I asked that the debate on this motion should be adjourned until to-day in order to get some reply from the Government, but I presume they are not in a position to give any undertaking that the motion will be given fair consideration.
COMMITTEE ON FINANCE. - RELIEF OF UNEMPLOYMENT.
Debate resumed on following motion:—
That, owing to the large number of citizens of the Saorstát who are suffering acute distress through the want of employment, the Dáil is of opinion that immediate steps should be taken by the Government to introduce legislation to subsidise existing industries and to enable grants to be made to public authorities of amounts equal to that which they are or may be authorised to borrow for the relief of unemployment.
Is the Deputy withdrawing the motion?
No. I take it for granted that the Government refuse to give any reply to what was said during the discussion or even to the questions that were asked. None of the questions was replied to, not even during the discussion on the Supplementary Estimate. I do not wish to keep Deputies here for another day by speaking on this motion until 8.30. I know that Deputies are anxious to get away after a hard week's work. At the same time I maintain that it is only right that some reply should be forthcoming from the responsible Minister after the discussion of a motion of this kind. However, I must be very thankful to the Government for introducing this Supplementary Estimate. But for this motion, which was handed in a fortnight ago in order to serve the unemployed, I dare say we would not have heard anything about the matter. I think the unemployed must be thankful for this small mercy received at the hands of the Government. It is to be hoped that the £120,000 voted for the relief of distress will be allocated in a proper manner. The motion has been supported by a large number of Deputies on the Labour Benches. They wanted me to delete portion of it, but I will not delete any of it. I am fairly well satisfied with the discusison that took place.
I would like to say, as regards the second part of the motion, it has been offset by the proposals of the Minister for Finance to some extent. I think the policy of the Minister has been adopted. As regards the first part of the motion, I am not satisfied that that is a good way to deal with unemployment. I do not know that that has been generally recommended by students of political economy. An attempt has been made and has met with some success, to put certain tariffs on manufactured goods coming in here, but to go to the other extreme and subsidise industries would require money. It must come from some source, and the Deputy can understand that in the present state of taxation, further taxation for the purpose would be resented, certainly by the majority of the constituents the Deputy represents as well as by the majority of the people.
Question.
Motion put and declared lost.