I move:—
That Dáil Éireann hereby approves of the undermentioned Order made under the Control of Imports Acts, 1934 and 1937:—Control of Imports (Quota No. 37) (Amendment) Order, 1950.
This resolution is to confirm an Order made in June last under the Control of Imports Act, 1934, Section 4 (2). The amending Order increases the price exemption limit for imported hats from 14/11 to 15/11 each, and the importation of women's and girls' hats and caps of felt of a value for Custom purposes of less than 15/11 each is now prohibited except under licence. The Order is the outcome of an arrangement made in 1939 between the British millinery trade and the Galway hat factory, under which agreement the British millinery trade withdrew their application for a review under the 1938 Trade Agreement. It was agreed at that time that the importation would provide for 160,000 hats of the type to which the Quota Order referred. In 1937 the annual market for women's hats was estimated at 1,000,000 hats. Changes in fashion altered considerably the size of the market, and since 1948 the production and import of hats show that considerably less than that figure is being purchased here for the home trade. As a result of this arrangement the quota has now been reduced and an additional market for 60,000 hats annually is being reserved for the Galway hat factory. This Order provides that the quota will be reduced from 160,000 to 100,000.