When speaking on this matter a short time ago, I had not had the advantage of hearing the Minister's introductory statement. I was wondering to what Deputy O'Higgins was alluding when he was bewailing the extra 2d. that the public would have to pay on their butter. I had since the opportunity of reading the Minister's statement, in which he is guaranteeing an extra 1d. a gallon on milk. I would suggest to the Minister that it is not enough. I would like to point out to him that, in his own statement here to-day, in replying to my question, he said that he would have to import 3,000 tons of butter this year to meet the position of affairs he finds. I would like to point out again the statement made by the Creamery Managers' Association, namely, that the present sterling equivalent of creamery butter prices in the United States, Canada, Belgium and Germany ranges from 449/3 to 550/- per cwt. I am quoting on this occasion from the Irish Independent of Wednesday, 13th June.
Taking even the 450/-, when I heard Deputy O'Higgins complain about the public having to pay 3/- a lb. for Irish butter because the Minister had increased the price of milk by 1d, I respectfully point out that 450/- is 4/- a lb. That is to be paid to the foreigner for butter owing to the actions of Deputy Dillon, that manoeuvring of Deputy Dillon, the under-paid Minister. This under-paid Minister—£2,500 was not enough for him—who was scotching his work because he was not getting enough, has brought this poverty to which the unfortunate farmers have been driven for the past three years, and has brought about the condition of affairs that in order to provide butter for this country we must purchase 3,000 tons on the continent at 4/- a lb.
That would mean according to present proposals 4/- for butter from the continent and 3/- a lb. for Irish butter. It would mean an extra tax on the Irish people in the shape of subsidy of £350,000—a lot to pay for one man's foolishness. If the foreign butter is to be sold at 3/- an extra subsidy must be found of £350,000. Now perhaps Deputy Dillon knows what he is costing the nation. If we are to put an end to that condition of affairs, if we are to build up again, if we are to get our farmers back into the production of milk and butter and put an end to the stocks of cows out in the fields each with two calves hanging on to her, for beef, for the bull market, I would suggest to the Minister that he must come a little further in the line of prices. I would respectfully suggest that he has the costings in his Department; let him get his people to work on those costings, and he should have no difficulty in finding out the increased cost of production per gallon of milk since March, 1947, when those costings were prepared. Let him find out, and if we had to impose on the taxpayers of this country an extra £350,000, to be paid to the foreigner over and above what we pay our own people, I suggest that it should be paid at home.
I am grateful for your kindness, Sir, in letting me go over that because I previously dealt with the milk question, but I had not dealt with it from that point of view, because I had not the advantage of hearing the Minister's opening statement on the price of milk.
Let us now decide whether we are to have sufficient production of milk in this country to enable our people to have not alone the ration but butter off the ration as well. Let us decide that we will at least provide our own people with sufficient butter without going to the foreigner. I wonder who paid for the 320 or 340 cwt. of butter which were found to be unusable, the stuff that you would want—to use Deputy Dillon's own words—a gas mask if you were to stand over it. That was the expression he used about the Irish butter which he found in store when he came into office.
