There is only one authority licensed in this country to manufacture sugar from beet, and that authority is Comhlucht Siuicre Eireann, Teoranta, but if at any time I fall out with Comhlucht Siuicre Eireann, Teoranta, I can import sugar from Cuba or Hang Wang, and say to Comhlucht Siuicre Eireann, Teoranta, "I will not deal with you; I am going to deal with Hang Wang." Now, this order comes along and says: "You cannot deal with Hang Wang if you do not get a licence from the Minister for Industry and Commerce." In introducing this order the Minister for Industry and Commerce says in effect: "I wish to inform the House that it is not proposed to give a licence to anyone to deal with Hang Wang except, Comhlucht Siuicre Eireann, Teoranta." On that statement, and on the contents of this order, I am saying: Is it fair to give this exclusive licence to Comhlucht Siuicre Eireann, Teoranta, if that company is not treating the citizens of this country fairly? I want the Minister to get up and say: "I think it is not proper to give this exclusive licence to Comhlucht Siuicre Eireann, Teoranta, if it is not treating the citizens of this State rightly, and I, the Minister for Industry and Commerce, will see, before I give the company this exclusive licence, that it will treat the people rightly."
Now, I am trying to tell the Miniister and the House what treating the people rightly would be, and when I have done that I want to sit down. I am putting it to the Minister and to the House that there are two equitable ways of distributing merchandise where a monopoly is doing the distribution. One is to sell it to the community ex-factory. Let every man make his own arrangements to get the merchandise from the factory to his place of business in the most economical way that he can. The other way is to say that, in view of the fact that the factories were distributed in certain centres owing to social considerations being given effect to as opposed to strictly economical considerations, sugar will be delivered, carriage paid, to any railway station or goods depot in Eire recognised by the Government. Now either system would be reasonably equitable, but I suggest that the halfway house which gives half the community the right to get sugar delivered to its door carriage paid and denies that right to the other half, is not equitable and should not be allowed to continue. I am, therefore, suggesting to the Minister that a condition precedent to his granting to Comhlucht Siuicre Eireann, Teoranta, a licence under this order shall be that he shall say to them: "In future every goods depôt on the Great Southern Railways system must be a carriage-paid station for the delivery of sugar. Whether a man buys six tons, 50 tons or 1,000 tons, he will be permitted to take delivery of that at any recognised goods depôt on the existing railway system of the country." I can see no argument against that. I would be grateful if the Minister, before granting this exclusive licence to the sugar company, would request it to do what I have suggested. I do not think it is an unreasonable request to make.