I move that the Bill be now read a Second Time. The purpose of the Bill is to continue in operation the Seeds and Fertilisers Supply Act, 1942, for the period from 1st August, 1947 to 31st July, 1949. The 1942 Act applied to the period from 1st August, 1941, to 31st July, 1942, and short continuing Acts have since extended this period to 31st July, 1947. The Bill thus continues to a current date the powers conferred on county councils by the Act of 1942, to adopt schemes for the provision of seeds and fertilisers for farmers on credit terms. This involves the validation of schemes which have already been put into operation by county councils in anticipation of this legislation and the Bill contains provision for this purpose.
It is not the purpose of the Bill to provide agricultural credit in the broad general sense of that term. It is merely designed to permit county counsils to provide credit for those small cultivators who might not be able to obtain it in the ordinary way.
County councils may operate two types of scheme under the Bill. The usual type of scheme is where the council pays the merchant the cost of seeds supplied to an applicant and recovers the cost from the applicant. The other type is a guarantee scheme under which the applicant obtains the seed from the merchant and the council guarantees the merchant the cost in the event of failure to recover from the applicant. Only one county council (Louth) adopted such a scheme last season and there were no applicants.
All county councils, with the exception of Kerry, have adopted schemes for the two seasons in question. The total number of loans last year was 4,356 and the total cost was £50,738; the average loan thus being £11 7s. 0d. The number of recipients in 1944-45 was 5,036; in 1945-46 it was 4,804, and in 1946-47 it was 4,807.
The number for the present season is not yet available. The Bill is for the purpose of continuing what has been done since 1942 and in previous years, to enable the county councils to adopt schemes for helping these people to get seeds and fertilisers who might otherwise have difficulty in doing so.
