——arising out of rulings on previous occasions. It has been held not to be proper to go into any sort of full discussion as to the desirability of having such a functionary or as to the merit of the individual who is in the position of Governor—General and the manner in which he performs his duties. But what is quite strictly relevant is to consider whether the establishment that we are asked to provide for by this Vote is actually appropriate to the duties that the Government allows him to perform. Now, the salary of £2,000 of the Governor—General is provided out of the Central Fund and we are not concerned with it this evening. In addition, there are various other sums provided for that are not included in this evening's Estimate, sums for stationery and printing, sums for the Gárda Síochána attached, I suppose, to the Governor—General, and for posts and Telegraphs services of the Governor—General. These are not included in this Estimate, but in this Estimate are included some other sums for telegrams and telephones, sums for a motor—car, travelling expenses, household expenses, salaries and wages and an allowance for the household staff.
It may seem a little ungracious to query these expenditures, after the President has told us that it is the last time we shall be called upon to sanction them, and also because the Governor-General has celebrated, his final year by an outstanding, sensational, and perhaps the only activity that has been connected with his tenure of office. I refer to the exchange of cables between him and President Roosevelt on the subject of the death of his late Majesty, which the Executive Council so modestly concealed from public notice until I elicited the information by a Parliamentary question. Because of that, and because the Estimate is not to be submitted to us again, it might seem a little ungracious to be questioning these sums were it not that a sense of public duty really compels me to do so.
It was humorously said in America, in connection with the New Deal, that, under the arrangements introduced by the Brain Trust at Washington, it had become more profitable for a farmer to abstain from farming than to farm and that a man could make more money by not raising hogs than he had ever been able to make by raising hogs. I cannot help feeling that, much as the Fianna Fáil Party used to protest against the salary and expenses allowed to the Governor-General under the last régime when Deputy Cosgrave was President of the Executive Council, in fact what they have been doing is more extravagant, because the money that is being handed over to the present Governor—General has not to be spent at all in the public service. I am making no insinuation against Mr. Buckley, or any reflection upon his honour or character, when I say that he has been giving absolutely no value, on account of the Government's restrictions and regulations, for the public money appropriated to the upkeep of his establishment.
We have had a good deal of facetiousness on previous occasions in connection with this Vote. We have heard the Governor-General compared to the man in the iron mask, to the invisible man, to somebody marooned on a desert island, and to a remittance man, paid so much a year as long as he keeps himself out of sight. All these comparisons, facetious though they are, have their justification because, at the bottom of them all, there is the cast iron fact that over and above a salary of £2,000, and some other odd sums, outside this Estimate, there is a further £2,000 in this Estimate, which is being paid away to him for simply doing nothing.
There is no reason why we should provide Mr. Buckley with a motor car or with the various officials attached to him—a chaplain and private secretary and soforth—when in fact absolutely all that is required of him is to do a little clerical work by signing his name that would be overpaid for by £200 a year, and to keep out of sight. A total of £4,000 a year is paid to a man on the main condition that he keeps out of sight. Without any antagonism to, or reflection upon, Mr. Buckley, I would say one of two things must be happening. Either he is accumulating a fortune out of money that ought to be spent for the public benefit, or else the money must be going in some direction that was not contemplated by those who assented to the payment of that money. The money should be spent upon State purposes and no other purposes. So far from there being any evidence that it is being spent rightly, all the evidence is that it cannot be spent rightly because the person receiving these sums is not allowed to do the sort of things that would make them appropriate.
It is easy to mention the sort of things that the Governor-General is not doing, and it is no blame to him that he is not doing them. He is not receiving foreign representatives in this country in the name of the King. The President of the Executive Council has undertaken himself to act for the King on such occasions. He is not contributing to the carrying on of the government of this country by any advice or suggestions drawn from ripe administrative experience. He is not fulfilling any function of political appeasement as between parties such as the head of the State on occasions is expected to fulfil. He is not providing in his establishment any sort of rallying place for culture in this country. He is not bringing people together and providing an opportunity for greater knowledge of each other and appreciation of each other by different sections of our community. A great deal could be done to bring together what used to be called the old ascendancy class and others who are not of that class. A great deal could be done to bring together the new intellectuals and the old conservatives, and to help to weld all our people into one. Nothing of that sort is being attempted by our present Governor-General; nor is he allowed to attempt it. There is nothing personal against the Governor-General in my remarks. I only repeat to-day what I have stressed each year in this Assembly, that the Government have no excuse for calling upon us to provide this money.
