Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Wednesday, 1 Jul 1942

Vol. 87 No. 18

Adjournment: Closing of Mills in County Cork.

Mr. Broderick

In raising the question I want to assure the Minister that I fully appreciate his responsibility in this matter and I have no intention of condoning anything that would strike across the enforcement of his Order. I am raising this question on the reply of the Minister in which he stated that he was not availing himself of any irregularities that had occurred, that he had no intention of proceeding by punitive measures and that he was merely enforcing this Order in the public interest. That was the substance of the Minister's reply. It is in the public interest that I am raising this question. I am moving in the matter also at the request of a largely attended meeting representative of all opinions, and presided over by the administrator of the parish. A petition has also been signed by over 400 persons, 200 of whom are farmers, in the locality, pointing out the great inconvenience involved in having these mills shut. The mills serve an area with a radius of approximately 30 miles. They were a great convenience to the people who now have to endure extraordinary hardships, firstly, because of the fact that they are unable to get their grain ground in the vicinity of their homes and, secondly, because they have to travel up to 30 miles to get such grain ground.

The Minister will understand that transport to-day for the farmer is confined to the ordinary horse and cart. After travelling a long journey to the mill farmers have to wait their turn to get their grain crushed and frequently they are obliged to turn home without getting that done at all. I was speaking recently to a man who lives at Ballycolman and who was compelled to travel practically up to the City of Cork, near Carrigtuohill, to get his grain crushed. He lost the entire day and in the end had to return home without being able to get it crushed. That is why I say the interests of the public are vitally affected by the enforcement of this Order.

I do not intend to go into all the details disclosed when these cases came before the courts. I am quite aware that one of the mill owners did not apply for a permit, but an extenuating circumstance in that case was that the owner of the mill—a man of the highest possible repute, an exceptionally decent man and a man who has at all times conformed to the law —happened to be in hospital and the place was not under his personal supervision. When this case was tried, it was sworn that the wheat in question was not millable wheat, and the justice in summing up stated that he regarded the offence as a trivial one. He would have dealt with it as such, but on the representations of the inspector he dealt rather harshly with it. That phase has passed, however, and I am not concerned with it. What I am concerned with is the question of the convenience to the public. I would point out especially the service these mills rendered to the public and the difficulties which the public have now to meet in getting wheat milled as a result of the closing of these mills.

Another aspect of the matter is that the particular mill of Mr. Ronayne is an old established mill run by water-power and it serves an area even greater than that I have already mentioned. It appears that the work was exceptionally well done there and grain came to the mill from districts as far away as Cappoquin and Lismore. Another advantage attached to these mills was the splendid storage accommodation where the farmers of that area could store their grain, get it partially kiln-dried and keep it in the most perfect condition for seed purposes. Much of the deplorable losses that have arisen owing to the poor germination of seed would have been avoided if we had more accommodation such as was provided at Mr. Ronayne's mill. The Minister I am sure will also appreciate the desirability, owing to the present shortage of electric current, of keeping in existence mills which are run by water-power.

The next point that arises is the displacement of labour caused by the closing of these mills. I am sure it is not the wish of the Minister that the operators of four mills should be thrown idle. That is a point that the Minister should seriously take into consideration. I do not, as I have already stated, wish to condone or in any way palliate any irregularities which may have led to the Minister's action in shutting these mills and I am fully sensible of the necessity in the present situation for strict compliance with Orders which are issued by the Minister. I think, however, that on the facts which I have given to the House, the Minister will be disposed to give a favourable decision in these cases. I should like him to give that decision on the four points I have submitted. The first and most dominant point is the great inconvenience which the closing of these mills entails for the public. Secondly, there is the desirability of retaining in operation mills which are worked by water-power; thirdly, the desirability of keeping as many men as possible in employment, and fourthly, the fact that the public are now denied the accommodation formerly provided at Mr. Ronayne's mills for storing and holding in proper condition the seed necessary for the coming year.

If the Minister realised the great advantage it is to the people of that district to be enabled to store their wheat in proper conditions so that they may have proper seed for the following year, I think he would have no hesitation in reconsidering the Closing Order. In fact, it would be a decided advantage to the agricultural community generally if we had many more mills of that description. There is also the fact that if these mills are not reopened, the men formerly employed will be unable to find any other suitable employment. On these points I would strongly urge the Minister to consider favourably the reopening of the mills. The owners have learned a lesson. They have learned that they must obey strictly any regulations which the Minister may make, and if they are permitted to resume operations in their mills, I am sure that the Minister will not have any reason to complain in future. I would ask the Minister to visualise the plight of unfortunate people who are compelled to travel long distances to get their grain ground at other mills, and who frequently have to turn home without being successful. Frequently they have to travel a distance of 30 miles and in the end have to return home without getting the grain ground. I would ask the Minister to take those points into consideration in replying to this matter.

Mr. Curran

I wish to support the appeal of Deputy Broderick in connection with Mr. Ronayne's mill. It seems strange that a Deputy from Tipperary should be interested in a mill in Cork, but I should like to tell the Minister that this is one of the oldest established mills in the country—one of the old water-driven mills. In my younger days I brought grain to that mill. I know this family pretty well. The owner did not write to me, but his brother did, to be candid, and asked me to do what I could in persuading the Minister to reconsider the whole position. I know that an offence has taken place, but Deputy Broderick, who knows more about the situation than I do, regards this mill as a necessity in that district, and, after all, greater offences and bigger crimes than this have been forgiven, so I would appeal to the Minister to reconsider Mr. Ronayne's case.

