This is one of my dreams which I hope will become a reality. Having been reared in the heart of Tipperary, but having lived for a long time in this city, I did not know the drudgery which lack of water meant, and if there was one thing more than another which drove me into public life it was this question of a water supply. The need for water is pretty well known. I suppose air is the first essential, but men on hunger strike have lived on water for months, so I suppose water is the second essential. You cannot live without air and water certainly comes next.
Every Deputy here will approach this matter from a national point of view, but each of them will naturally relate it to the area he knows best, his native county. We in Tipperary have more water than any county in Ireland. We have more counties around us than any other county, and if you make this water survey a regional matter, it will defeat itself, because county boundaries will enter into it and make it unworkable. I therefore suggest a national survey, although regional schemes are certainly very good. It seems that in Tipperary, as in many parts of Ireland, we are pretty much like the ancient mariner whom Coleridge described. We have water everywhere and never a drop to drink.
Water is supplied principally from the mountains but a good deal comes from the plains. We have a good number of mountains in Tipperary — the Galtees, the Knockmealdowns, Slievenamon, Slieve Bloom and Keeper Hill. We have as much water in Tipperary as would supply almost the seven neighbouring counties as well as our own and those neighbouring counties have perhaps streams equally as good. In the wilds of the forest, the first thing an animal bearing young or becoming sick does is to go where water is available, and you will find the same thing on farms. We are blessed with both plains and mountains in Tipperary and we have the best water in Ireland in Tiobraid Árainn, from which all-Ireland hurling winners came thrice.
Between Cahir and Cashel we have 100 well springs or streams. The Leas-Cheann Comhairle knows well the new road in that area between Cahir and Rockwell. The people travel a distance of five miles to get drinking water at these wells. The water from the streams flows into the River Suir, into what I may describe as a stink pot. I hope that my national survey will help to remove that. You have a population of 5,000 people in Thurles. The first thing that strikes your eye there is that, into the River Suir, which rises in the Slieve Bloom mountains, you have the sewerage of the beet factory flowing. The river wends its way southwards towards the village of Golden which is also very badly off for water. The same is true of Cahir, with a population of 1,500 people, as well as of Ardfinnan. In Clonmel, with a population of 5,000, you have the sewerage of the fever hospital going into the Suir. In view of that, is it not terrible to think that the people in Thurles and Clonmel have to depend on the Suir for their drinking water? I suggest that the rivers of Ireland were never meant to be sewers for towns. The way that I would put it is, that the water from our mountain streams and rivers was meant, first of all, to be conserved for the use of human beings, and, secondly, for animals, but not to be used as sewers for towns. The cities of Sheffield and Birmingham have a population of approximately 2,000,000 each. I believe there is a small river, the Don, near Sheffield. I suppose that 200 or 300 years ago both cities were mere hamlets, with perhaps 6,000 or 8,000 people in each. Sheffield, through the development of the cutlery industry, and Birmingham, with its iron industries, have now populations of 2,000,000 each. In the two cities you have as many people as we have in the whole of Ireland. Both have the finest high-pressure water supplies in the world, developed from the Welsh mountains.
In my native area we have water everywhere, and yet there is no pure drinking water available between Cahir and Clogheen, except that provided privately through the benevolence of a local magnate. It is not unusual to see ten or 15 cars at day-break waiting to get a supply from this private source for domestic use. They come there at an early hour in the morning to fill their barrels. About five miles from Clogheen, which is mentioned in the Life of St. Declan, there is a supply of pure water for about 200 families. It appears that when the son of the pagan chief there accepted the Faith, the saint struck a rock and since then there has been a supply of water available, so that he did more than baptise the son of the chief. The people, however, have to travel five miles to avail of that supply. Not far away, we have two streams running down the mountainside, but by the time the water has passed through the first farm it has become polluted, due to the fact that cattle have access to it. By the time it reaches the valley it is anything but pure. On one of these streams you have 25 families living. About 300 yards from the central town in the valley you have a school which is attended by about 80 pupils. A sample of that water was taken about 31 years ago and sent to the late Sir Charles Cameron for analysis. He certified that it was not fit for human consumption. We have a natural stream supplying the town of Cahir. The water there is not fit for human consumption. Because of that I venture to suggest that during the last 25 years many of the residents have contracted disease and died. I suggest it is time that we took control of our rivers and wells. The artificial stream that was put down by three landlords near Thomastown Castle, where Father Mathew was born, serves a very good purpose. When the land was bought from them by the Land Commission, these landlords left £60 a year to have the stream looked after. I admit that these artificial streams serve a very good purpose, but a supply of piped water would be very much better and safer. The present Gárda barracks, as well as the old R.I.C. barracks between Cahir and Clogheen, get their supply of water from St. Kieran's well which is situated about four miles away. The water is brought there by a contractor. That contract was made at the time that the R.I.C. was established by Sir Robert Peel. Some better method than that should be devised for supplying the people with a pure supply of water.
