asked the Minister for Supplies whether he will make available adequate supplies of warp yarn of suitable quality to the weavers in the Dunlewey district of Donegal, so that the weft yarn locally spun can be used by local weavers in the production of homespun cloth.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Donegal Homespun Cloth—Warp Yarn Supplies.
As the woollen weaving mills which have yarn spinning facilities can use all the woollen yarn spun in the mills, I regret that it is not possible to provide supplies of machine-spun warp yarn for hand-weavers in the Dunlewey district of Donegal.
Does the Minister mean to say that he is going to let the homespun industry in that area die for the sake of the microscopic quantity of warp yarn required to keep it going for a few years until supplies become available?
Warp yarns can be home-spun, too.
Only to the gravest possible detriment of the quality of the finished product of Donegal home spun cloths.
That is a matter of opinion, too.
Is the Minister expressing the view that the homespuns will be better with handspun warp yarn?
The question as to what is a handspun and handwoven cloth is, perhaps, an open one. It usually means cloth made of yarn spun by hand.
What I am asking is, can the Minister provide milled yarn to use in the manufacture of home-woven cloth in order that homespun yarns may be used in the weft? As I understand it, the Minister for Supplies says that the mills that were spinning these yarns want to use them all in the factories.
The mills can use them all themselves.
I know, but surely they ought to be asked to give up a little part of warp yarn to help the homespun industry just as every other manufacturer has to share raw materials with his competitors in these times of stress. Will the Minister not give the home weavers in Donegal the same concession as he would give the manufacturers in Dublin? Is it not a fact that the Minister has required persons who brought in raw materials to share them with competitors? Why not ask these millers to share their raw materials with the home weavers in Donegal? Surely you are not going to allow them to go out of business. Will the Minister consider the thing again?
It is not practicable to consider the thing again. There is an inadequate supply of yarn.
Agreed.
There is a very substantial increased demand for Donegal hand-woven cloths. The Donegal hand weavers cannot get machine-spun yarns for the purpose of weaving these cloths. I am putting it to them that they will have to use hand-spun yarns.
Surely the Minister will arrange to give them some percentage at least of what they were getting prewar and not leave it all to the mills. Will he reconsider the thing?
I am not undertaking to do that.
One gets great satisfaction out of that man.