Last night, when Progress was reported, we were on the subject of public health. I am glad to see in the last annual report of the Department of Local Government and Public Health a statement on page 5 that greater activity was shown by local bodies in the promotion of waterworks and sewage schemes. That is development in the right direction. There are a very considerable number of towns and villages in the Free State area in which there is no proper water scheme and no proper sewage disposal arrangements to-day, so that the statement made. I think, by the Minister himself a couple of years ago acknowledging the backward position of sanitation of towns in the Free State area still holds good. Much remains to be done to bring those two important aspects of public health work to the condition they ought to be in. However, it is, as I have said, satisfactory to know that progress is being made as stated in the last annual report of the Department. In that connection, I read somewhere in the report that the State contribution for the promotion of waterworks and sewage disposal schemes is one-fifth of the cost. It is also stated in that report that the usual amount allowed from the National Exchequer towards relief works is at the rate of one-third of the cost.
Now to my mind—I may be singular in this—there is much greater need for development in the direction of sewage disposal schemes and waterworks in the country than in the direction of road construction. If the Department of Public Health could secure from the Minister for Finance a contribution of one-third towards these activities it would be doing better work than giving one-third towards the development of road construction.
Another aspect of public health work that has been referred to almost every year is the question of overcrowding in the county homes. County homes are, I take it, places chiefly for the convenience of old and infirm people. In a great many places there are many besides old and infirm people in these county homes —people who ought not to be there, imbeciles, lunatics, unmarried mothers and their children. There ought to be—again, it is a question of finance—proper segregation of these classes. Unmarried mothers and their children ought not to be in the county homes, and there ought to be proper provision made in the mental hospitals for imbeciles and lunatics. Such people afflicted mentally cannot get treatment in the county homes. Whatever slight chances of cure or improvement there may be in some of the cases, it certainly will not take place as long as they remain in county homes and get the kind of attention which in ordinary circumstances they are bound to get in these institutions, which are already overcrowded with other classes who are entitled to be there.
Another problem which gives cause for worry in some cases is the question of the care of the blind. There has been an improvement in that direction in recent years, but there is room for more. I had a deputation from the blind people in my constituency a couple of times in recent months and they complained bitterly that enough was not done for the blind. Again, we are up against the question of finance, but while there are some good institutions in the country where the blind are well treated the blind themselves feel if they got better technical education that they could be put in a position to help themselves to a larger extent than they can at present with the meagre technical education facilities that are afforded to them. I wonder if pressure of any kind could be put upon the local authorities to improve the facilities that are offered to the blind for technical education. I am sure it is a subject which has received attention. We know there has been improvement in recent years, but there is room for more improvement.
The Minister dealt, in his opening remarks, with the question of the appointment of county medical officers of health. There has been progress in that direction. There are more county medical officers of health working now than last year and the year before, but still we are a long way from having a county medical officer of health in every one of the twenty-six counties. Progress has been slow. Progress in the last year, I think, has not been very rapid, and in that connection the Minister said something last night about the educational effect of these county medical officers of health. When he stated that, the question flashed across my mind, was he referring to the educational effect of the political activities of the county medical officer of health for Meath? If there is one thing that is likely to put obstacles in the way of county councils accepting the policy of the Minister—a policy with which I agree —as to the appointment of county medical officers of health, it is activities such as those indulged in by a whole-time official. Dr. O'Higgins, a member of this House, is a whole-time official as medical officer of health in County Meath. These arctivities are condoned by the Minister. The Minister may say that he does not control that officer directly, but he certainly pays a considerable portion of that officer's salary as medical officer of health. In County Wexford, a number of members of the board of health opposed the appointment of a medical officer of health. There are counties, as the Minister and his Department know, where public men have fought and put every obstacle they could in the way of the appointment of these officials and said they are unnecessary. They are certainly given a very good argument when they see that a medical officer, a whole-time official, can spend so much of his time away from the work for which he is appointed and paid. The Minister and everyone else in the House know, or ought to know, that there should be work enough and more than enough to keep one medical officer of health in a county fully occupied. Every one would admit that we are not so far advanced in public health matters and that the health of our children and the health of people generally in every county is far from satisfactory. For the next ten years, with one medical officer of health in every county in Ireland, there is work enough to keep one man busy six days in the week without his running from Dun Laoghaire to Cork or from Letterkenny to Galway doing political work, even on days when that particular medical officer of health is not occupied in this House doing his work as a member of the Dáil. That kind of activity and the fact that the Minister condones it is bound to give weight to the argument of members of county councils and boards of health who ask: "What do we want a medical officer of health for? There is no work for him. Cannot the dispensary doctor do that work?" That is the cry usually. "Cannot the medical officers of health who are dispensary doctors, do the work?" That is the cry everywhere where there is opposition to those county medical officers of health. Certainly good grounds are given to people who oppose such appointments by the activities I refer to and by the Minister's attitude with regard to them.
