I move that the Bill be now read a Second Time. The purpose of this Bill is to continue in operation the Seeds and Fertilisers Supply Act, 1942, for the period from 1st August, 1949, to 31st July, 1955. 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, 1949. The purpose of the Acts is to enable county councils to provide credit for the purchase of seeds and fertilisers to small cultivators who might not be able to obtain it in the ordinary way. The Acts do not provide a comprehensive scheme for agricultural credit but merely one designed to help a relatively small number of cultivators who otherwise might find it difficult to obtain supplies of seeds and fertilisers. County councils adopted schemes in the seasons 1949-50 and 1950-51 in anticipation of the enactment of legislation to enable them to do so. This Bill will validate such schemes and will continue the legislation for a further four seasons. There is, therefore, no new principle involved in the present Bill which is merely a continuing and validating Bill.
The Acts are enabling Acts only, permitting county councils to adopt schemes if they wish to do so. The county councils can exercise their powers under the Acts in two ways. They can make loans to individuals for the purchase of the seeds and fertilisers or they can guarantee the due payment to a merchant of the cost of seeds and fertilisers supplied on credit by him to an approved applicant.
All county councils with the exception of Dublin, Kerry, Leitrim and Louth adopted schemes in the seasons 1949-50 and 1950-51. The total number of loans in the season 1949-50 was 2,421 and the total cost of the schemes was £27,153. The average loan was about £11.
I am confident that the House will readily accept the Bill.
