Most of the details of the Vote are statutory, arising out of the Railways Act, and I do not intend to go into very much detail with regard to them. Sub-head A —" Annual Payment to Great Southern Railways Company under the Railway Act, 1924, Section 63 (1) "— is a liability which arises under that section, and in connection with that payment I refer Deputies to the Appropriations-in-Aid at the end, which show that the State recovers £30,000 out of this £48,000, and that the net demand is somewhere in the region of £18,000. The second item is "Repayment to County Councils," which arises under the two old Acts mentioned. Previously there had been quite a number of payments under these Acts which have been substituted by Section 63 (1) of the Railways Act, 1924. The only payment now is in the case of the Dublin and Blessington Tramway, and the contribution there is, as stated in the last column, limited to an amount not exceeding two per cent. on the guaranteed capital. Item C is not statutory. It is the best estimate that can be made at this stage of losses that will arise in working the three colliery railways mentioned— Castlecomer, Wolfhill and the Arigna extension. It was stated in the debates on the Railway Act, and there is provision for it in the Act, that these colliery railways most likely would be absorbed by the Great Southern Railways Company. That absorption has not yet taken place. A case is being prepared with regard to these railways. But on the basis that the railways will not be absorbed this year, and that losses in working will occur, the money has to be voted.
The fourth item is the repayment year by year, in the form of annuities, of advances that were previously made for the construction of certain railways and for certain piers and harbours. It will be noticed that this is terminating year by year, and that in about three years more the sum will have been reduced by £16,000. With regard to E, this is an item which has appeared year by year on the Estimates, and certain small payments have in the different years been made, but never up to the full amount of the money voted. The item occurs by reason of the fact that when the land over which the colliery railways were to run was acquired, title could not be proved by certain people who claimed to be the owners, and it is only by degrees that they are proving their title. The full amount required to compensate those outstanding is estimated at this £2,000.
Although I have, I think, on previous occasions said that it was expected that this item would disappear, I cannot yet say that it will, in other words that the people claiming to be owners will, in the course of the year, prove their title to the lands and receive the payment due to them. The money, however, must be voted again now in the event of their being able to prove title in the financial year. There are two steamer services mentioned in the next item. That item looks as if it were an increase. That is not in fact so, because the second item, the subsidy to the Galway-Arran steamer service, previously was borne on the Estimate of the Minister for Fisheries and was for the same amount last year as is here set out. It will be noticed that there is a reduction of £500 with regard to the money voted to make good the deficit on the working of the Sligo-Belmullet steamer service. In three years careful attention to the running of this service has brought the cost of it down. In 1925 the loss was over £1,100. That was brought down the year after to £668, and in 1927 the actual loss was £417. We are providing a possible £500, but the payment will be made on the basis of the actual loss, and we supervise as far as we can the carrying on of that service. It is hoped that the loss of even £417 of last year will not be repeated and that the service will be brought much nearer to paying its own way. For the second service—the Galway-Arran steamer service—an estimate for £1,000 is being presented to the Dáil this year. It is in the same position as the Belmullet-Sligo steamer service and is supervised by my Department. The loss in three years has also shown a decrease but not as big as in the case of the other service. In this case the actual loss in working in 1925 was £902, which was reduced the year after to £815, and last year to a sum of £609. There are, of course, other charges to be met which bring the sums in 1925 to £1,699, to £1,287 in 1926 and to £1,015 last year. One thousand pounds is being put down this year but negotiations have been going on with those interested in the company and it has been pointed out to them that the money, even if voted, will only be granted on certain conditions, which have been put to them, one being an investigation as to whether a smaller steamer could not do the work as efficiently, and with less cost. The Appropriations-in-Aid are statutory. They are brought in under Section 63 of the Railways Act of 1924.
