Senators will have heard the terms of the motion which I put down on the adjournment to-night, and a good many Senators will have seen in the ante-room of the Dáil certain exhibits of what might be called turf by some people, and which, unfortunately, I was not, according to the rules, allowed to bring into the House and to show around. Those Senators who are conversant with the process of producing turf would recognise them as being the top sod or the cleanings which are normally thrown into the trench before the sleán starts to turn out the turf. Two of those sods are no more than partly-dried grass, and the third is just the same, except that it is so wet that it is quite plain that that turf was never footed. Unfortunately, it has been in this House since Thursday last, and was inadvertently put in the sun by the person in charge; otherwise it would be a great deal wetter than it is to-day. The fourth one was got at Kingsbridge this morning, and it is a fair sample of some 50 per cent. of what is loaded into the waggons there.
Some of it is a great deal worse, but I definitely admit that a great deal of the other 50 per cent. is a good deal better. The fourth sod is very much the same as the first three. It is all grass the same as the rest, but mixed into the grass are a few "cipins" which do not make it any better. The first three sods are genuine samples of which I could have brought a whole basketful from several train loads of similar stuff which were standing at Mallow station on Thursday last. Some humorist had put six sods of good black turf on the top of each waggon. It is immaterial where the waggons came from, or where they were going, or whether the stuff was national or contractors' turf, or was turf bought privately and was being transferred. I maintain that, in the present emergency, affecting transport, fuel for transport, and fuel for warming the people and cooking, this stuff should never have found itself on a Great Southern Railways waggon. Moreover, in order to transport such a large quantity from the bogs, it is obvious that lorry transport must have been used. Farmers' carts could not have done it. Whether the consignment was national or contractors' property, or turf bought privately, to cut and transport useless stuff of this kind is a gross waste of national effort and money, and, under no circumstances, should it be offered to anybody as fuel.
The process of waste in the production of this stuff is, roughly, as follows: You get large numbers of men to cut it and save it. They are paid six days' wages and, from their wages, at very small cost, is deducted what is required for their food. I understand that they are pressing for a higher ration than they are getting at present. Anybody can see in the coffee-room in the Dáil to-day that the ration starts with breakfast for which there are two big slices of bread and tea. For lunch, there is a slice of beef, egg, six slices of bread and butter, and tea again. For dinner, there is a chop, turnips, eight big potatoes, and tea. They are charged a small sum for that. It is quite obvious that the cost of this food cannot entirely be taken out of the wages, and that some part of it must be borne by the public. The turf is loaded and off-loaded at the railhead, and transported long distances at a time of great petrol shortage. It is transported long distances by rail to the towns and cities, and then there are further off-loading and carrying processes before distribution starts.
Finally, it is sold to the public, when it will neither cook nor warm at a price of 64/- per ton or, retail, 3d. for 12 sods. That fuel is absolutely and utterly worthless and I submit to the Parliamentary Secretary that steps should be taken to prevent the transport from the bogs, under severe penalties, of this so-called turf.
Now is the time to make arrangements to prevent anything like this happening in the future. Many poor people in our cities and towns are having a hard time and every possible precaution should be taken to ensure that only turf which is fit for fuel is available for sale to the public. The poor people have to take or leave what is given to them. People with more money can pick and choose but these people cannot. We should try to imagine the position of working-class families in the top flats of tenement houses with very little light. They have a 1d.-in-the-slot meter operating for a few hours. They have to contend with high prices and they have not a great deal of bread. They have to depend on this kind of stuff to light their only fire. It is difficult to imagine greater discomfort, to people accustomed to other conditions, during the coming winter. And it is entirely unnecessary. This is not an attack on any individual. The Parliamentary Secretary has had, under very great difficulties, to start the whole of this turf campaign. He is doing his best. He cannot, personally, check every loading himself, but I think his inspectorate definitely requires overhaul in the interests of the public and, particularly, of the poor, who cannot pick and choose. Under no circumstances, should this stuff be allowed to leave the bog.
