I move: "That the Dáil agree with the Committee in Additional Financial Resolution No. 4."
Question agreed to.
Additional Financial Resolutions—Report Stage.
I move: "That the Dáil agree with the Committee in Resolution No. 5."
Question agreed to.
I move: "That the Dáil agree with the Committee in Resolution No. 6."
Question agreed to.
I move: "That the Dáil agree with the Committee in the Schedule to the Additional Financial Resolutions.
On the Schedule I should like to make a few remarks about No. 2, dry batteries and component parts. I think that this Schedule serves to illustrate what is happening in a very large degree at the present time. In my opinion, unless the Government takes steps to remedy the matter, the Irish industries will get the blame of a lot of charges that really cannot be laid at their door. The Minister or the Government has put a duty on dry batteries. The Minister has not told us what the import of dry batteries into this country is and what the potential power of manufacture in this country is at the moment, and how far the local manufacturers are prepared to cope with the demand. I think it is very essential at the present time that the country should be informed as to what is being manufactured by the Irish manufacturers and where there is a duty put on to help them; the rest of the items, where it is not a question of raising revenue, should be allowed in free.
The Press of last Saturday started by describing the introduction of those items in words to this effect:—"Additional duties to protect infant industries." I am not at all sure that the infants have yet been born, but if they have, there is no reason why the Minister should not tell us who is going to make the torch batteries; who is going to make the wireless batteries, who is going to make the cycle lamp batteries and who is going to make the bell batteries? I do not see why the Minister should not announce that he has been able to make arrangements for the manufacture of the whole cycle of dry batteries. The distributors of these items, in my opinion, ought to be informed as to the potential supplies that they can expect from the manufacturers. The Minister ought then quite frankly to say if Irish manufacturers are only prepared to deal with certain items; that the rest are going to be admitted free, and that the Government are prepared to give a licence for the importation of these items free of duty.
I do not know why there should be this secrecy about the manufacturers who apparently are able to supply the needs of this country. The Minister may as well give them an advertisement and if the trade who distribute these goods are in ignorance of what is going on, what can he expect of the general public? I submit to the Minister that it would be very desirable to have some such statement as that made publicly, and I should like to ask the Minister what are the potential sources from which these batteries mentioned—torch batteries, wireless batteries, cycle lamp and bell batteries and a whole lot of others—can be obtained? I think the whole field should be covered by the Minister, and he should announce publicly how much of that field is going to be covered by the Irish manufacturers and what is the policy of the Government towards the rest of the batteries not covered by the existing production. The remarks I have made on these batteries might very well be applied to a whole lot of other items on which the Government are putting duties, and I would ask in the interest of Irish manufacturers that a frank announcement should be made as to what section of this trade is going to be covered by the Irish manufacturers and what is the policy of the Government towards the rest of the people.
I cannot give any precise figures concerning the imports of dry batteries and cells into this country, as they have not been shown separately in the official import list heretofore. Only estimates which may be right or which may be wrong have been prepared as to the annual consumption of these goods here. Certain estimates were prepared by firms interested in the production of the goods for the market. There are at present only a number of small firms engaged in the manufacture of these dry batteries, the principal one of which is probably the Waterford Electric and Chemical Works, Limited. There are one or two in Dublin, one in Ballina, I think, and one or two others throughout the country. A large scale production of dry batteries of all kinds, however, is about to be commenced by an old established Irish firm. The intention is to permit a limited importation free of duty until production has started on the larger scale contemplated in the new works. It is necessary to do that because, of course, one decent-sized cargo of dry batteries would flood this market for a couple of years and we cannot afford to take the risk of having the whole prospect of establishing the industry here destroyed by allowing notice of the intention to get out in advance and imports to take place before the duties are imposed. Consequently the duty is imposed at this stage. It will be of direct benefit to the small works to which I have referred, and facilitate the establishment of the larger works in contemplation. When these works have been established, the full range of dry batteries required and enumerated by the Deputy will all be produced here.
Question put and agreed to.