I do not know anything about the other mills, but I dare say they are equally important. In this particular case when this offence or these offences were being committed, the proprietor of the mill was in hospital, and is still in hospital. I think everybody will admit that, in the times through which we are passing, when personal supervision is removed it is easy for the things which were done there to be done. Like Deputy Broderick, I do not condone them, but in the circumstances in which the whole case has arisen I would appeal to the Minister to give special consideration to Mr. Ronayne's mill.

Minister for Industry and Commerce (Mr. Lemass)

I feel sure that every Deputy, particularly the two Deputies who have spoken, and in fact every member of the community, understands the importance in our circumstances of conserving for human food the full supply of wheat that is available. In order to ensure that conservation of our wheat supplies for human food, a number of regulations were made. The more important of those regulations were those which prohibited the utilisation of wheat as an animal feeding stuff, and the manufacture of flour of a lower extraction than 100 per cent. In this country, we have a large number of small mills, which in the past milled wheat on commission for farmers, or ground maize, and all of which are capable of crushing wheat for animal feeding, or of producing flour which, though less fine than that which was normally sold in peace times, is nevertheless regarded by some people as more suitable than the 100 per cent. extraction flour which is generally on sale now throughout the whole country. The supervision of those mills, large in number and situated in isolated districts throughout the whole country, is a matter of very great difficulty, and experience has shown that amongst the proprietors of those mills are very many people who are indifferent to the regulations made by the Government, and who are prepared to disregard those regulations on occasion. It was considered that, in order to secure recognition of the importance of those regulations and due observance of them, drastic powers would have to be taken.

Experience has taught that the normal procedure of collecting evidence of the commission of an offence, and the submission of that evidence to a court in order to secure the infliction of punishment, was insufficient to ensure that amongst all the owners of those small mills the regulations made in the public interest would be properly observed. For that reason the Government made an Order, giving to me as Minister for Industry and Commerce, power to close down a mill wherever I was satisfied that such action was necessary in order to conserve the supply of wheat available for human food. That power has been exercised in a number of cases. I think I can say that, in every case where it has been exercised, an irregularity under one or other of the Orders to which I have referred has been in fact committed. In the case of the four mills concerning which Deputy Broderick asked questions, irregularities have been proved in the court. In three of those cases, the millers were convicted of producing animal feeding stuffs containing wheat, and, in the fourth case, although conviction was obtained upon another count, there was reason to believe that a similar offence was being committed.

I do not intend that the closing Orders made in respect of those mills will necessarily be permanent in every case. If I am satisfied that there will be due observance of the letter and the spirit of the regulations in the future, and that the reopening of the mills will serve the public convenience, then the mills will be allowed to reopen. The making of an Order closing a mill, and the enforcement of that Order, is a different thing to the refusal of a permit to a mill. The regulations provide that no person can carry on a milling business except under permit. In the granting of permits, we have had to have regard to the milling facilities already available in a particular locality. It will be obvious that, if the milling facilities are increased to such an extent in a particular locality that no individual miller can get a sufficiency of business to keep his mill going, the temptation to engage in illegal activities is increased. In the issue of permits, therefore, regard must be had to the milling facilities available, but the general intention is to give those permits to mills which have previously been engaged in the business of commission milling of wheat, and which are required to provide necessary public facilities in the localities in which they are situated.

In the case of mills which have been closed, and the machinery of which has been sealed under Order because offences were committed, those Closing Orders will be repealed where I am satisfied that there has been due appreciation of the gravity of the offence, and little likelihood of its being repeated. I cannot say more than that at the moment. The position will be reviewed periodically in the case of all those mills, and, if the circumstances appear to justify it, the Closing Order will be repealed and the necessary permit issued.

I think I can say that, in the case of Mr. Ronayne's mill, the various representations which have been made to me by a large number of persons appear to suggest that the circumstances now exist which would permit of the annulment of the Closing Order and the granting of a permit. The general policy which has been followed is one which, no doubt, involves hardship not merely upon the mill owner who breaks a regulation and brings penalty upon himself but also upon the workers employed by him and the people living in the vicinity of the mill who have been accustomed to get their milling done there. I regret very much having to inflict those hardships upon parties who are, as a rule, innocent of any association with the offence, but nothing less than the drastic powers we have taken appear to me to be capable of dealing with this situation. We hope to have the situation under control by the time the next harvest comes in, and thus ensure that that portion of the harvest which is not required for seed purposes in the ensuing season, or for the actual food of farmers and members of their families and their workers, will become available as food for the rest of the community. These regulations relating to the carrying on of permit mills are a necessary part of the machinery to that end.

Mr. Broderick

I may say that I am perfectly satisfied with the Minister's answer. The only thing I would ask is an early investigation, so that the locality will not continue to be inconvenienced, and I would ask the Minister to consider the question of the storage of wheat to which I have referred.

The Dáil adjourned at 9.20 p.m. until 3 p.m. on Thursday, 2nd July.