I move:—
Go ndeontar suim bhreise ná raghaidh thar £4,487 chun íoctha an Mhuirir a thiocfaidh chun bheith iníoctha i rith na bliana dar críoch an 31adh lá de Mhárta, 1932, chun focaíochtanna fé Acht na mBóthar Iarainn, 1924, fén Tramways and Public Companies (Ireland) Act, 1883, etc.; agus chun crícheanna eile a bhaineann le hIompar in Eirinn.
That a supplementary sum not exceeding £4,487 be granted to defray the Charge which will come in course of payment during the year ending on the 31st day of March, 1932, for payments under the Railways Act, 1924, the Tramways and Public Companies (Ireland) Act, 1883, etc.; and for other purposes connected with Irish Transport.
This sum of £4,487 is divided into two parts; half of the estimated loss is given under the heading of what was one-half of the estimated loss during 1931, £3,862, and then half of the estimated loss during the period from 1st January to the 31st March, 1932. That is the entire sum we propose to give in regard to the Londonderry and Lough Swilly railway for the working of the Burtonport and Carndonagh Railways in this financial year. Deputies will remember that there has been a subsidy for many years past in this concern, and that the Londonderry and Lough Swilly people, running a Government line on a particular basis, have, in recent years, been unable to meet their working expenses, and have been kept going by advances made by this Government and the Government of Northern Ireland. At the beginning of this year the Government of Northern Ireland indicated that they did not propose to give any subsidy whatever this year. In these circumstances we felt that we could not be expected to bear the full cost on the three Government lines. We considered that if there was any subsidy given it should be shared on a fifty-fifty basis, seeing for one thing that the headquarters of the line is in Northern Ireland, and that the greater part of the traffic originates or ends in Derry.
A critical situation in the company's affairs was reached in March, and pressure was used by the directors on both Governments. I had taken my stand in previous years, when I had been first in the field to vote a subsidy, always on the condition that owing to the indication given by the other Government I could promise nothing. To an extent the pressure was relieved, as far as I was concerned, and pressure was apparently exerted on the other Government. Towards the end of March a new scheme was put up by the directors of the Londonderry and Lough Swilly Railway. It amounted to this, that they were to be granted permission to discontinue the running of passenger trains, which was previously an obligation upon them, and that they would be granted a certain sum of money which was to be strictly limited, to acquire road transport which they would operate in order to supplement the passenger services where they were discontinued, and that they would bear the entire cost of the road transport themselves. They guaranteed that they would keep the loss on the working of the reorganised railway and on the passenger carrying buses to £7,724, and that next year and every succeeding year the amount would not exceed £5,000. When that scheme was put forward the Government of Northern Ireland agreed to the payment of half the amount of the maximum loss incurred this year, £7,724, and half of the £5,000 for at least one year. On getting information that the Northern Government had agreed, I also agreed and undertook to introduce a Supplementary Vote to give this amount of money. I am asking the House to grant £3,862, half the estimated loss this year, and £625 which is our portion of the estimated loss of £5,000 during next year. The other conditions of the arrangement I have tried to carry out. The first was that they were to be allowed to discontinue the passenger train services and to supplement the old passenger services by motor services. They were to bear the losses on motor transport themselves. A certain similar agreement was made with the Company except that no further financial assistance would be considered by this Government in connection with this railway.
