One item which must of necessity be of grave concern to us all and in which we have been partially successful is our attempt to break through on the industrial side into the export market. We all know that this policy is not a new policy and that the policy of the present Minister is very much in line with that of his predecessors. The establishment of factories by people coming into this country is welcome in so far as it is a help in providing much needed employment for our people. There is also an over-all benefit where we can succeed in entering export markets on an established basis. There are aspects of the problems, however, which we must examine. One Deputy speaking here yesterday drew particular attention to one of the dangers which, if it is not near, may perhaps lie over the horizon.
Most of the industrialists coming to this country at the present time are people who are operating large factories in other countries and the factories they establish here may truthfully be called subsidiary factories. Should the pattern of international trade be altered in the years to come and should these foreign companies find themselves in the position of having to pull back in the over-all position of the development of their trade, it is quite conceivable that their first line of approach would be to move out from the factories they have established here. Naturally enough none of us wants to see that happen. It would be detrimental to the whole community but we must examine the position in that light as well as in other lights. Should that happen we may find ourselves in a much more difficult position.
While some people laud the attempts of industrialists to establish industries here it must be made very clear that they are not coming in as public benefactors. They are coming in as hard-headed businessmen and coming in to take advantage of what we are offering by way of factory buildings and substantial grants, plus the attractions given in connection with income tax in regard to the export market. Therefore we cannot for a moment consider these people merely as public benefactors coming in to help us.
I know that over the years many members of this House have condemned the operation of the Control of Manufactures Act. It may have had its shortcomings yet, even at this stage, I think that looking over the whole situation there is a certain amount to commend it. If in a number of years, say in five to eight years, an industrialist who had come into this country found it suitable to pull out again he will undoubtedly have made a fair profit during that period. He will not lose anything by pulling out but this country will lose.
On the other hand, if we had a combination of Irish industrialists and foreign industrialists operating, naturally it would not be easy for the Irish industrialist to pull out should a situation arise whereby these factories would have to close down because he could not do it with the same ease as a foreign industrialist. It would be wise to consider that aspect of it rather than leave the situation as it appears to be now, leaving it in the hands of foreigners to move in and reap the reward and if they find it suitable pull out at any time.
There is another aspect that must be considered. We have over the years complained about the importation of products from the Far East. The same complaint has been heard in various parts of Britain, Yorkshire for instance, about the unfair competition from countries where the wage standard is so much lower than that obtaining in Britain. We must protect ourselves against that also. It is a most serious situation and I can mention a particular instance of a group of industrialists who came into Cork, who are getting the grants for their benefit, and who are employing young girls who were naturally delighted to get the opportunity of employment in their own town. These young girls are being employed under the heading of trainees.
It is admitted that the finished product which is being sent on to the export market, back to the country from which the group originated, is of excellent quality, yet because these girls are considered to be trainees they are being paid a miserable wage of £2 a week and in some cases £2 3s. a week. Surely that is too serious a matter to be allowed continue. If it were known in the country concerned, America, that these articles were being sent there from Ireland having been manufactured under these conditions, with appallingly low wages, we would find ourselves in trouble. The Minister may say that it is outside his control and that it is a matter for the employer and the trade unions but I think we are all involved in this eventually. I am quoting this example of a factory at Kinsale but it applies in other factories as well and I suggest that the position should be not allowed to deteriorate in such a way as to provide these industrialists not just with an abundance of labour but labour at slave wages.
Another matter about which I have been concerned—not just recently because I put down questions about it to the Taoiseach when he was Minister for Industry and Commerce—has regard to the position of industries for the Cork Harbour area. We appreciate the benefits of the oil refinery in Cork Harbour but I still do not know why we are not establishing more factories there to use the by-products of the refinery. The articles of a synthetic nature which can be made from the by-products of oil are numerous. It is surprising and indeed distressing to find that we are not making any attempt to encourage, not foreign industrialists in this case but Irish industrialists, Cork businessmen, who could operate in a small way if they were given the lead and shown how they could move in and establish factories in these areas. The Minister knows the area as well as I do and I suggest that if possible he should raise the matter even at Government level.