There are other matters with regard to public health that might be dealt with. I am sure there will be other Teachtaí who will be anxious to speak on this subject, and probably none of these points will be overlooked. I will not take up time going over them. Most of them have been mentioned from time to time in discussions of this kind here. I read somewhere in the last couple of weeks in the daily Press a return of the collection of rates during the twelve months ended 31st March, and, as far as I recollect, there was an improvement. I have an idea that there was in some counties a considerable improvement with regard to the collection of rates. That is certainly all to the good, but there are counties that are still backward and, as the Minister said in his opening statement, efforts are being made to bring these counties up-to-date in the way of collection. I would like to say that I entirely endorse what the Minister said, that the policy of financing Local Government work out of loans is very bad and costly, and instead of helping Local Government it is a big obstacle, because money is spent in paying for these loans that could be spent on more fruitful activities in the various counties. I would like if the Minister would tell us if there has been an improvement in regard to the number of defaulting rate collectors. The number in recent years has been rather high, and the amount of money lost has been fairly considerable. Perhaps the Minister would be able to tell us if there has been any improvement in that direction.
Another subject that is causing considerable anxiety, particularly in rural areas, is that of roads and the amount of money that is being spent on them. Of course, those who are frequent users of motor-cars are very happy to find a good road and to praise those responsible for the good roads, but I suppose the users of motor-cars are in a very small minority. The people in rural areas who do not use motor-cars and who have to continue the old methods of transport—horses and cars or other methods—certainly are complaining of the cost. I do not know if it is possible for us to continue paying for two great competing methods of transport. We have the railway system, and we have to pay for that one way or another. Competing with that we have the more up-to-date system of road transport—the transport of goods by heavy motor vehicles—and the cost of the roads necessary to keep that transport in proper order is a very heavy drain. I think, considering the heavy cost and the small population we have to bear that cost, the cost of rural transport is one that is well worth consideration. I am sure it has got consideration, but it is worth reconsidering.
The amount spent on roads is growing enormously. Of course, it comes to a large extent out of the licence fees paid on motor cars, but a very big percentage of it has to come out of the rates. That is where the trouble begins. Frequently, we have had angry complaints made to some of our members about the cost that is put on the rates for the upkeep of roads. Those who have complained to us are very largely, of course, people from rural areas. They say that the roads that so much money is spent upon are roads that they cannot use. In great number, they are agriculturalists who are not in a position to use motor cars; for their cattle transport they have to use by-roads. The main roads are lost to them because they cannot risk putting their cattle upon them. I am sure that the Minister has had these matters put before him, and if he has given the matter any recent reconsideration we would be glad to hear what the result is. It seems to me that the cost is very heavy and it could even be proved that the cost of the upkeep of these very good roads, as they are in a great many cases, is too great in proportion to the number of motor users and the number of people who cannot use those roads.
There are other points with regard to roads that have been mentioned over and over again. There is the difference that one finds in the quality of the roads in different counties. Evidently in some counties there are good road makers, good engineers, county surveyors or assistant county surveyors, as the case may be, but those who travel any distance in different counties know that there are other counties where the roads are not at all up to the standard, although we are told that the same ratio of money is spent on the construction and maintenance of these roads. It is probable that that matter is receiving the attention of the engineers of the Department and it requires further attention. There are, I believe, justifiable complaints as to the quality of the roads and the value got for the money spent on them in some of the counties. Some of our members have spoken to me of their roads and the value they get for them as compared with the value that other counties—neighbouring counties in some cases—get out of a similar amount of money.
As one of those who put down the motion asking that the Estimate be referred back, I should say that we adopted that method to show our dissatisfaction with the Estimate and with the policy which it outlined, first of all, on the question of housing. We are not at all satisfied that housing is receiving the attention that it deserves. The problem is a very pressing one and we find it very difficult to discover what the policy of the Government on the matter is, if they have any policy.
The survey has been made so far as urban areas were concerned, and the Minister told us the result of it. He gave us a figure of 30,000 houses as necessary in urban areas, and I say that possibly another 30,000 are necessary in rural areas. Has the Minister any idea as to when those 60,000 houses are to be built? Has he any plan? Can he give us any idea as to when we may hope to see the slums in the City of Dublin abolished? They form a large part of the area immediately requiring houses. He must have given consideration to this matter, and he must have fixed some limit of time, remote or near, as the date by which we might hope to see the number of houses now urgently necessary built in the Free State area. The figures he gave us last night as to the total number of houses built showed that less than 2,500 houses a year have been built in the past seven years. At that rate twentyfive years — a generation — must elapse before the number of houses that are at present required can be built, and by that time many of the houses that are now habitable and fairly decent will have collapsed or will be in slums. Are we never to see an end of the housing problem? If that be the best that the Minister can do it is a poor look-out. On the question of housing alone we believe that the policy of the Government does not deserve support, and we are prepared to show our dissatisfaction by voting for the amendment in my name and in the name of Deputy Corish, that this Estimate be referred back.
The second point—it is not so important, of course, but it has its own importance as bearing on the question of public health—is what I mentioned a few moments ago, the attitude of the Minister towards one of the officials of his own Department neglecting the work for which he is paid as a whole-time officer, trotting around the country five or six days of the week when he has a sufficient amount of work to do for the full week in looking after the health of the people of County Meath, if he would only do it, for the money that the ratepayers are taxed to pay him a decent salary.