I move:—
That Dáil Eireann hereby approves of Control of Imports (Quota No. 26) Order, 1936, made on the 28th day of January, 1936, by the Executive Council under the Control of Imports Act, 1934 (No. 12 of 1934).
Quota Orders Nos. 26, 27 and 28 relate to brushes. For the first time these Orders imposed a quota restriction upon the importation of various classes of brushes. Quota Order 26 relates to household and domestic brushes; Quota Order 27 to toilet brushes, and Quota Order 28 to brushes other than those covered by Quota Orders 26 and 27. The object of the Orders was to secure that the greatest possible percentage of the brushes required in the Saorstát would be produced here. For some time past we have endeavoured to restrict the importation of brushes by means of an ad valorem duty. We found that that was not completely effective. Although it did discourage the importation of brushes and resulted in a decline in imports and an expansion of the home production, nevertheless in the year 1935, 221,929 dozen brushes, valued at £40,000, were imported. It has been our experience during the past few years that where articles are individually of low value, as a number of these brushes are, ad valorem duties are not effective in limiting their importation. Consequently, it was decided to encourage an increase in the production of brushes here to an extent sufficient to wipe out that figure from our trade and shipping statistics by means of controlling imports under the Control of Imports Act.
We have, however, fixed fairly liberal quotas for the various classes of brushes to operate during the first quota period, and it is only as production develops within the country that the further restriction of imports will be affected. In the case of household and domestic brushes, the quota fixed for the first quota period, which continues to the 30th June of the present year, was 122,000; for toilet brushes, covered by Quota Order No. 27,251,000; and for brushes covered by Quota Order No. 28, 181,000. We consider that, with the production of brushes available from the firms engaged in their production here, these quantities should be more than sufficient to secure that all reasonable requirements will be met. The development of the brush manufacturing industry here has beer proceeding slowly for some time. When the stimulation of the tariff was first given to the industry there was a reorganisation of the methods of manufacture in the factories. That reorganisation, involving as it did the greater use of mechanical methods in production, had for a time an effect upon employment. In fact, there was no increase in employment despite the not inconsiderable increase in total production; but as production continued to increase employment commenced to increase, and there has been a quite considerable increase in the amount of employment given in the industry in recent years. It is felt that when the £40,000 worth of brushes which were imported in 1935 are produced here, a further increase in employment will be effected. But at the moment it is not possible to give any precise estimate of the number of persons likely to be employed, because the brushes imported are of various classes and descriptions, and no one can say with any degree of certainty what classes of brushes constitute the bulk of the imports, and, consequently, what employment is involved in their production here. The opinion generally held, apparently, is that the quality and the prices of the brushes produced here are satisfactory. We have here a number of firms engaged in the production of brushes of various kinds. The industry is one that is suitable to the country, one which can be fostered here, and consequently there is no reason why we should not take this step in order to eliminate the importation of these articles which is taking place.
