I was asked by a person who lives in the town of Clonmel to take up this matter and to see if anything could be done about it. On the face of it, it seems rather a trivial thing, but I suggest that when it is examined it will be found to be rather important. The fact that it is important can be seen by a resolution passed by the Tipperary County Committee of Agriculture at a meeting held about a week ago. The resolution reads:—
"That we ask the Department of Industry and Commerce to provide the necessary materials for the repair of milk cans and other creamery appliances as these materials appear to be in short supply at present, thereby causing inconvenience to milk suppliers."
If one were to read the discussion that took place at that meeting it would convince one that the farmers who are members of the committee considered that this is really a very important, if not a very serious matter. When asked to take up this matter, I called to the offices of the Minister, and I was told that the responsible officer was the officer in charge of the export licence section. I explained as best I could the position and the probable consequences unless something is done. Subsequently I received a letter from the Minister for Industry and Commerce. First, the letter refers to my representations regarding the difficulty experienced by a Clonmel sheet metal worker and then the letter goes on to say:—
"I am to say that representations were made very recently to the British authorities for the release of supplies of material of this nature for use in this country, but the British authorities have intimated that, in view of the acute shortage of tinplate, they are unable to authorise its use for any purpose other than the packing of foodstuffs and that export of the material is allowed only for the packing of foodstuffs intended for export to Great Britain."
The letter concludes by stating that:—
"In the circumstances, the Minister feels that no useful purpose would be served in making representations for the release of the material required by Mr. Whelan."
There is an old saying of which I was reminded by a friend of mine quite recently. It relates to the recipe for making hare soup. The first thing to do is to get the hare. I suggest that the material—condensed milk, I take it —exported to England, and for which apparently there is a market there, cannot be exported unless the milk itself is available. The case then is that for a number of years, owing to the acute shortage of the material required to keep all the vessels which are used to bring milk to the creameries, the position has been bad and it is getting more and more desperate every year and unless something is done about it the milk cannot be delivered to the creameries much longer. If that were to happen, it can be seen at once that the export trade, to which reference is made in this letter, would have to cease. My suggestion is that the High Commissioner in London should be asked to take up that side of the question and put it to the British authorities, that if they want the condensed milk and any other foodstuffs, for the purpose of packing which tin is used, then the comparatively small amount of material required to carry on the industry here should be made available.