Since this matter was first mooted in this House, about two years ago, it was taken up in England by Lord Beaverbrook, the powerful newspaper magnate, and the Labour Party there. That was long before the Labour Party had any notion that they would become the Government in that country. Thanks, however, to the driving power which Lord Beaverbrook was able to exercise through his widespread chain of newspapers, a survey was made as a result of which it is now estimated that an expenditure of £25,500,000 would put water into every rural home in England, Wales and Scotland. The estimate for England and Wales was £18,000,000 and £7,500,000 for Scotland. In area, Scotland would more closely resemble this country than either of the other two. I used to be fairly good at mathematics when I was at school, and if we take it that a round sum of £8,000,000 would supply every rural home in Ireland with a pure water supply, the annual cost of the scheme, at 5 per cent. on that capital expenditude, would be £400,000 a year. Assuming that we have 400,000 farm houses in Ireland, the annual charge on each would be £1 a year. That is what I estimate it would cost to provide them with a pure water supply. These are the sort of figures that appeal to me.
I remember during a little campaign about last March 12 months I was going around South Tipperary, and in about 12 miles of country I counted 12 water barrels on their way to and from the river. They were all bringing filth out of the River Suir for animals to drink. The drudgery of it is fearful. Take an agricultural labourer's wage — £104 a year. It is nothing to write home to mother about, but if he spends a quarter of a day drawing water, that amounts to £26 a year. If you take the wear and tear of the horse and cart and the harness and barrel — again quoting figures, like scripture, to suit my purpose — I think £26 a year would be a very small amount to calculate. That is £52 a year or £1 a week. That is a very long way in advance of the £1 a year that I suggested to the Minister. There is quite a big margin. However, as the showman says: "You pays your money and you takes your choice", but that there is great room for a remarkable saving there is beyond yea or nay and the need for it is undoubted. May I quote from a debate we had here in May, 1945? This is a kind of foundling, a pet child of mine. The Minister, Dr. Ryan, hauled me over the coals and said I claimed great credit for it. Speaking at that time in May, 1945 — I was not in the House at the time; I was on my way to Tipperary on the night mail as there was a little election on there in which I was interested — the Minister, Dr. Ryan, said:—
"There is another matter about which we should be clear. There is no use in any Deputy saying that he advocated water, electricity, and so on, being brought into the farmers' houses, and claiming credit when that is being accomplished."
Not guilty, my lord. The Minister continues:—
"It is not a question of who first advocated such schemes. I am sure we all agree that the farmers should have the same amenities as the townsmen, and it does not matter who first asked for these amenities. We are aiming at the provision of water for the farms, but the first step towards that is rural electrification. When electricity is brought to every farmer's house, then the water will follow, because where a farmer has not got water at present he will then have the electric power to bring the water to his farm, and after that, naturally, will follow proper sanitation. At the same time, I do not see why we should not try to do something about putting in proper stoves, cooking facilities, and so on, in farmers' houses. We should aim — and I am sure that every Deputy of any Party in this House will agree —at having the country house just as well equipped as the city house, so that the farmer will have proper lighting, heating, hot and cold water, proper sanitation and so on"——
Now here is the snag:—
"— so that if a girl has to make a choice between marrying a farmer and settling down in the country, or settling down in the city, she shall at least have the same amenities in the country as in the town or city. Naturally, it will take a long time to achieve that, but I know we should be able to reach the point."
