Vol. 119 No. 16
I move:—
That a supplementary sum not exceeding £10 be granted to defray the Charge which will come in course of payment during the year ending 31st March, 1950, for the salaries and expenses of the Office of the Minister for Industry and Commerce, including certain Services administered by that Office, and for payment of certain subsidies and sundry Grants-in-Aid.
This is only a token Vote. As Deputies will see it involves payments under four headings. The first heading is sub-head H — subscriptions to certain international organisations. This is the sub-head which I discussed on the other Vote so that I do not think anything arises on it. The second one is sub-head H.H. — Chicago Trade Fair. It was decided to hold a trade fair in Chicago under O.E.E.C. auspices from the 7th to the 19th August this year. It is organised as a joint European exhibition with a view to participation by exhibitors from this country. The O.E.E.C. authorities have requested the various participating countries to encourage exhibitors to participate in the fair. The Government decided that this country should be represented, but it was found that the cost of exhibiting for any single firm was high, and, consequently, with a view to encouraging individual participation by Irish firms, the Government decided to defray the cost of renting space at the fair for Irish exhibitors, and of providing basic uniform display equipment at an all-in cost of $6.50 per square foot.
The estimated total cost of a booth is approximately £1,000, and the Government is putting up £250. The Minister for Industry and Commerce proposes to book with the fair authorities the total space required by Irish exhibitors. The space which is booked must be booked in advance and accompanied by a deposit of 50 per cent. of the rental which is three dollars per square foot. It is anticipated that the Irish participation will include an information bureau in addition to the commercial exhibits. The Irish participation has not yet been settled. A number of firms have intimated their willingness to participate, and some others are considering their participation.
The third sub-head, N (1), is in respect of advances to Mianrai, Teo. Under the Minerals Company Act, 1947, the company was entitled, within a limit of £50,000, to spend money on the development and working of the coal field at Slievardagh. The original estimate for the current year was £25,000. As the House will remember, during the course of the debate on the Minerals Company (Amendment) Act which was passed recently it was explained that the original sum was inadequate to meet the increased expenditure which the company felt to be necessary, as a result of the difficulties in working the deposit there. The work proved to be both more costly and more troublesome than had been anticipated. The additional sum is required to meet the expenses incurred up to the end of the current financial year. The company expect they will have available the coal-washing plant which they propose to purchase. Under the recent amending Act, the total advances will amount to the sum of £88,000 — £50,000 originally advanced under the 1947 Act, and a further £38,000 under the amending Act.
As regards the last sub-head S — Appropriations in Aid — the original Estimate anticipated that the sales of turf during 1949/50 season would yield £355,500. The sales, however, have amounted to approximately £130,000 and, consequently, the estimate has to be increased by £225,500. The reduction in the sales of turf is attributed to a number of causes, principally the non-availability of turf during April and May, 1949, and to competition from low priced hand-won turf in some of the western areas. Probably the main factor has been the fine weather which prevailed during the present winter and also during the greater part of last spring and, in addition, there were the initial difficulties attending the development of new markets. It is estimated that the present stocks of turf unsold amount to about 80,000 tons.
