I gave notice of my intention to raise this matter on another occasion but, unfortunately, I could not avail of the opportunity. I raise it to-night simply because the town of which I am chairman of the local authority has suffered a severe loss by the closing down of the Portlaoighise-Mountmellick railway line. I am not satisfied by the reply I received from the Minister that everything possible has been done to keep this line working. When I raised this matter in the previous Dáil, the Minister told me definitely that none of the lines which were listed for closing down was reopened, but I may say that the line from Kilfree Junction to Ballaghaderreen was reopened, although it was amongst those listed for closing down. I have that list before me and if the Minister wants to get it he can consult the Irish Independent, the Irish Press or the railway company. I want to know why it is that that one railway line was singled out to be reopened. The Minister informed a deputation which interviewed him in connection with the Mountmellick maltings that if there was anything he could do to further the interests of Mountmellick and its people he would be delighted to avail of the opportunity. He has that opportunity now. I understand that he informed a Deputy of this House that it would serve no useful purpose to receive a deputation in connection with this important matter, which concerns the livelihood of a number of men, and concerns very largely the villages of Rosenallis, Clarahill, Clonaslee, Clonaheen, and those districts convenient to my native town which depended upon the Mountmellick railway station. I cannot see why the Minister would not receive a deputation of traders, or Deputies of this House, and I cannot see why he used the name of one single Deputy when he replied to my question to-day, because Deputy Davin, Deputy Dr. O'Higgins, Deputy Gorry and myself interviewed an official of his Department. I would be glad if the Minister, when he is replying, would let the House and the other Deputies for the constituency know the representations made to him or his Department by the Deputy to whom he referred in his answer to my question to-day.
The railway line from Kilfree to Ballaghaderreen, which was originally closed down, is now being kept open. I understand that that was as the result of representations made by a member of this House direct to the railway company. The Minister did not use his good offices with the railway company on our behalf, but, according to the information at my disposal, a single Deputy of this House went to the railway company and was responsible for keeping open the Ballaghaderreen-Kilfree railway line. I should be very glad if the Minister would explain to the House how it is that that line is kept open while the Mountmellick-Portlaoighise line was closed down. It must be remembered that Portlaoighise is a locomotive depot; there is always a spare engine there. That does not apply in the case of the Ballaghaderreen-Kilfree line. It is important to remember too that, the people of Mountmellick have offered to provide all the necessary fuel to keep the line going. We are not waiting for coal; we are quite satisfied to carry on the railway service from Mountmellick to Portlaoighise on fuel produced by the people of Mountmellick and surrounding districts. We even gave a guarantee to the Minister and to the official of his Department who was interviewed that that fuel would be forthcoming. All we wanted was that the Great Southern Railways Company should allow us to use the train, which, I understand, is lying idle at Portlaoighise at the present time.
The closing of the line inflicts a severe hardship on the traders of Mountmellick. All their business was transacted through the railway company, and bacon was sent from there to the four corners of this country. In Mountmellick also we have the grain stores of Messrs. Odlum, and thousands of tons of grain have to be handled. The Minister told me in his reply to-day that the railway company are going to open this line for beet haulage. That is a slight improvement on his reply to me on 9th May last, but we are not satisfied that it should be opened for beet haulage alone. We cannot understand why we should not have this service, in view of the fact that we would not be utilising any of the fuel required for the national purposes to which the Minister always refers. All we want is that the railway company should give us the train. The Minister may say that Mountmellick has no grievance because an alternative service has been provided. We have a lorry service in its place, but the people are unable to pay for it. I have made out statistics in that connection, and I am prepared to stand over them. When we had the railway service from Mountmellick to Portlaoighise, the cost of sending bacon from Mountmellick railway station to the city was 33/9 per ton, while, with the new service, it is 36/4. In the case of sugar, the cost per ton when the old service was operating was 30/3; the cost now is 33/1. When the old service was in operation the cost of sending potatoes up to the city was 2/2 per cwt.; at the present time it is 3/1. I do not think the people of that district should be subjected to those charges, or that the rail service, for which we were prepared to supply the fuel, should have been tampered with.
I should be very glad if the Minister would seriously take this matter up with the railway company. Surely he has a little more influence than the Deputy who approached the General Manager of the railway company and succeeded in keeping the Kilfree-Ballaghaderreen line open? If he has not more influence than that Deputy, well, I will leave the verdict to the commonsense and intelligence of this House. I am raising this matter, too, in the interests of the workers of the Great Southern Railways in my own town who will lose their employment as a result of the curtailment of the services. I would ask the Minister to receive the five Deputies for the constituency, and, if necessary, to go with them to interview the officials of the railway company. It is our duty to fight for the interests of the people who sent us here; it is our duty to fight to the last inch to see that that line is kept open, and it is up to the Minister to fulfil the promise he made to the people of Mountmellick in 1938, that he would give them every support, assistance and co-operation consistent with his duties as Minister for Industry and Commerce. I would appeal to the Minister to reconsider this matter, because the daily service from Mountmellick to Portlaoighise is as important as the service for the haulage of beet in the beet season. The Minister will agree with me that, so far as the passenger service from Mountmellick to Portlaoighise is concerned, it was never worth very much. Very often, I was the only passenger who left Mountmellick. The places affected most are Rosenallis, Clarahill, Clonaslee and Clonaheen.
I will not delay the House further, because I am sure that Deputy Dr. O'Higgins, and also Deputy Davin, who knows more about transport than I do, will have something to say on the matter. Again I would ask the Minister to take the necessary steps to reopen the line, and to give us an explanation as to why preferential treatment was accorded to the Ballaghaderreen-Kilfree line. Let him not be afraid to tell us that a certain Deputy from the Opposition went to the general manager and said: "Open the Ballaghaderreen-Kilfree railway line in spite of the Minister and his Department." He used his good offices with the railway company, and succeeded in keeping the line open. I think the five Deputies from Laoighis-Offaly, with the help of the Minister, should at least be able to do what that Deputy did for the line in which he was interested. Therefore, I ask the Minister to reconsider the matter and allow us to have a daily train service. I repeat that we will provide the necessary fuel. I think the matter is one which deserves sympathetic consideration by the company and by the Minister. I appeal to the Minister to do his very best, both for the sake of the unfortunate employees concerned, and in order to help the people of Mountmellick, the people of Rosenallis, Clarahill, Clonaslee, Clonaheen, and the other districts dependent on Mountmellick railway station for the transport of goods.
