As Senators know, under the Emergency Imposition of Duties Act, 1932, Orders made in relation to increasing or decreasing duties on imported goods have to be confirmed by subsequent legislation. This Bill is to confirm 22 Orders that were made under the 1932 Act. The Bill relates to 22 Orders made by the Government under the Emergency Imposition of Duties Act, 1932, and the commodities covered by these Orders are as follows: razor blades, drinking glasses, crystal glassware, knitted woollen fabric, venetian blinds, woven labels, certain plastic lamp-shades, artificial silk piece goods, component parts of dolls and dolls' clothing, glue gelatine and size, abrasives, certain hack-saw blades, leather, certain tanks, cisterns, etc., plaster statues under ten inches in height, adhesive gums, malt extract and preparations of malt extract and fish liver oil, cotton wool and wadding made partly of cotton and certain manufactures thereof, component parts of braces made of elastic, iron and steel wheelbarrows, hand-carts, etc., etc.
The customs duties imposed on crystal glassware, venetian blinds, adhesive gums and iron and steel wheelbarrows, handcarts, etc. are new protective duties. The Orders relating to razor blades, drinking glasses, knitted woollen fabric, glue gelatine and size, tanks and cisterns, leather, malt extract and fish liver oil increased the existing customs duties on these commodities. In the Orders relating to lamp shades, artificial silk piece goods, brace elastic, woven labels, dolls' clothing and component parts of dolls, hacksaw blades, statues and cotton wool the scope of the existing duties of these commodities was extended to cover additional lines or to prevent evasions of duty which had occurred. The duty on abrasive materials has been reduced.
I do not know whether or not it has been the practice of the Minister to explain in detail at this stage the effect of each of these Orders but I think it might be well for me to refer to the purpose of at least some of the Orders that have been made.
Possibly one of the most interesting is the duty in relation to drinking glasses. Possibly Senators know that it has been decided to go into production again of the famous Waterford glass. Naturally, that will mean a certain period when, in the course of training workers and getting over other initial difficulties, the company would have to meet certain difficulties in the overcoming of which they would require certain assistance. In order to mark time while workers are being trained in the manufacture of crystal glasses, which is a highly skilled process, the company has gone into the manufacture of ordinary soda glass tumblers of the usual half pint size. It has been possible to purchase imported glasses of this type at considerably less than the Waterford factory can make them but the imported tumblers are of much lower quality than the Waterford company is making. The Waterford company's glasses are dearer for two reasons: first, they are of a better quality and secondly, they are hand made.
The purpose of the Order is to increase the duty on imported glasses in order that the Waterford factory's goods, which, up to quite recently, were incapable of being disposed of, can be disposed of so that this very desirable line of production can be gone into. The primary object of the crystal cut-glass manufacture is for export.
I think Senators will agree that, in the short time that it is expected the company will require to get on its feet —possibly one to two years—the duty is highly desirable.
Some of the Orders refer to certain evasions of duties that have taken place, for example, the duty on plaster statues and statuettes. The duty imposed heretofore related only to statues of 12 inches in height and over. For some time there had been an increasing import of statues and statuettes of ten inches and thereabouts. The Order now made relates to imported statues of ten inches and over.
Another notable case of that type is the duty on hacksaw blades. That was one of the duties which was contained in the Bill that I had the honour to pilot through the Seanad on the last occasion. The duty referred to hacksaw blades of half-inch width. The new duty proposes to catch hack-saw blades of ?-inch width and over. After the duty on half-inch width blades was imposed last year it was found that blades of 7-16ths of an inch width were being imported freely. Naturally, they were affecting the output of the home manufacturers. It was found on investigation that blades of 7-16th inch width were being made for the first time, obviously to avoid the duty on the half-inch width blades that was imposed last year.
I do not think it is necessary for me to go into the details of each of the other Orders, but if Senators would like further explanation or elucidation of any of the Orders I will be glad to let them have it.