Yesterday evening the Minister stated that a speech made by him in Westport referred specifically to rural workers. I want to ask him what he proposes to do for the urban workers. Has he any schemes of employment for the thousands of people who are signing on at the labour exchanges in the urban areas? When Deputy Corry was speaking last week the Minister said he had work for so many thousands; he said yesterday that that referred to the rural workers. What will he do for the people who are idle in the urban areas? In 1947 the Minister stated on the 17th April at column 847, Volume 105, of Dáil Debates:—
"I said here 12 months ago, and I want to repeat it now, that without the slightest trouble every able-bodied man and woman in this country could be put into useful work to-morrow morning."
Has the Minister any schemes to provide employment for the 3,400 or 3,500 who are signing on at Cork Labour Exchange? What will the Minister do to prevent the employees in the woollen mills being laid off? If they are laid off, that will undoubtedly increase the numbers signing on at the exchange.
I have here a letter from the Cork Workers' Council asking me to do what I can to prevent the Minister carrying out that part of the Milne report which affects the heavy workshops at Rock-savage. The letter says:—
"Should this transfer take place, it will have serious repercussions on the workers in the trade in Cork and will lead to a great deal of unemployment. My council disagrees entirely with this centralisation of industry. On the contrary, industry should be more and more decentralised. In view of the foregoing, I am to ask you for your co-operation in the non-acceptance of the recommendation."
I am sure the other Cork representatives have also received copies of that letter. I would ask the Minister when he is replying to allay the anxiety and uneasiness that exists among the workers engaged in these workshops.
I should also like to draw the Minister's attention to the bus fares charged in Cork, especially for children, and to the short distances which people are allowed to travel for these fares. For one journey which I know and which is less than a mile, a fare of 3d. is charged. That is out of all proportion to what I pay here in Dublin. These high fares have a very serious effect on the cost of living of the average family, especially if there are three or four children going to school. Children are now being charged half the adult fares; previously there was only one fare, 1d., for school-going children. They are now being charged 2d. for very short distances. I know one case of a family in which four children are going to school. They pay 2d. each in the morning, a total of 8d., going to school, 8d. coming home to lunch, 8d. going back after lunch and 8d. coming home in the evening. The Minister can make that up for himself, apart from what the father and mother have to pay when the father is going to and coming home from work and the mother has to go out to do some shopping. These fares, as I say, have a very serious effect on the cost of living at the present time.
I should further like to draw the Minister's attention to the hardship caused to some industrialists in the centre of the City of Cork due to the delay in the change over from D.C. to A.C. current by the Electricity Supply Board. Employers have told me that they have been warned that if they get in new machinery after a certain date —that is now a couple of years ago— they will not be compensated for any new motors or machinery they may get in in this way. They say that the cost of maintaining the old machinery is very high compared with what would be the cost of maintaining new plant. I think that Cork is being unfairly treated in that respect.
There is another matter in connection with the Electricity Supply Board concerning which Deputy Lehane asked a question some time ago, namely, the sending of orders for the making of A masts required in County Cork up to Dublin. These A masts are generally made by shipwrights. I believe there are about six shipwrights making them in Dublin and when current orders are completed in Dublin, they are allowed to pile up a stock. In Cork there were a few shipwrights making these masts at Kilbarry. They would be allowed to make just the number required for a certain area but they would not be allowed to make them for stock, with the result that if certain masts were urgently required in certain areas the order was sent to Dublin. Masts are sometimes sent from Dublin to districts as far away as Bantry. I think the Electricity Supply Board should be asked to pile up stocks of A masts in Cork as well as in Dublin because this practice of sending up to Dublin for masts and transporting them to places as far distant as Charleville and Bantry should not be allowed. It is about time it stopped.
I should like also to draw the Minister's attention to a question I put down to the Minister for Posts and Telegraphs some time ago in regard to the import of poles in a finished condition. The reply which I received from him was that poles used in the Department of Posts and Telegraphs are generally imported in a partially dressed condition and the dressing is completed at Dublin and Cork. During the past year, however, he added, it was not possible to secure sufficient partially dressed poles to meet the requirements of the telephone development programme, and two lots of poles, one in a completely dressed condition and the other already creosoted, were purchased. I think an effort should be made to obviate the necessity of importing dressed poles under any circumstances, so that employment might be provided for people in our own country dressing and creosoting these poles. I was approached by a number of workers about that matter last April when I put down the question and they told me that about 40 men were employed in Cork at that particular work.
