asked the Minister for Agriculture if he is in a position to state the production costings of (a) wheat, (b) barley, (c) oats, (d) potatoes, (e) cattle, (f) sheep, (g) pigs, and (h) butter, in each of the years 1914, 1919, 1924, 1929, 1934, and 1939.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Farm Produce Costings.
No costing figures of the kind referred to in the question are available for the years specified. If, however, the Deputy will refer to the journal of the Department, vol. xxii, No. 3, and vol. xxiv, No. 4, he will find there the results of investigations on a limited scale into the cost of production of wheat, barley, oats, potatoes, store cattle, sheep, pigs and milk which were carried out in the year 1920.
Arising out of the Minister's reply will the Minister say if it is proposed to bring those costings up to date at any time in the near future?
I am afraid not. The bases on which these costings were made have been so radically changed that we will have to have new costings and start from the beginning again.
When does the Minister propose to do that?
Well, I have been hoping to do it for the last four or five years.