To-day I addressed a Private Notice Question to the Minister for Industry and Commerce in the following terms:—
"To ask the Minister for Industry and Commerce if he is aware that supplies of fuel oil for tractors have in recent weeks been negligible and that permits for tractor vaporising oil supplies have accumulated at supply depôts where no supplies are at present available, and in view of the paramount importance in this abnormally late season of having ample fuel supplies with farmers in time for favourable weather conditions he will state what steps he proposes to take to ensure that all tractors can operate a full 100 per cent. when weather permits."
By the Minister's attitude to that question, I am afraid he has no appreciation of the seriousness and urgency of this problem. The present conditions through which the country has passed in recent weeks have completely immobilised tractors everywhere. There are very considerable arrears of work. As a matter of fact, little or no winter ploughing has been carried out. I am particularly anxious to ensure that, when the weather clears, ample supplies of tractor fuel will be available. I do not think the Minister appreciates the urgency of this problem. Carlow is probably the biggest tractor depôt in the country and there are permits there accumulating to the extent of over 20,000 gallons of fuel for tractor purposes. I am quite satisfied that the existing services at the disposal of the companies will not be anything like sufficient to meet the immediate requirements of the farmers.
After this very long spell, we can hope for an early rise in the weather. If an early rise does not occur, the situation will be disastrous, as the question of immediate ploughing and cultivation for the wheat crop is a matter of weeks. In fact, when the weather clears every tractor in the country will have to work long hours every day and possibly in some cases work in the night-time as well. Does the Minister appreciate how disastrous the situation will be if a number of tractors are left standing idle in the near future? There is an extraordinary amount of leeway in work to be made up on land all over the country and I feel that the Minister agrees with me that it is most desirable that that work should not be delayed or hampered because of lack of fuel supplies. It struck me that, in order to ensure that tractors will go full steam ahead, fuel supplies should be available not merely at depôts but should be got out now, against the weather clearing, to every farmer who owns a tractor.
I know from information I have got that the problem is not confined to the particular depôt I am talking about, Carlow, but that it exists generally all over the country. The Minister's attention was drawn to this question of kerosene several times since last Christmas and on one or two occasions I reminded him by way of supplementary questions that the problem of T.V.O. supplies was accumulating. I am telling him now that, so far as Carlow is concerned, that problem is accumulating to the extent of 25,000 gallons in the matter of permits that are there since before Christmas. That means that, if the weather clears next week, there will be many farmers not in a position to operate their machinery and in view of the very abnormal and unprecedented weather conditions we are passing through and the urgency of the whole matter. I have felt it my duty to bring the Minister's attention to this problem.
I can only apologise for the short notice. I was not in a position to give any longer notice and I felt the matter could not be postponed until the Dáil meet again—I understand we may not meet next week. I am sorry I was not able to give longer notice so that the Minister might look into the matter, but he can take my assurance that the problem is an urgent one and that, in the interest of the cereal crop for next year, the matter requires his very early attention.