Our women folk are the finest in the world. They are second to none. I am sure you will all agree with me that they are glorious. I may be a bit of a romanticist; and all I have to do is to look in the mirror to know that no girl would bother about me, but if I took a fancy to a girl I would marry her, if she would have me, before a princess on her throne. But some of the modern girls have become gold diggers. Last week an interview with a young lady who had got a windfall of about £25,000 was published. She was from the Minister's country. She had all the attributes that I mentioned to you. She was modest — a lovely girl. She remained three weeks in her position in England; the Sweep did not turn her head. Then she came home to help her family. Was not that grand? She would do everything she could for them. When asked by the local scribe: "What are your ideas on matrimony"? she said: "Well, I will not marry a farmer anyway." God save Ireland; the Jews can look after themselves. I will make no comment on that. I quite agree with the Minister that we should try to make the amenities equal. It is a pity we did not take her down Jones's Road to see our lads from Tipperary playing Kilkenny in the hurling final, or perhaps if she saw Roscommon playing Cavan she might change her mind. I will leave it at that.
I forgot to mention that the sewage of those cities, Sheffield and Birmingham, is treated with septic tanks. I see Deputy Loughman here smiling. He should appreciate what I say. He is not one of the city fathers in Clonmel, but he is a very eminent citizen. I think I am right in saying that our corporation in Clonmel, as well as our county council, are very advanced. I hope I am not boastful. They have applied for a scheme costing £30,000 when this emergency is over, with a view to putting the river right, because building is extending to the southern part of the town and the river is glutted with filth and dirt. At the lower end of the town on a hot summer's day it is not very nice. They have the idea of the septic tanks. Our county council are behind this water scheme with us, and they have sent around what is popularly known as a snowball resolution. It was sent to the various county councils, and I think a good number of them replied in favour of it. When I first proposed this at the county council in Clonmel I brought a hornet's nest around my ears. I had a fan mail that a film star would envy. I suppose I had hundreds of letters in regard to that particular thing, simple as it seemed. The purport of the letters was: "We are doing very well as we are and everything is lovely in the garden." I made inquiries and I found that each of them had a very decent supply of water and that some of them had pumps in the yard. I do not think that money can be obtained to sink pumps at the moment. If proper catchments or reservoirs were made at the source — these streams of the Suir must have about half a dozen tributaries which rise in the mountains — they would serve a great many people. Piped water supplies could be laid from them and artificial streams might be made here and there to serve other families. Without a piped water supply, you will not have water fit for human consumption. Pumps are another means by which water could be supplied but I do not think that the Land Commission give grants for the erection of pumps at present. Pump sinking is more than an adventure. There are parts of my county in which a fair number of persons have pumps at 20 feet but I have known others who had to sink to 300 feet. I have no geological or hydraulic knowledge but I think that if you were to go 60 feet or 70 feet you would get water in most cases. If one had to sink to 300 feet, it would ruin him. Where a gravitation supply could not be arranged, pumps might be provided and water obtained at a depth representing the average of the figures which I have quoted.
The repair of pumps is left to the county council, which has 80 or 100 pumps to attend to. The pump service should be nationalised in the same way as the telegraph service. Brinsley MacNamara in the Valley of the Squinting Windows is somewhat sarcastic on the subject of pumps. When the son of a farmer made an improvident marriage, his relatives got themselves elected as guardians and obtained for him the task of sinking a pump which gave anything but water. He never looked back after that, according to the book. I do not subscribe to that but I do know that pumps in my area are relics of hydraulic inefficiency. However, revolutions were hatched in the country over those pumps, so they served a purpose. About five miles from where I live, a man asked me to go down a bit of a road with him. I went down about 30 yards and was then within 100 yards of the Suir at Mooncoin. He pumped and pumped and the water came out yellow. Then, it turned blue and green and when he had about 5 barrels pumped it became crystal. He was working for 25 minutes by my watch and he brought that water home for domestic use. The Parliamentary Secretary has had a great deal to say about tuberculosis. He has done his job well but I think that impure water is one of the causes of tuberculosis. On one occasion the Parliamentary Secretary pulled me up over a statement which I made. When arguing with a professional man, the odds are against one. We have a great medical officer of health in Clonmel, Dr. Naughton. His report contains many references to petitions for the erection of pumps. He says “a number of petitions for the erection of public pumps were received and investigated during the year. Suitable recommendations for the erection of pumps were made where it was considered that such were necessary, having regard to the existing water supply, population of areas, etc. In addition, recommendations were made regarding repairs to a number of existing public pumps. These repairs were carried out in all cases.” I have my doubts about that. There are quite a number of them idle and they are, as I have said, relics of hydraulic inefficiency. They were erected by the guardians and the science of hydraulics must have advanced a great deal since then.
