I had better take up the points in order, because they are for the most part of Committee Stage type. With regard to the point mentioned by Senator Jameson, I must admit that the only way in which the standard of the Association's work is going to be settled is by central control—by the Minister. In so far as he referred to area advertising against area, the scheme here, though it is not absolute, is designed to prevent that sort of thing happening. We do want to have a single organisation centrally governed, instead of having two or three organisations advertising particular areas. When I first came in touch with this matter, many years ago, there were three separate tourist associations. It took a considerable amount of effort to get these associations to coalesce. We want to preserve that central body and to give it as much power as possible. Now and again there may be an exceptional place which will require facilities for advertising itself. We have got power in the Bill whereby such a place may advertise itself instead of having its money spent centrally.
With regard to the speech of Senator The McGillycuddy of the Reeks, the quid pro quo that we expect from the Association is that it will do proper advertising. If it does not do proper advertising, having regard to what is suitable for such an Association to do, we will have to see that another association comes along and takes its place. The money is given on recognised conditions. Accounts have to be submitted and audited, the scheme according to which the money is to be expended has to be passed, so that there is a certain amount of control.
A number of Senators have referred to the charge on the ratepayers. All I can say is that we do not impose—I stress the word "impose"—any charge on the ratepayer. There is permission given to local authorities to raise money. They need not do it if they do not wish. When the Local Government Act of 1925 was going through, certain representations were made by most of the local authorities asking that such permission should be given them. A certain amount of pressure had been put upon the local authorities by the Tourist Development Association. As a matter of fact, of the 26 Counties, all but six did, in fact, subscribe in the year ending March, 1930. Of these six, it is peculiar that one is notably a tourist county—a county which depends, to a great extent, on the fact that it has certain amenities and certain scenic attractions. It did not subscribe in that particular year, although it was one of the places which was clearly going to benefit. As to those who propose to vote against the Bill, I would ask them what will be the position if this Bill is defeated. It will be simply this—that local authorities will be able to subscribe the money they have subscribed heretofore, but that money can only be spent on advertising, in the limited sense of the word. Certain things that we want to get done through the Association, by means of the money of the local authorities, will not be achieved.
What Senator The McGillycuddy has said hardly arises here. As to the complaint that certain roads are impassable, and as to the complaint that from the point of view of sanitary accommodation certain places are unfit for tourists, the remedy is not under this Bill. There may be a point later in the contention that certain places of ill-repute, from the point of view of tourist traffic, should not be advertised. Again, we shall have to depend to some extent on the Association. The Association has managed its business very well up to the present, having regard to the limited moneys they had to spend and in relation to the manner in which they had to spend the money as it came to them.
Senator MacKean has, in fact, put his finger upon one of the difficulties of the situation. One of the ways in which the Association, up to date, wanted to spend money was in having inspectors appointed to look after hotels so that hotels could be graded, or at any rate that certain good hotels would be promised a recognition which would not be accorded to hotels of less repute. That particular type of activity was prohibited under the 1925 Act because it was not advertising, the word "advertising" being narrowly interpreted. The Association had, in fact, before them a scheme for the inspection of hotels, and even advanced to the point that Senator Johnson spoke of, of regularising hotels according to certain standards of comfort, cleanliness, service, and so on, and the type of pleasure afforded in the neighbourhood of the hotel. The Association could not spend any money for that purpose, but they will be enabled to do so under this legislation. Even though the matter may appear to have been over-stressed, it is no harm, I think, that vent should have been given to the complaint Senator MacKean has. He has obviously suffered from these hotels, and it is only when a man has suffered that he can speak with feeling.
This hotel matter is one about which a great deal could be said, and on which a great deal of adverse comment could be made. There are places which are called hotels which should not appear in any tourist development list as hotels to which tourists should be invited. In fact, there are a great number of such places from which tourists should be definitely kept away. Recently a friend of mine landed at Cobh in the early hours of the morning. He was simply grabbed by a brigand of a jarvey and brought to what was called a hotel. The bell had to be pressed on three occasions before an attendant arrived. When he did make his appearance he seemed to suffer from a certain amount of beverage, more than would appear to be good for him at four o'clock in the morning. Later, when the smell of food being cooked got through the house my friend made some inquiries and was told that was the family breakfast, and that he could not partake of it. That place was described as a hotel. People are brought to such places by the drivers of vehicles in these areas. They are feed to bring people who arrive by the early boat in the morning to them. Activity of an undesirable type of that kind should be stopped.
With regard to the railways, I am not so sure that the Senator's complaint was well founded. He complained of carriages being damp. That is a thing that should be attended to. It is well it was raised, because we can have it brought to the notice of the railway directors. From the statistical information that I have, I should not like to let it go forth, without some sort of reserve at any rate, that the transport facilities here are not given in a proper way.