I should now like to address a few remarks to the Minister about the tourist situation at Cobh. He is aware that a deputation came up here last December comprising all the T.D.s for the City of Cork and East Cork and they put up a very good case to him in regard to the facilities that should be provided. They received a reply from him on 7th February to the following effect:—
"I am directed by the Minister for Industry and Commerce to refer to your letter of 18th January, 1949, and to inform you that the Minister has now had an opportunity of discussing with the Minister for Finance the matters raised by the deputation from Cobh at the conference in Leinster House on December 2nd last. The Minister for Finance is in full agreement with the view the Minister conveyed to you at the conference that any better facilities considered necessary at Cobh should be provided by private enterprise and not by any Department of State and he has indicated that it would be out of the question for him to undertake any commitments on the Exchequer in regard to the matters discussed."
I do not know how private enterprise could provide the extra customs facilities such as were suggested, the only place available being portion of the Córas Iompair Éireann premises. I would point out to the Minister, as was pointed out to him on that occasion, that this is not really a question for Cobh or Cork at all. Most of the tourists coming into Cobh go straight away to different parts of the country. I had an experience of that on Tuesday when I was travelling up from Cork by train. Two of the largest transatlantic steamers, the Washington and the Mauretania, arrived off Cobh that morning and at the last moment the train was delayed and hundreds of these tourists boarded it. Many of them got off at Limerick Junction, but the majority came on to Dublin. Surely the Minister does not expect the people of Cobh or Cork to provide the facilities needed to cater for this business. I can assure the Minister I listened to a good many complaints coming up on the train about the three-and-a-half hour delay they had at the customs. Apparently the same thing happened some time before, because in last Sunday's Sunday Chronicle there appears an article with the heading: “Port hold up may cost dollars,”“Americans wait three hours.” It goes on:
"American tourists and other visitors are complaining bitterly about the long delays caused by the customs at some Irish ports.
Unless there is a speeding-up in the service before the summer traffic begins it is feared the tourist trade may suffer.
The main cause of the delay is the shortage of officers, I was told yesterday.
The problem is particularly acute at Cobh. Some passengers say that they have been held up for hours in draughty sheds while three officers worked their way through thousands of bags and trucks.
They had the annoying experience, they said, of having one or two of their cases examined within the first hour and then having to wait another hour to have the remainder checked.
Officials seemed to roam along the checking counters, picking out luggage at random.
The checking of the luggage of 200 passengers one day last week took more than three hours."
You can see by the reply the Minister gave us the contempt they have for the provision of any facilities for the tourist traffic at Cobh or Cork. We are told that the tourist industry is worth £35,000,000—some people say more—to this country, and still, while they do big things for Rineanna, at Cobh, where ten tourists come in for every one who comes to Rineanna, they leave people sitting on the quays or anywhere they like without any accommodation. I would like to contrast that with the way the people across the water, who are supposed to be much wealthier than we, looked after their own tourist industry last December at the time when we approached the Minister. I have some extracts here from the Daily Express dated 20th December, 1948:—
"Cabinet Orders: Brighter Britain for the Tourists,
Ports Airfields, will get Money if they need it.
By Montague Lacey.
Britain's sea and air ports have been told to plan a brighter and better welcome for visitors. Cabinet orders are that money will be found for new buildings and more staff if they are needed.
Sir Stafford Cripps, Chancellor of the Exchequer, has already sent out experts to advise.
A short-term plan for tourists who will be coming to this country from Easter onwards will go into operation as soon as possible.
A long-term plan foresees great improvement in ports and railway stations, to be ready by 1951, when hundreds of thousands of tourists are expected for the great London festival and exhibition.
Sir James R.C. Helmore, second secretary to the Board of Trade, is the chief planner.
It is expected that within four years the tourist industry in this country will be earning more than £1,000,000 a week—a total of £65,000,000 by 1952."
We contend that our tourist industry earned £35,000,000 last year, but still we are not prepared to spend anything out of the national Exchequer. This goes on to say:—
"A Government working party has already visited Dover, Folke-stone and Harwich, the big entry ports for most European countries. Recommendations will be put into effect soon.
One suggestion was the speeding up in dealing with tourists who bring cars with them.
Treasury official Mr. L.F. Morrissey—the Minister's namesake— heads the working party, which includes officials from the Transport Commission, Ministry of Transport, Docks and Harbour Authorities' Association, Ministry of Health, Board of Trade, Ministry of Food, Ministry of Civil Aviation, Customs and Excise, Immigration, Railway Executives, and Mr. A. McLean, assistant to the Director-General of the Travel Association.
All these departments have something to do with tourists arriving or leaving. Among other things, they have been told to simplify formalities for entry and exit. For instance:— The customs will consider speedier methods for clearing passengers.
The Ministry of Health will decide if it is necessary for a visitor to fill in a form stating where he has spent the last 14 nights before arrival.
The railways have been asked to concentrate on improvements in their services in boat trains, better station refreshment rooms, more and better restaurant and sleeping-cars."