asked the Minister for Agriculture whether he received any representations from merchants in the egg trade as to difficulties arising in the exportation of eggs under the egg agreement with Great Britain before he was consulted in regard to the issue of licences for the importation duty free of egg box shooks; and, if so, whether he will state the nature of the difficulties indicated to him.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Imports of Egg Box Shooks.
No. The primary concern of the Minister for Agriculture is not egg merchants but egg producers. Egg cases are made up by egg merchants from prepared shooks. These shooks are imported prepared for nailing together into boxes or in prepared blocks to be sawn on the flat by timber importers prior to sale to the egg exporter. Shooks in the latter category cost approximately 1/- per set of shooks more than the former, and as this represents 4d. per great hundred on the producers' price for eggs, I consider that such a deduction from the price for eggs would constitute a very serious difficulty, not for the merchants but for the producers, fortunately one which we have been able to remove.
Had the Minister no consultation with the egg exporters or had the Minister for Industry and Commerce no consultation with the box manufacturers or no consultation with anybody before the Minister pressed the Minister for Industry and Commerce to withdraw in 1950 a tariff imposed in 1948, thereby putting 700 workers out of employment?
I think my answer is exhaustive. I deny categorically that certain workers were put out of employment.
Will the Minister say whether he was consulted by the Minister for Industry and Commerce before this tariff was imposed in 1948?
I have nothing to add to the answer I have given to the question on the Order Paper.
Does the Minister realise the unfairness to the people engaged in this industry, the industry of the preparation of sawed blocks, and to the firms who invested their money in this industry? They invested their money because a tariff was imposed in 1948 by the Minister for Industry and Commerce. That has now been taken from them.
There is no truth in the representation made by Deputy Lemass that the manufacture of boxes is here involved. The only thing manufactured, soi-disant, was shooks. The manufacture of the shooks consisted of taking blocks of wood of the appropriate length for a batten to be nailed into the egg case and then given two deep cuts on a planing machine. I assert categorically that not one single employed person has ceased to be employed as a result of this salvage of 4d. per long hundred on eggs for the producer from the timber merchants.
Will the Minister say why this Government imposed a tariff upon these shooks in 1948?
I have no doubt that the Deputy will be vouchsafed a reply to that question if he sets it down on the Order Paper.
We were told by the Minister for Industry and Commerce that he was developing an important industry. Subsequently, under pressure by the Minister for Agriculture, the tariff was destroyed, and the industry.
There is no truth in that statement.
How do you know, if you consulted nobody?
Nobody minds what he says.
This tariff applied to shooks for egg boxes in the last 12 years.
Is the Minister aware that people were induced to spend a lot of money? One particular man in Cork spent up to £8,000 in buying new machinery. He is anxious to sell it now and does not know if he will be allowed to export.
I am not so aware. I am aware that the machine purchased was a planing machine to make tongue and grove boards and that, having installed these machines, timber importers sought to bring as much grist to their mill as they could without regard to anybody else's interest.
You are trying to get out of the groove with your tongue.
If the Minister is so anxious about the 4d. per great hundred, why does he not do something to get back for the farmers the 14/- per great hundred in the price of eggs, which they dropped as the result of his agreement with the British Government?
Question No.29.