asked the Minister for Lands if he will state the number of men employed on forestry work in County Wicklow for the years ended April, 1957, 1958 and 1959.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Wicklow Forestry Workers.
13.
The average weekly numbers of men directly employed in the State forests in Co. Wicklow in the financial years 1956/57, 1957/58 and 1958/59 were 793, 750 and 671, respectively.
I should explain that the level of direct forest employment throughout the country but particularly in Co. Wicklow has been affected in the past few years by the adoption of the standing sale system as the normal method for disposal of forest produce and by a change in the system of supply of road-metalling material in favour of obtaining such material by contract from private suppliers. These measures have had the effect of reducing direct employment but the level of indirect employment provided by purchasers of standing timber and by road-supply contractors has of course increased correspondingly.