We have two Departmental buildings in that locality which would be excellent for industrial purposes. They are the Camden Fort and across the water Carlysle Fort. As I say, they are completely obsolete for the purpose for which they are being used. In fact they are as much use now as a popgun would be to Deputy Corry were he out shooting crows on his farm. It is a pity to see these buildings becoming derelict and to know that there are people anxious to establish industries there. If the Minister for Industry and Commerce were to approach the Minister for Defence to inquire into the feasibility of having these buildings switched over for utilisation by industries, in that area where there is close access to the by-products from the oil refinery, it would help towards providing for the benefit of the workers on the eastern and western side of the harbour, and for the benefit of the community as a whole. Ultimately it would bring about a much better situation than exists there at the present time.
There is another item to which I wish to refer. It may be considered as of local interest but nevertheless it should be raised in this House because it affects the workers in the township and area of Passage West. For some years past we have been endeavouring to get improvements carried out to what is known as Penny's Dock and the Minister for Industry and Commerce has a direct concern with this because the Taoiseach, when he was Minister for Industry and Commerce, referred to the problem. At present workers in the Passage West area are handicapped in trying to get to their places of employment at the Rushbrooke Docks, and over to Haulbowline, owing to Penny's Dock being completely silted up.
We believe that a small job, not costing an awful lot of money, could improve the situation there. We had some difficulty with one company, the B. & I. Line, but the Cork County Council and the Cork Harbour Board were, and are, prepared to co-operate. However, the Taoiseach came along and stated that the job would cost £10,000 and that killed it entirely. We consider such an estimate to be fantastic and that something much smaller would help the people concerned to enjoy the benefits of a few weeks' work and a few wage packets, and I would ask the Minister to investigate this matter.
For some time past we have been drawing attention to the importation of certain commodities from certain countries. When we examine the import figures from those countries and the export figures from this country to them, and remember a certain case raised here recently, it must be admitted that it is an extraordinary situation when the practice is allowed whereby people in Dublin, apparently forgetting all moral values in the present over-all world situation, are prepared to be the vendors and to sell to the public commodities from Communist China, just because they are making a great profit on them.
It is about time that we closed down on imports from these countries. Some people may say that ultimately it may affect our way of life or our standard of living, but some of the commodities imported from these countries may often be termed luxuries. Even if they are not, knowing the temperament of the Irish people, I know they would much prefer to do without these commodities rather than have Irish money going into the coffers of such countries. Whether these items are coming directly from their countries of origin, or are coming to us through channels in Britain, it is about time that we should be more selective in our choice of customers, and that the over-all situation be thoroughly reexamined in an effort to stop the importation of articles from some of the countries concerned.
For many years we had operating here a body set up by the Government which undoubtedly gave good service to the community. Because of the many investigations carried out by it the general public knew there was a check on price levels. I am referring to the Prices Advisory Body and I believe that the action of the present Government in disbanding it was disgraceful. The Minister may tell us that a new Act was put into operation in 1958. He may go so far as to tell us that invitations were issued to various bodies, including the trade union movement, asking them to submit names of persons to be put on a new prices body. However, there is a very good answer to that. Names were submitted by the trade union organisations but never once were the people whose names were submitted called upon to examine the situation regarding prices.
Let it not be forgotten that the old Prices Advisory Body had the right to carry out investigations on its own initiative but when this new body was supposed to come into life, prematurely I am afraid, it was not to have that freedom of action in regard to the examination of price levels. It was only at the behest of the Minister concerned, only by his mentioning and naming a certain commodity, that they could examine price levels and act. In my opinion that is completely unfair to the general public and it is undemocratic. It is not pleasant for us to have to admit that there is a necessity at the present time for a prices advisory body but we know there is.
