asked the Minister for Supplies if his attention has been drawn to a decision of a large number of blacksmiths in the Thurles area of County Tipperary to close their blacksmith shops unless they can obtain a better quality fuel than they are now being supplied with, i.e., duff; and, if so, if he will have arrangements made to have them supplied with oval or candy slack as supplied to other blacksmiths.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Blacksmiths' Fuel.
I was not aware that blacksmiths in the Thurles area have decided to close their blacksmith shops unless they obtain a better quality fuel. As I said on previous occasions in the Dáil, all the coal now available in this country is indistinguishable from low volatile steam coal and consists mostly of slack. There is no action open to me to secure the supply of better quality coal to blacksmiths, who must, therefore, endeavour to carry on their business in present circumstances with whatever types of coal they can obtain.
Is the Minister aware that in some areas they get an altogether different type of slack from other areas, and that the type supplied from the Dublin areas is much superior to that supplied from Cork? Could there be some system of supplying the same type of coal to all blacksmiths?
I am not aware that the circumstances are as described by the Deputy, but it could happen that occasional cargoes of coal delivered to individual merchants would be of better quality than the supplies available to other merchants.
I have no idea of what the stuff is, but I am told it is impossible to work it.