I wish to make some remarks with reference to the reports concerning yesterday's discussion in the Dáil which appear in the issues of both the Dublin daily papers this morning. These papers, by the courtesy of the Dáil, are entitled to have their representatives here for the purpose of getting speedy reports of the business done, but when inaccurate and altogether misleading reports appear it is necessary, I think, that attention should be drawn to the fact. The House will recollect that on the Railway Vote yesterday I moved to reduce the amount by the sum of £27,360. Both papers state that the Vote which I was moving to reduce was for £25,636. The Vote was, in fact, for £52,136. There is no such figure mentioned throughout the Estimate as £25,636. It is a pure concoction which is originated in the imagination of the reporters present, and nowhere else. The difficulty that arose was due to the fact that a Vote on Account had been passed by the House amounting to one-third of the total Estimate in each case. The proposal, therefore, to reduce the entire Vote by the entire amount of a single Sub-head was considered to be irregular, and it was necessary to reduce the amount mentioned in the amendment. It was a difficulty which might easily arise, and when it did arise and was detected, it was very easily remedied. I do not wish to say anything else in the matter. We hope we will get a fair report of the proceedings here in the Press, and that there will be, at least, nothing in the nature of flights of imagination such as we have had on this occasion.
The reference which I made during the debate on that Estimate to the colliery railway lines was also misrepresented and reported in a manner which gave an entirely wrong impression of what I did say. I presume that was due to the fact that the discussion was not understood by the Press representatives present. In the other case, however, that interpretation cannot possibly be placed on their action. They have concocted a figure for which there was no justification whatever.
