asked the Minister for Industry and Commerce if he is aware that sack merchants are prohibited from hiring sacks for the carriage of potatoes to persons other than potato factors, and that merchants in the City of Dublin are prepared to pay £2 per ton more than such factors for potatoes transported by rail from Sallins station, County Kildare, if sacks were available; and if he will state what steps he proposes to take to remedy the hardship involved.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Hiring of Sacks.
Sack merchants are at liberty to sell or hire potato sacks to any person whose business necessarily requires the use of potato sacks. I have not heard of the discrepancy in prices to which the Deputy refers. There should be no such discrepancy, as farmers who wish to supply potatoes to wholesale or retail merchants are not prevented from hiring sacks for the purpose from the licensed sack merchants.
Is the Minister aware that in Kildare the price at a selling station offered by one potato factor was £8 10s., the rail fare being 6s. 8d., and that another merchant offered £10 5s. per ton? There must be some lack of control of sack distribution.
Deputy Hughes asked me if I was aware that sack merchants were prohibited from hiring sacks for the carriage of potatoes. They are not prohibited.
It is very hard to get them. The factors have, evidently, a monopoly of them.
That is another question.
Dublin merchants are prepared to pay £2 more than the factors for potatoes from Sallins.
That is not due to the operation of the sacks Order. So far as potatoes are concerned, a farmer is not prohibited from hiring sacks from sack merchants.
In one case, sacks are available and, in the other, they are not.