Dáil Éireann debate -
Thursday, 11 Dec 1930

Vol. 36 No. 10

Supplementary Estimates. - Vote No. 56—Industry and Commerce.

Minister for Industry and Commerce (Mr. McGilligan)

I move:—

"Go ndeontar suim Bhreise ná raghaidh thar £10 chun íoctha an Mhuirir a thiocfidh chun bheith iníoctha i rith na bliana dar críoch an 31adh lá de Mhárta, 1931, chun Tuarastail agus Costaisí Oifig an Aire Tionnscail agus Tráchtála, maraon le Coiste Comhairlitheach na Rátaí d'íoc.

"That a Supplementary sum not exceeding £10 be granted to defray the Charge which will come in course of payment during the year ending 31st March, 1931, to pay the salaries and expenses of the Office of the Minister for Industry and Commerce, including the Rates Advisory Committee."

The purpose for which this token vote of £10 is required in the present financial year is described in the sheet which has been circulated to Deputies. On many occasions since the Statistics Bureau was established on a proper basis I have been asked to take in hands the publication of an Official Handbook for the Irish Free State. We propose to put this work in hands at once and this money is for that purpose. I should explain that it is only a token vote because of savings made in other parts of the Vote. I should also explain that the £250 gross which is required for the financial year does not see the end of expenditure in the matter. It is estimated that a sum of over £3,000—almost £3,500—will be required. Against that there will be appropriations-in-aid arising from the sales of the book itself and advertisements. We reckon that in the end the State will have to bear about £200; the full extent of the State expenditure will be about £200. I want to get the Vote in this financial year although it is not even certain that the £250 will be spent before the end of the financial year. Without getting leave from the House by the passage of this Vote I cannot even make arrangements with regard to the employment of artists and designers in order to see how the book will be drawn up.

Mr. Lemass

It will undoubtedly be an advantage to have available in a handy form statistical information relating to the State. But I think the Minister should tell us when it is intended publication will be made and if it is intended to be an annual publication or merely a single publication. I think he should also tell us whether the total estimate includes the cost of the editorial staff or merely the cost of printing and publishing. If it will necessitate any work on the part of the present staff of the Statistical Branch of the Department, will it result in any further delay in the publication of the census volumes, and other information which we have been waiting for for some time. I think if that was likely to result the publication of this handbook might be delayed until the work on the census has been completed, because some of the information ascertained is overdue. I would be glad if the Minister could give that information.

Mr. McGilligan

I would like to correct the Deputy's first remark. He expressed his delight that there would be now available in handy form statistical information. This will not be merely a compilation of statistical information so far collected. It is intended rather to have the type of handbook one sees produced by different countries in the world, which will have references to the more detailed statistical information which is available. It will not contain the rather dry matter which one sometimes gets in statistical publications. It is intended rather as a descriptive booklet with reference to the production of statistical value to which students may afterwards have reference if they want to get further information about the country. It will not be a statistical publication as we understand that. It will be better dressed up. It will not have lots of dry-as-dust statistical information. We will have a great deal more descriptive matter and hope to produce it in an attractive form.

At the same time I do not want to go to the other extreme and to make it a sort of handbook which tourists would carry about. It is not intended to be an annual publication. It is impossible to be precise at this stage. Rather it will be so written that the majority of the articles in it will not need to be re-written except at intervals of five or ten years. Chapters may be re-written from time to time where newer statistical material is made available and changes may be made in certain descriptive matter. I am also in a quandary as to when it will be available. It will take fully a year to produce. If I get this Vote the book ought to be ready in the early part of 1932. As to the cost, the final sum which we estimate—it is only an estimate—is about £3,500. About three-quarters of that will be printing costs and the other quarter will be for the editorial staff, and fees to designers, artists and writers. I intend to keep this as far removed from the officials of the statistical bureau as possible. They will be asked to lend their aid and to make matter available to the editorial committee.

Mr. O'Kelly

Might I ask the Minister if the proposed book or booklet will deal with the work of his own Department or with several Departments?

Mr. McGilligan

Everything.

Mr. T.J. O'Connell

The country generally.

Mr. McGilligan

I have got to the length of having a contents table drawn up with chapters and headings. They include:—The Country and its People, History, Constitution and Government, Judiciary and Police, National Defence, Public Finance, Banking and Credit, Agriculture, Fisheries, Manufactures and Industry, Trade and Commerce, Power for Industry, Transport and Communication, Labour and Social Conditions, Education, Cultural Life, Archaeology and Antiquities, Art and Architecture, Arts and Crafts, Language. There are a large number of others.

Mr. O'Kelly

I notice now that it is a handbook somewhat similar to books issued by some of the Northern countries of Europe that I have seen——

Mr. McGilligan

Yes.

Mr. O'Kelly

——dealing with all aspects of the country's life. Might I ask if the book will be distributed free or will it be for sale?

Mr. McGilligan

We would like to sell it but there will be a certain number of free copies available.

Mr. O'Kelly

I had not to pay for the copies I got. In one or two cases I did not have to apply for them, as they were sent to me. In other cases where I understood the books contained material of interest I applied to the local representatives, and they were sent to me without cost. Judging by the table of contents the Minister has read out, this book will be a fair-sized one. If the Minister hopes to get it sold, well and good. I was wondering when I heard the list read out if it was not in view of the general election, and if it were for free distribution it would not be an excellent booklet for the Cumann na nGaedheal Party.

Mr. McGilligan

We will have a special chapter on by-elections.

Mr. MacEntee

Arising out of the Minister's description of the book, he stated that he did not propose to overload it with statistics. Will the Minister consider the issue of a statistical abstract more or less on the lines of that issued by the Government of Great Britain?

Mr. McGilligan

That is a different matter. I prefer to speak on that on my own Vote next year. There is a scheme which the statistical people have in mind on account of the delay. in getting out certain volumes of the census. It has not been possible to get that plan carried out. They have in mind that they will take a census of certain things at different periods of the year. That will be so done that about every five years' period there will be a new census revelation, and they will add a chapter or two each year, so that at the end of the five years' period, and in some cases in an eight years' period, there will be a completely new statistical abstract. In addition, they propose to publish what is more technically called an abstract to the statistical material in hand. I have not been able to get down any real scheme for that. It has been thought of. We have all the plans completed, but we prefer to go ahead with the publication of matter still to be issued in connection with the census. The matter to which the Deputy refers has not been lost sight of. As to Deputy O'Kelly's question, we intend to have a certain number of copies for free distribution, mainly where we get free copies ourselves. These will be required and, in addition, there will be other copies where we think there should be free distribution. But we are looking for an edition of 15,000 copies for sale.

Mr. Little

I suggest to the Minister that he should have a chapter on the Constitution written by a Republican.

Mr. McGilligan

What year Republican?

Question put and agreed to.

The Dáil went out of Committee.