With regard to the question raised by Deputy O'Connell and also by Deputy O'Gorman, both Deputies agree in this respect that it is scarcely a question for me to answer. It is a question of Government policy as to how much should be expended on national schools, and as to how much is to be expended in keeping up the Governor-General's establishment. I was rather surprised to hear Deputy O'Gorman coming out in this fashion. It is, perhaps, the first time in my experience that I have heard one gentleman hailing from the County Cork speaking so bitterly against another. As I have stated, the expenditure on the Governor-General's establishment is quite normal. At the time when the Lord Lieutenant was here it was very much higher. There are valuable buildings there to be preserved, and we cannot allow them to go into disrepair. With regard to the question of national schools, we have an estimate here for £75,000. As the Deputy has informed the House, we are prepared to contribute at the rate of two-thirds to the expense of erecting these schools, and one-third has to be found locally. The Deputy objects to this policy, and says it is very difficult to find money locally. I think the Deputy should regard that as an indication of how much can be expended by the National Exchequer. We are all part of the same financial unit, and this idea that when the country locally cannot afford to expend large sums of money the Central Government is in a position to do so, is entirely fallacious. I think if the Deputy looks at the amount in the Estimates for education he should be quite satisfied. It amounts to almost a quarter of a million pounds. Rome was not built in a day, and we cannot expect to deal with all the problems arising in connection with education and other matters in a minute.
Deputy Baxter raised the question of the Erne. I am glad to be able to inform him that we already have had conversations with representatives of the Northern Works Department. We have arranged that a scheme should be prepared by the engineers of the Northern Government and examined by our engineers, so that both Governments may be satisfied as to its feasibility. At this moment surveys are being carried out by the engineers of the Northern Government. It will, of course, require legislation by both Governments to put any scheme decided on into operation, but the Deputy may rest assured that we are not allowing any grass to grow under our feet in dealing with this important matter.
As regards the question of drainage generally, as the Deputy is aware, there are two Acts in operation at the present time, as well as some of the older Acts—the Drainage Maintenance Act of 1924, and the Arterial Drainage Act of 1925. Most of the work under the Arterial Drainage Act is already well under way. In fact, the greater part of it has been carried out. The expenditure under the Act at the 31st March, 1927, was, approximately, £120,000. In forty-nine districts work was started, and in forty-two of these work had been completed at the close of the financial year 1926-27. Of the 178 existing drainage districts 128 have now been inspected, and it would appear that the majority of these requiring restoration have already been dealt with. Consequently, in the present year it is expected that there will be a considerable falling off in the number to be dealt with, and that a sum of £30,000 should cover the expenditure on restoration work for that period. With regard to the Arterial Drainage Act, for the reasons that I have already stated, the prospects are not quite so rosy. Up to the present 448 petitions have been sent on by the county councils to the Commissioners of Public Works. Preliminary inspections by engineers have been made in 162 cases. Schemes hitherto examined have been disappointing in the financial sense. Not one has been found which appears likely to pay expenses in the sense that the money value benefit derived by the lands will be sufficient to pay the expenses of the scheme, and to pay for the necessary works of maintenance. That is due, of course, to the great cost of engineering works, and to the depression in agriculture, which makes it less profitable to expend money on the improvement of land. Any works that will be carried out in connection with this Act will probably require pretty substantial grants from the Exchequer. Under the Act, it is the policy to make a grant of one-third of the cost, and if the local people are satisfied, and the county council in the particular area is also satisfied that the work should go ahead, and are prepared to back up their opinion by making grants, we are also prepared to make additional grants to the same amount, provided that that additional grant does not amount to more than one half of the total cost. At the present time, our engineers are busily engaged in surveying these various drainage areas. At the moment we cannot say definitely that the prospects are rosy, but as we advance we may possibly be able to see a brighter future for this particular Act.
As Deputies are aware, a great deal of work has been carried out in connection with the Barrow drainage. The draft scheme has not yet come into operation, and until it does we have no compulsory powers for the acquisition of land and other rights in connection with that river, but although not having that power we have been able to get under way, and are doing some very important work along the river. The most important work, at the present time, is above and below the town of Athy, where there is some very heavy work being carried out in connection with the removal of sand reefs and rock reefs. It is expected that within the next few months we will have adequate power to carry out the more important work along this particular district.
