I would like, with your permission, to raise a personal matter arising out of the debate on the purchase of rejected wheat motion which took place on the 18th November. The Minister for Agriculture in the course of his remarks on that motion—I happened to be out of the House at the time—read or purported to read a telegram which he said he had received from the "fella" from Wexford. I want to ask that that telegram, having been read in the House on two occasions, be made a public document and be placed in the Library or made available to Deputies. I want to disclaim all responsibility and knowledge of such a telegram. Nevertheless, since it has been read here twice, I would ask that it be made available.
Deputy's Disclaimer.
Is the Deputy disclaiming any association with the telegram?
I disclaim any association whatsoever with it. I also ask that this telegram be made public as it was read twice in the House.
That is another matter.
I ask for your ruling. Is it not a public document?
That is another matter, an entirely different matter.
The "fella" got his wheat dried, did he not?
No, he did not. Will the Chair give an instruction? I take it that it is the Chair's function to give instructions about any document like this.
That is another matter entirely. The Deputy informed me that he wanted to make a statement dissociating himself from any telegram.
I want to know from the Chair if a document which is read here——
This is not my time for answering questions of that kind.
There is a strong suspicion that this purported telegram savours very much of forgery.
I do not know what the Deputy means by that. I take it that his position is that he is not charging any member of this House with forgery.
He did not mention any member as far as I recollect.
The Deputy was very careful not to ask for the production of the document when he had the right to ask for it.
He was not here.
Take a little more rope so that I can hang the Deputies opposite with it because the Deputies opposite will get the telegram if they ask for it any more, and it will choke them when they do.