asked the Minister for Agriculture if he will consider the possibility of granting a small subsidy for the growing of potatoes and flax in Tirconaill, in view of the following facts:—(a) That Tirconaill is a comparatively poor and congested area where there is a good practical knowledge of the growing of these crops; and (b) that Tirconaill is so situated geographically that the people are practically cut off from the rest of the Free State and are compelled to buy from across the Border, with all the consequent duties and penalties.
CEISTEANNA—QUESTIONS. ORAL ANSWERS. - POTATO AND FLAX-GROWING IN TIRCONAILL.
Mr. HOGAN
I do not consider that the circumstances in the Tirconaill area, including its geographical position, place it under such a disadvantage, when compared with other counties in the Saorstát, as would justify the payment of a State subsidy in respect of the growing of either potatoes or flax. Officers employed directly by the Department, as well as those employed by the County Committee of Agriculture, have given special attention to the potato crop in that county. There is already a considerable trade in seed potatoes, and further steps are in contemplation with a view to the extension of this trade, and also for the development of the trade in ware potatoes. As to flax-growing, three instructors, whose sole duties consist in giving advice on flax-growing, are employed in the county, and their services are freely availed of.
Is the Minister aware that there is not much advice required in the growing of either potatoes or flax in Donegal, and is the Minister serious when he says that he does not see any extenuating circumstances in the case of the people of Donegal as distinct from the people of any other part of the Saorstát, in view of their geographical position? How long does the Minister think the people of Donegal are going to pay part of the subsidies for the Shannon scheme, the sugar beet factory, and the amalgamation of creameries when they are compelled to live in the mess they were put into by the President's "damn good bargain."