I move:—
"That in the opinion of the Dáil the Executive Council should take steps to relieve the agricultural community from rates and annuities during the continuance of the economic war."
So much has been said on questions of this sort recently in this House that there is very little necessity for going into the reasons why we tabled this motion. Since the commencement of the economic war last July nobody can deny that the farmer is in the front line trenches, and I am hoping, as a result of tabling this motion here, that the Government will accept the motion and have the farmer removed from the front line trenches, and help him until this economic war has ended. If this is not done, I fear for the future of the agricultural community and for the future of the business people. I feel that, if this motion is not accepted, as I say, the farmer is going to remain in the front line trenches for all time.
Often, I have wondered during the period of this war, if the Government realise the conditions that exist down the country. I know that the Government have not on the Front Bench a farmer who knows anything about conditions. They may be depending on some back benchers who can spout down the country that this is a war which is going to end the conditions that have existed in this country for hundreds of years. I do not want to go back to Cromwell's time about this matter, but what I do want to stress is, that if the Front Benchers knew conditions down the country and realised what is happening, there would be no necessity for a motion of this sort. With regard to conditions down the country, they must know that the trade with outside countries which absorbed all our surplus produce is down by £8,000,000 in eight months. They say that they have saved £5,000,000 by the retention of the annuities and the other little items that are included, but that trade which is down by £8,000,000 in eight months, I think, speaks for itself.
They must realise also that unemployment is not decreasing. There is scarcely a change in the figures with regard to unemployment during the eight months period, and they must realise certainly that public services are practically at a standstill. They must realise that the rates outstanding up to yesterday would amount actually to 50 per cent. of the total amount. When I put a question to the President recently on de-rating I asked him had he definitely abandoned it, and he answered "yes." I asked him if he knew the conditions, and that 50 per cent. of the rates was uncollected and, moreover, was uncollectable, and his reply was: "We shall see." That is only one of the many threats that the President has made to the agricultural community during recent times.
At the end of the financial year 30 per cent. of the rates in my county were uncollected. I am speaking of County Cork, one of the best and the soundest counties in the Free State as far as the payment of rates and annuities goes. The Government and the President have no mandate from the farmers and the ratepayers of West Cork or from Cork County to carry on this economic war. Of course, we are reminded that in order to relieve agriculture the annuities have been reduced by 50 per cent. On the other hand the Government has reduced the agricultural grant by £448,000, and that amount will have to come out of the rates. The reduction of the agricultural grant, and the funding of the arrears of annuities—for which civil bills were issued last autumn, on which the people had to pay the costs—represent four and a half millions. I doubt if relief from 50 per cent. of the annuities will represent anything over 25 per cent. when all the items are totted up.
The Government's proposals fall short of what was promised when the Fianna Fáil Party were seeking office and fall far short of the promises that were made by responsible Deputies in that Party throughout the country. On July 25th, 1932, at a meeting held in Cork County Council Chamber, at which Deputy M.J. Corry presided, Deputy P.S. Murphy said that President de Valera had promised a deputation to retain the land annuities and to give full de-rating if we had industries. The land annuities have been retained at a fearful cost, but de-rating has been abandoned. The one industry that was in the country— the agricultural industry—has been killed. Some people say that 300 industries have been established; others say 200 and others, 150. We do not know how many have been established. If industries have been established, they have been established at the cost to this State of tariffs of from 25 per cent. to 75 per cent., and articles value for £100 are going to cost £125 to £175. In the industry that keeps 2,000,000 people employed, and that would employ far more if the opportunity were there, owing to the economic war we have to sell produce value for £100 for £50 and possibly less. How does any Government expect that a big industry that was giving employment to two millions of people is going to live under these conditions? None of the promises made by responsible members of the Fianna Fáil Party has been carried out, except the retention of the land annuities at a fearful cost. As a result of the economic war I could site cases to prove conclusively that farmers have lost more than the equivalent of the rates and the annuities. The price of pigs at the Farmers' Union abattoir at Cork varies from 55/- to 59/- a cwt. according to quality, but the price in Birmingham is from 70/- to 75/-. There were big pig feeders in my constituency who produced both for the Irish and the English markets. As a result of the tariffs they have lost 21/- per 1½ cwts. dead weight. In one case a farmer with an annuity of £20, who fattened pigs has lost on pigs alone more than the amount of the annuity. What has that man lost on the other commodities he produced? We are told that he has got bounties on live stock. The bounty is 12½ per cent. I may say that a bounty comes from one source and one source only, from the producers and taxpayers in this State. In the country the saying is that a bounty is like feeding a dog on his own tail. The tariffs are charged on the gross value but the bounties are paid on the net value.
