The Minister refers to part of this Vote being required for the meteorological service. In that connection I would like to afford him an opportunity to-day of explaining something which has given rise to considerable surprise. That surprise may be due to a misunderstanding and, therefore, I would be glad if the Minister would clear up the misunderstanding now. I understand that experts were recently employed to assist in the meteorological operations which the Minister has in mind, and these experts were brought from Germany, or from the Continent rather, while there were a number of young scientists in this country eminently suited for the position. I do not by any means take up the position that no foreigner ought to get employment in this country, or that no man, Englishman or German, ought to be able to earn his living in Ireland. If every foreign country applied that doctrine to us there would be a queer army of people out of jobs sent back to us. On the contrary, I would like merit to be the sole criterion in granting a position in this country.
I would like positions of that kind, involving a knowledge of science, or art, or literature, to be thrown open to the whole world, and let an Englishman, American, Pole or Greek, if he is superior in scientific learning or in the particular branch of learning required for the position, get the job, if he is better than the Irish candidates, just in the same way as Irish candidates go up for positions in Great Britain, Germany, America and elsewhere, and, if they are superior, they get the job. What I do object to is the filling of positions of this kind without any preliminary test, and under those circumstances, going abroad and bringing in strangers who have given no evidence whatever of their superior ability. Therefore, I would like the Minister to tell us if it is true that, without conducting any examination or test, two gentlemen were brought from somewhere in middle Europe to fill two positions in connection with the meteorological service in this country, and, if it is true, how can he defend it?
The other matter is a matter of detail. I see the estimate for uniform clothing comes up for review. I am sure all Deputies have noticed the uniforms of the postmen and the telegraph messengers in this country. All will readily recognise that the contract for supplying that clothing is very considerable and valuable, and we ought to use that great buying power in the hands of the Department of Posts and Telegraphs to help in the production of some desirable product. If you notice the textile from which a postman's uniform is made, it is a hairy, disagreeable kind of cloth that you could not imagine anybody using for anything else but a postman's uniform. Why should we not attire our postmen in a navy serge, I cannot imagine. Such a uniform would last longer, would look better, and would provide our manufacturers of navy serges and black serges with an increased volume of output which would enable them to bring their methods of manufacture up to a higher level.
One of the great difficulties of the woollen industry in this country is to get navy serges, black serges with a proper finish. I think one of the reasons why that difficulty exists is because our mills cannot hope to have as great a market for that commodity as the competing English mills have. Oddly enough, there is only one texture in which Great Britain completely wipes us off the map, and that is in the navy serge or the black serge. I do not think that either of these made in England are intrinsically superior to ours. It is only in this matter of the finish; and the difficulty of installing machinery to get the right finish arises from the want of an adequate market. Now, here is an opportunity to get a market at least for one mill or for several mills. I now suggest to the Minister to consult the Minister for Industry and Commerce to know whether a change-over to navy serge would not be a useful change and a very helpful one in improving the production of that particular commodity in our woollen mills. I am certain it would very much improve the appearance and comfort of the servants of the Post Office, and that is no small matter.
