It would appear that if other Ministers want millions of pounds for this, that or the other purpose, those millions of pounds can be got, but when it comes to a question of the bed-rock industry of this country, agriculture—the industry that supplies 80 per cent. of this country's wealth— it has "to go fish" every time. I want to throw out a warning with regard to this year, and I hope the Minister is listening to it. You are going to have less butter this year than you had last year, and you are going to have stricter rationing. Why? Because of the cheese-paring that went on in regard to the dairy farming industry in this country.
Take, for instance, also, tillage farming in this country. Certain things happened during the lifetime of the Eleventh Dáil, that, I think, never happened before in any democratic assembly in the world. For instance, when a motion was put forward by a Deputy last year to help tillage in this country there was not even a reply from the Minister. The Minister sat down. Now, that was a direct insult, and it certainly was not a good headline to set in what is called a democratic assembly. Again, take what happened as regards wool prices in this country. Over-night an Emergency Powers Order was issued—just as you would draw a razor across the wool producer's throat—and yet the Minister for Agriculture was quite dumb: not a word from him.
Now, there is nothing personal about this, but our idea is—and it is the views of the people I represent in this House—that a Government that refuses to accept the principle that 80 per cent. of this nation's wealth, the very life blood of this nation, comes from agriculture, should not be supported, and I think that until the time comes when you have a Government that is prepared to accept that principle in this country, our country will not be what it should be. I have listened to a number of plans put forward by different Ministers, for which millions of pounds were asked, but it would appear that there was no plan at all from the Minister for Agriculture. Certain Ministers have been telling us that £9,000,000 or £10,000,000 would be required for building, reconstruction work, and so on, and we all know that something like £16,000,000 was asked for in connection with a private transport monopoly in this country. Millions of pounds are asked for in connection with various industries in this country, but there is not one word at all about anything to help the industry that is the foundation of the whole lot. I would ask this question of the Minister himself: How is it that every Minister can get away with what he wants, except the Minister for Agriculture?
Definitely, there is nothing personal about this, but we feel, as I said here before, that in these circumstances we are bound to vote against this bloc, because we think that the Minister for Agriculture, Deputy Dr. Ryan, is not making the fight for agriculture that he should make. Again, I believe, and I do sincerely hope that this great Government majority will be used in the best interests of the country, but we feel bound to vote against the bloc that has been presented to us by the Taoiseach, because we think that the Minister for Agriculture has not been making the fight he ought to make.
There is another Minister against whom we shall also definitely vote, and that is Deputy MacEntee, who as Minister for Local Government and Public Health, within 24 hours of his election, issued an ultimatum dissolving the Roscommon County Council, although the Fianna Fáil Party escaped there with a very slender majority. A majority of farmers was represented there, and it was a democratic assembly that was doing what was best for the taxpayers and ratepayers of the county, and I should like to know why, if it was necessary to dissolve that council, the Minister did not do so before the election. These are some of the reasons why we feel that we must vote against this proposal. There are two chief reasons. One is that we feel that the Minister for Agriculture has not been making the fight that he should make for the basic industry of this country, namely, agriculture; and the second reason is that the other gentleman adopted such a dictatorial attitude the moment he found himself at the top again.