I would like to have a statement from the Minister as to what this Bill means.
PRIVATE BUSINESS. - LOCAL GOVERNMENT (COLLECTION OF RATES) BILL, 1926—SECOND STAGE.
Question proposed—"That this Bill be read a second time."
It is a Bill to continue further the power to local authorities to collect rates by means of the Post Office if they so desire. It does not make it obligatory on them to do so. At present the only county availing of this method of collection is the County Kerry. The Bill makes it permissible for local authorities to adopt this method, but it is not obligatory on them to do so.
Am I right in assuming that the Minister will agree to proposals from other counties to collect rates through the Post Office? As regards the county of which I have most knowledge, the Minister not very long ago refused them permission to avail of his method of rate collecting. I think it is an eminently desirable method and that the Minister should facilitate local authorities in this matter. As regards that county, the collection of rates at the present time costs 6d. in the pound. That is a very substantial sum. I do not know what the costs would be through the Post Office. I think the Minister should go further in this matter, and should not merely leave all the initiative to the local authorities, but should use a certain amount of persuasion with them to adopt this method. At the outset, there might be difficulty in collecting rates through the Post Office as the people would not be used to it, but this difficulty would be got over, and the result would be a very substantial saving. I suppose the question of pensions for the rate collectors would then arise. That, of course, would be inevitable but I do not think we should allow that question to stand in the way of adopting an improved method for the collection of rates.
I have a good deal of sympathy with the point of view expressed by Senator Sir John Keane. The only question is, what is the best method of arriving at that objective? There are certain difficulties in the way of getting this scheme accepted by the various county councils because it is very difficult to get in arrears of rates without a rate collector. We are not quite satisfied yet as to whether the Post Office is the best method for collecting rates. At the present time it costs the Post Office something like 3d. in the pound, but that does not cover all the charges. We are proceeding in this matter by means of an experiment, something in the same way as Senator Sir John Keane advised as regards our accounting methods some time ago when there was a debate in the Seanad. If we were to insist upon this system of collection throughout the country it would mean decreasing the number of rate collectors, and that would add to our pension list which is already sufficiently inflated. There is no immediate prospect of having this system adopted very widely throughout the country, but I might say that dealing with the matter in vacuo, as it were, I am very much in favour of the principle.
I would like to know whether it is intended to extend this Bill to all the counties in the Saorstát?
CATHAOIRLEACH
All the Bill does is to extend the provisions of Section 6 of the Principal Act to such money collections as poor rate. It does not necessarily mean that it is to be so applied, but it gives the power to do so.
Question "That the Bill be read a second time"—put and agreed to.