asked the Minister for Fisheries whether his attention has been drawn to a paragraph in the "Waterford News" of May 11th, 1928, to the effect that the small prices and poor demand now prevailing for Irish herrings are caused by reason of the fact that the British Government will not allow the Irish Free State to trade with Soviet Russia, which country has been the natural outlet for marketing Irish herrings during the past few years; whether a deputation of Waterford buyers recently waited on the Government, and were informed that their demands could not be acceded to; and, if so, whether the Minister will make a statement on the matter.
CEISTEANNA—QUESTIONS. ORAL ANSWERS. - MARKET FOR IRISH HERRINGS.
I have seen the newspaper paragraph referred to. The statements made in that paragraph regarding the causes of the depressed state of the herring fishing industry on the south coast are entirely without foundation. There is no restriction whatever placed upon our curers in dealing with Russia either by this Government or by any other Government. No deputation of curers has waited on the Government in reference to this matter.
The Deputy is of course aware that neither the Government of Great Britain nor of any other country possesses or claims any right to prevent the Saorstát from trading with Russia or to interfere in any way in the external trade relations of the Saorstát.
As I stated in this House on 9th May, during the debate on the Estimates for my Department, Russia, for domestic reasons, is not buying the usual quantity of British or Irish herrings. The difficulty appears to be largely a matter of arranging credits. Russia was in pre-war days a good market for the lower quality of herrings. The Irish herrings are in the main of a high class which sell readily in Germany and the United States of America at prices which are considerably above the prices realised by the North Sea herring and frequently much above the prices fetched by west coast Scottish cure.
The quality of the herrings which have during the past month been caught on our coast has been poor, and curers have not handled them to any great extent. The quality is now improving.
Might I ask the Minister, in view of the fact that the herrings exported to Germany from Ireland are premature and not up to the standard quality, would he and his Department endeavour to secure a market for those herrings in Russia?
I have heard no complaint of the type mentioned.
Are any endeavours being made by the Minister's Department to get back the market in Russia?
I do not say that we have.
Might I suggest that it would be advisable to do so?
I think it would be primarily a matter for the persons engaged in the trade itself if they saw any opening for persons to buy.
Can the Minister's Department not set an example by trying to secure a market for Irish herrings?
It will be purely a matter for the Trade Department.
I submit that it should be one of the primary responsibilities in relation to the Minister's Department to endeavour to secure a market for Irish herrings.
I do not think so.