asked the Minister for Supplies whether with regard to the following articles: wheat, tea, motor spirit, coal, timber, and building materials, he will state what emergency supplies were available at, the 1st September, 1939, over and above normal supplies.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Emergency Supplies.
I have no information as regards normal supplies of the commodities mentioned by the Deputy in the sense that I have not particulars of the national stocks of these commodities held on any date prior to the 1st September, 1938.
I am not, therefore, in a position to furnish the information required by the Deputy.
For some considerable time prior to the outbreak of war, traders were urged to lay in stocks of essential commodities and the import statistics indicate, in respect of the commodities mentioned in the question, that, with the exception of timber, quantities over and above normal importations were imported up to 31st August last.
Will the Minister say whether it is a fact that no estimate had been made of the additional emergency storage of such things as tea, motor spirit, coal and timber by September last?
I must refer the Deputy to my answer. I do not know what the Deputy means by emergency storage. In order to calculate what additional stocks were in the country you would have to know what stocks were normally carried. Nobody has that information. We do know that there are additional stocks of all these commodities, except timber, in the country.
The Minister in reply to question No. 8 gave us an account of a rather elaborate staff set up to encourage increased storage of certain items. Can the Minister say if any estimate has been made under any of the headings I have shown as to the results that were brought about by the work of the staff in ensuring additional supplies over the normal in September?
Undoubtedly there is, but not in the form the Deputy refers to.
Will the Minister deny that as a result of the Minister for Agriculture's activities no merchant could buy any supplementary supply of flour for storage in the month of August?
The Deputy must not raise that matter a second time.
It seems to arise directly out of this.
Then it should not have arisen out of the other on which the Deputy raised it twice.