The only purpose of this Order is to synchronise the time for a very short period, at the beginning of the Summer Time Order and the ending of it, between the two countries. Whether this Order is approved or not, the Summer Time Act of 1925 is not under review. The Summer Time Act of 1925 will operate whether I like it or not until this Parliament changes or abolishes the Act. The only question that confronts the House and on which it has to decide is whether summer time should commence on the 10th April or on the 3rd April—seven days—at the beginning of the period, or whether it will finish on the 2nd October or on the 30th October. Deputy Allen says that he would like to see summer time in operation from the 1st March to the 1st December. The help that he has given me is very sound from the Ministerial point of view but it is not good from the point of view of the farmer and, as I am a farmer, I should like to be able to take his point of view. However, all I am asking is that we will do this for the sake of everybody concerned. When I say "everybody" I have in mind, among others, the farmers and the Dublin Cattle Market. Mark you, if the cattle were an hour late to meet the train the farmers would not be pleased and if the prices were bad, because of some miscalculation of the time, the farmers would not be too pleased about it and they would ask why the Government did not avoid such a contingency by arranging the times in such a way that everybody could understand them. I am not going to go into the arguments which have been made during this debate but I should like to remind the House that the Order is made under Section 3 (2) of the Summer Time Act of 1925, Section 1 of which reads as follows:
"(1) The Minister for Justice may, whenever it appears expedient to him so to do, by Order appoint that the period appointed by this Act or by any previous Order made under this section to be the period of summer time for the purpose of this Act shall, either generally or in any particular years or year, not be the period of summer time for that purpose, and that in lieu thereof some other period specified in such Order shall, either generally or in such particular years or year (as the case may require), be the period of summer time for the purpose of this Act."
The sub-section under which I am making the Order is sub-section (2) of Section 3:—
"An Order made by the Minister for Justice under this section shall not come into operation unless or until it has been approved by resolution of each House of the Oireachtas, but such Order when so approved shall have statutory effect as an amendment of this Act."
In introducing the motion, I said that I was giving effect to the report of the Summer Time Committee set up by my predecessor in 1941. Evidence was received by that committee from every section of the community. The committee was representative of business, farming and labour—a very good committee. They made a recommendation that the Minister should retain summer time but that, if the British changed the time or the period, the Minister should make a similar Order. The wording of the recommendation is as follows:
"Provided that the British Government made a similar change, the period of summer time should be extended so as to commence on the 1st day of April and end on the first Sunday in November."
Because of the Order that the British have made, which is that summer time should commence on the first Sunday of April and end on the last Sunday of October, I have made a similar Order. That is for the better management and arrangement of the affairs between the two countries and for the convenience of everybody.
On the question of schools, which Deputy Beegan raised, everybody knows that whatever time is decided by the local manager is the time that shall operate. The Minister for Education has given an instruction to that effect. If Deputy Beegan has any difficulty, let him use his good offices and influence with the local manager so that the children about whom he is so perturbed will not have to get up too early. If he uses as much persuasion with the manager as he used in the Dáil, I am sure it will be effective. I do not think that any school teacher is anxious to get up too early in the morning, because he is tired after a long, arduous day. The teacher and the children, I believe, are probably of the same frame of mind, that the later they get in and the earlier they get out, the better they would like it. As I have said, I shall not follow all the arguments that were used. I am glad that Deputy Moylan has pointed out that the Summer Time Act was designed by a builder. There is much building required in the world to-day and I trust that the plan of the builder will be given effect to by the Summer Time Act or by the endeavour of the people of the country.
I move that the Order—not the Summer Time Act—the Order made under the Act by the Minister for Justice, be approved by this House.