evidence bearing out the need for a tariff; the claim was set out and the case was made. If the claim were refused it came forward again with the evidence somewhat changed for the better. That process could, apparently, proceed ad infinitum. The additional evidence had to be regarded as somewhat suspicious, particularly when it was not brought forward in the first instance. The position in future will be that industries not tariffed will be regarded as having put forward a case which had not been considered satisfactory. If they elect to bring forward further evidence, they can do so.