It is only a few years ago since a little newspaper, or leaflet, An Gléas, was issued regularly showing the price increases taking place during the term of the inter-Party Government. I am not here as an advocate to defend the inter-Party Government but I would point out that they gave freedom of action to the Prices Advisory Committee and, having that freedom of action, the committee availed of it and made some attempt to keep prices down. We hear much at present about free trade but in the Twenty-Six Counties the attitude of the Government seems to be free trade and free prices for all concerned, and that is why we often find unjustified price increases in our over-all industrial position. Nobody can be blamed for this except the Government and the Minister concerned. I presume that when this committee was disbanded the Minister did not do it on his own and so the Government must take responsibility for it.
There are a few items with regard to tourism that I should like to mention. No later than last Monday members of the Cork County Council had to direct attention to a serious problem affecting seaside resorts, probably all over the south coast but certainly from the furthermost eastern point of Cork County to the most westerly part of it. This is a problem which is also affecting the business people in seaside areas and it is caused by the harmful effect on the strands by pollution through oil. Each and every one of us concerned and connected with these areas are getting serious complaints. I have seen people whose clothes have been destroyed by going to a seaside place where, as was natural, they thought they would like to sit on the sand for a while.
I know that the oil refinery has issued a statement saying that they are not responsible and I do not say that they are. I do not know. There is an international agreement whereby tankers are not allowed, after discharging oil cargoes, to wash up and clean out within a certain distance of land. It may be said that problem is an international one, that it exists also in Britain, but that is no help to us. It is a matter that must be seriously tackled if we are to concentrate on the improvement of tourism here. Nobody will go to Crosshaven, Garristown or West Cork resorts if they cannot enjoy the benefit of going on the strand itself, going for a swim and sitting on the beach.
I do not intend to enter into any discussion on the merits or demerits of Bord Fáilte and in what I say I shall be brief. I notice that representatives of Bord Fáilte seem to be at every function in the country. They are not slow to get about or to blow their own trumpet. Shall we ever get to the stage when we have a genuine break-down of the figures relating to tourist income as against income from returned exiles? Nobody objects to the big amount of money being spent on publicity for tourism if it is properly spent, but only a few days ago a prominent German stated that while they were inundated with literature from the Six North-Eastern Counties they had little or nothing from the Twenty-Six Counties. The Minister should consider making more use of the Embassies we have in Continental countries and in Britain. These cost us a lot of money, and it is about time the people concerned did a little work in advocating the benefits available to people who come here as tourists.
I cannot understand when Bord Fáilte are providing so much money and while we hear about the £100,000 going to West Cork—I sincerely hope it does go there—why a silver shilling never comes the way of another area in Cork that the Minister knows well —Crosshaven. I shall not make that another local issue here. I do not blame Bord Fáilte. I believe they try to do their best but I wonder if the money has been cut down and whether they are directed to other resorts. I never advocated the lavish spending of money in that area for purposes some people believe in. We should be sensible in our approach to what we can do for people and the people I am concerned with are those who come to Crosshaven from Cork City and outside it, the ordinary working people. Let us forget about swimming pools and bandstands and let us provide with the help of Bord Fáilte facilities for the people who depend on buses and who have not even shelters provided. C.I.E. have been asked to co-operate and I believe they will if they know we can get something from the Government through Bord Fáilte.
My last reference is again related to tourism and a complaint many people make. In the winter-time people who travel in this country, as many must, find the hotel charges fairly reasonable but with the first breath of summer you would think you had come to a different country altogether. Why is it that when we are so anxious to develop tourism, when each Government in turn has been prepared to spend as much money as possible for the benefit of tourism, one section of the community—not all of them, but so many in the hotel industry—are out to rob people? A large percentage of the best type of tourists, apart from our own people, come from Britain and usually do not question charges unless these are prohibitive. Yet they are being charged outrageous prices in certain hotels. We have paid these charges ourselves and we know what happens. We heard the discussion on the Budget and the proposals of the Minister for Finance to give certain benefits to the hoteliers and it is about time that the hoteliers realised that it is not a case of the State paying out while they in turn can rob the tourists or the Irish people. The hoteliers have no right to do so. If funds are being put at their disposal they should give a fair and just return. The Minister should re-establish the Prices Advisory Body with power to check on the prohibitive charges of a large number of hoteliers and that would not only help tourism but would help our own people as well.