I move that this Bill do now pass.
TELEGRAPH BILL, 1928—FIFTH STAGE.
We intend to vote against the Fifth Stage of this Bill and we desire to make our position clear as to why we are taking this action. First of all it is part, of course, of the financial measures adopted by the Government for this year. We believe that these measures have not been suitable measures; that the amount to be raised was in excess of the requirements of the country, and that an opportunity should have been taken of cutting down expenses. Then we hold that the methods adopted, even assuming that the money was required, were not the most suitable for the country. We think that this is going to be a very awkward impost upon business, and business in the Free State cannot bear any more burdens than it has at this moment. We think it is going to hamper and impede business, that, taken in addition to the high postage rates which prevail it will be felt by many small concerns. Furthermore we hold it is not likely to bring in the revenue estimated to come from it. We hold also that this money if really required could be collected by a method that is being adopted more and more by other countries, that is, by taxing imports of foreign goods. We think that if that method had been adopted to bring in this amount of £69,000 it would be an encouragement to certain people to engage in industrial enterprise and it might do good. But we can see nothing but annoyance and trouble coming from this attempt to raise money by an increase in the telegraph rates, and that is the principal reason why we are opposing it. We think that it represents what the Minister for Agriculture termed laziness yesterday afternoon. The Minister for Agriculture taunted us with laziness and said that we had not energy to prepare a case for the Referendum. We hold that the whole financial measures of the Government represent not merely laziness, but indifference and a policy of drift that is very serious for the country in its present condition. We think that the Government simply went looking for any and every expedient to raise money and that that is all this measure means; that it has no financial philosophy and has nothing to justify it, and we suggest that the Bill should not be passed.
The position with regard to this was explained at very great length by the Minister for Finance. It is one of the services which, by reason of the economic situation, is rather more burdensome than it might otherwise be. The Minister is simply endeavouring to place on a particular service responsibilities which that service entails of itself. Even this impost will not, I think, meet the entire demands of that service, but it is a sound policy to endeavour to make each service contribute towards its own upkeep. As to the other questions raised by the Deputy, they fall more for consideration on the Finance Bill. I think that the real case for this has been made when the Minister stated that he was endeavouring to make up a particular loss incurred by providing a particular service for a limited number of years.
Question put.
The Dáil divided; Tá, 59; Níl, 33.
Tá
- Richard Anthony.
- James Walter Beckett.
- George Cecil Bennett.
- Ernest Blythe.
- Séamus A. Bourke.
- Seán Brodrick.
- John Joseph Byrne.
- John James Cole.
- Mrs. Margaret Collins-O'Driscoll.
- Martin Conlon.
- Michael P. Connolly.
- Bryan Ricco Cooper.
- William T. Cosgrave.
- Sir James Craig.
- James Crowley.
- Eugene Doherty.
- James N. Dolan.
- Edmund John Duggan.
- Barry M. Egan.
- Osmond Thomas Grattan Esmonde.
- Desmond Fitzgerald.
- James Fitzgerald-Kenney.
- Denis J. Gorey.
- Alexander Haslett.
- John J. Hassett.
- Michael R. Heffernan.
- Michael Joseph Hennessy.
- Thomas Hennessy.
- Mark Henry.
- Richard Holohan.
- Michael Jordan.
- Patrick Michael Kelly.
- Myles Keogh.
- Hugh Alexander Law.
- Finian Lynch.
- Arthur Patrick Mathews.
- Patrick McGilligan.
- Joseph W. Mongan.
- Richard Mulcahy.
- James E. Murphy.
- Joseph Xavier Murphy.
- John Thomas Nolan.
- Thomas J. O'Connell.
- Bartholomew O'Connor.
- Timothy Joseph O'Donovan.
- Daniel O'Leary.
- Dermot Gun O'Mahony.
- John J. O'Reilly.
- Gearoid O'Sullivan.
- John Marcus O'Sullivan.
- Patrick Reynolds.
- Vincent Rice.
- Martin Roddy.
- Patrick W. Shaw.
- William Edward Thrift.
- Michael Tierney.
- Daniel Vaughan.
- Vincent Joseph White.
- George Wolfe.
Níl
- Frank Aiken.
- Denis Allen.
- Gerald Boland.
- Seán Brady.
- Robert Briscoe.
- Daniel Buckley.
- Michael Clery.
- James Colbert.
- Eamon Cooney.
- Thomas Derrig.
- Eamon de Valera.
- Frank Fahy.
- Hugo Flinn.
- Andrew Fogarty.
- Thomas O'Reilly.
- Martin Sexton.
- Patrick Smith.
- Patrick J. Gorry.
- John Goulding.
- Patrick Houlihan.
- James Joseph Killane.
- Mark Killilea.
- Michael Kilroy.
- Seán F. Lemass.
- Patrick John Little.
- Thomas McEllistrim.
- Seán MacEntee.
- Séamus Moore.
- Patrick Joseph O'Dowd.
- William O'Leary.
- Matthew O'Reilly.
- John Tubridy.
- Francis C. Ward.
Tellers.—Tá: Deputies Duggan and Conlon. Níl: Deputies G. Boland and Allen.
Question declared carried.