Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Thursday, 4 Dec 1924

Vol. 9 No. 21

SUPPLEMENTARY ESTIMATE—RELIEF SCHEMES.

MINISTER for FINANCE (Mr. Blythe)

I beg to move for leave to introduce the following supplementary estimate for the service of the year ended on the 31st day of March, 1925, viz.:—Vote No. 19 (Relief Schemes).

I do not think it is necessary that I should say very much on this motion, because the matter will have to be discussed on the Vote itself. It is within the knowledge of Deputies that there is a very acute degree of unemployment through the country. In many places there is such a degree of distress that it is desirable, so far as possible, to provide employment where useful and necessary work can be done. It is to enable the giving of employment of that kind that I propose to introduce this supplementary estimate.

Mr. A. BYRNE

Encouraged by the Minister's words, that the Government is anxious to give employment, may I ask him whether it is the intention to allow the Commissioners of the Dublin Corporation to give the usual relief work this year that was always given at this time of the year? Coming up to Christmas each year special privileges and special advantages were always given to the unemployed, that is to say, a fortnight's work was usually given to two or three hundred men out of employment. I desire to ask whether that is included in this motion, and if it is intended to do anything for these unfortunates who are idle?

Mr. MORRISSEY

I desire to ask the Minister whether the sum of £250,000 provided for relief works early in the year has been expended, all of it?

Mr. BLYTHE

It has been all allocated with the exception of about £50,000.

Mr. MORRISSEY

Can the Minister say why all that sum of £250,000 was not allocated? Was it that a sufficient number of suitable schemes were not put up?

MINISTER for INDUSTRY and COMMERCE (Mr. McGilligan)

If I might answer that question, it was partly at my request, because when we came to discuss schemes to absorb that sum of £250,000 I asked that a certain amount of it should be set aside for the winter, as at that time I saw no other grant coming forward, and I thought it better to make some allowance for the winter and to leave over a certain amount.

Mr. BLYTHE

In answer to Deputy Byrne's question, I may say that we are most anxious to encourage the Commissioners of the Dublin Corporation to give employment immediately. I do not know what assistance was given in ordinary years but we certainly are prepared to give a certain measure of assistance to the unemployed.

Mr. CORISH

In view of that question and answer, can the Minister say now what is the amount of money, and when will the Vote be circulated?

Mr. BLYTHE

It will be circulated this evening, or to-morrow, and it is proposed to take the Vote to-morrow.

Mr. CORISH

Would the Minister also endeavour to see that each area is served as far as possible before Christmas? I take it that the same state of affairs exists in every area just as in Dublin.

Mr. WILSON

I desire to ask the Minister how much he proposes to grant under this new relief scheme? What is the amount of money, and who will have the allocation of it? Is it the Minister for Industry and Commerce?

Mr. BLYTHE

The amount is £250,000. It will be allocated, as previous Votes were, by the Minister for Finance in consultation with the Minister for Industry and Commerce, the Minister for Local Government, and Public Health and the Minister for Lands and Agriculture. Of this new sum, by far the bigger proportion is intended to be spent by the Land Commission in doing necessary works of land improvement in districts where employment is needed, and where there is distress—in districts where the distress has been accentuated by the failure of the turf and by the partial failure of the harvest. In that way the bigger proportion of the grant will be allocated.

Mr. BAXTER

Are we to understand that separate steps are to be taken to deal with the unemployment problem and with the distress in districts caused by the shortage of fuel and the partial failure of the crops? What I am anxious to know is, if separate steps are to be taken to deal with these two problems. Is it the intention to try and provide fuel, or is it the intention to give employment and leave the responsibility for procuring fuel on the people themselves?

Mr. BLYTHE

I am afraid we will have to do both. In some places it will be possible to meet the whole difficulty by providing employment. I understand there are other places where the difficulty could not be met in that way; and where it cannot be met in that way, then the other steps that are necessary will be taken. I may say that the matter is being examined.

Mr. BAXTER

If that is so, does the Minister intend to see in the allocation of this money to different districts that notice will be taken of districts where there is not alone unemployment and distress but a shortage of fuel as well? I want to see that, as far as possible, the money will be distributed in such a way as will meet the requirements of each locality or district. We know that hitherto, at least in some cases, the distribution of money, when left to local authorities, may often not have been equitable, and unless supervision is exercised by the Ministry it is probable that the distribution of this grant may not be equitable.

Mr. BLYTHE

I must not have made myself clear, because I think I said that these other factors to which Deputy Baxter has referred would be taken into account in the allocation of this money.

Mr. COLOHAN

I would ask the Minister to see that no time will be taken up in preparing schemes for dealing with the land problem that he speaks about, because when the money has been passed by the Dáil we may be met with the statement that it will take a certain amount of time to prepare schemes to deal with land problems. I think the Minister should guard against that. The amount of destitution prevalent throughout the country, because of unemployment, is very acute at the present moment, and I think that the Minister ought to see that this relief work is started as soon as possible, and that it should not be held up by the preparation of schemes. I would suggest to the Minister that he should give employment in the rural districts and in the small towns, in the rural districts especially which run along the edges of the bogs where the people are actually starving because of the loss of the turf during the past season.

I have had numerous letters from my constituents stating that they have lost all their crops. The crops were destroyed and they could not save any of the turf. Hitherto they made their living by cutting and saving the turf and then selling it. They were not able to save the turf during the last season owing to the terrible weather that prevailed, and the result is that they are now in a state of the most utter destitution. I think if the Minister were to allocate this money for the improvement of second-class roads in the districts that I am referring to, it would mean a great lot to the people who live in these districts. I do not think there is any work that we could embark on that would give relief so quickly as work on the roads, and I would strongly suggest to the Minister that he should take that point into consideration. If the money is to be spent on land problems great delay may be occasioned, because you are likely to be met by engineers who will tell you that levels must be taken here, and that if water goes into a river at a certain point the consequences will be very serious. That kind of thing would hold up the giving of employment, and hence I suggest to the Minister the desirability of starting relief work on the roads.

Mr. BLYTHE

I do not want to anticipate the discussion that will take place on the vote itself, but there are actual proposals in existence for the expenditure of a considerable amount of this money. They have been under consideration for some time, even before we came to ask the Dáil for the money, and I think it will be possible to start expenditure immediately. The preliminary work has been done.

Question:—"That leave be given to introduce the Estimate"—put and agreed to.

Ordered: That the Estimate be taken on Friday, December, 5th.