asked the Minister for Industry and Commerce whether he is aware that a number of employees in the glove factory at Ashtown have been laid off; and, if so, whether he will take the necessary steps to have those workers re-employed.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Glove Factory Workers.
I have been informed by a representative of this firm that, because of a falling off in orders for its products, due to over-stocking by traders, consequent on heavy importations over the past few years, the firm was obliged, early this year, to lay off a number of workers.
The manufacture here of gloves is protected by a tariff of 37½ per cent. ad valorem, full, 25 per cent. preferential, in the case of leather gloves, and double those rates in the case of fur gloves. A request for increased protection was made to my Department by a deputation from the glove industry in March of this year, but no reply was received to a request made to the deputation for the particulars necessary to substantiate the claim that the existing protective tariffs are not adequate.
Will the Parliamentary Secretary state now if he will consider giving this industry any further protection or whether there are any imports of gloves at the moment?
I have already told the Deputy that the deputation was requested to supply the particulars necessary to substantiate the claim for higher protection. For the Deputy's information, I may state that the imports of gloves dropped considerably in 1948 as against 1947 and that the figures for the first three months of this year also showed a drop.