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Seanad Éireann díospóireacht -
Thursday, 26 Jul 1923

Vol. 1 No. 33

DYESTUFFS (IMPORT REGULATIONS) REPEAL BILL, 1923. - FIRST STAGE.

I beg leave of the Seanad to introduce the Dyestuffs (Import Regulation) Repeal Bill, 1923. It is "A Bill to repeal the Act of the Parliament of the late United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, entitled The Dyestuffs (Import Regulation) Act, 1920, if and so far as the same is in force in Saorstát Éireann." I need not detain the Seanad for more than a few minutes briefly to explain the object and purport of the Bill which I ask leave to introduce. It is probably within the memory of every Senator that after the close of the European war Great Britain thought it necessary, in order to safeguard the dye industries in Great Britain which had been set up and encouraged at the expense of the British Government during the war, to prevent the import of dyes into Great Britain, particularly from Germany, which is universally recognised as the greatest producer of dyestuffs, probably, in the world.

In order to do that an Act of Parliament was passed, which set up a small Committee of, I think, six persons. That Committee had power to grant licences, and it only did so when it was satisfied that the dyes to be imported were not those that were manufactured in Great Britain. Three of the members of that Committee were manufacturers of dyes, and if when the Saorstát was set up it had been desired to set up such a Committee it would be impossible, as it would not be possible to find three manufacturers of dyes in Saorstát Eireann That of itself shows the absurdity of continuing in this country an Act of that character. Apart from that, I think it is obvious that we have no dye industry in this country to protect, and as we have small textile industries which are struggling in competition with Great Britain, it is clearly in the interests of Ireland to repeal this Act, and give the benefit to our own textile industries in competition by allowing dyes to come in here as cheaply as they can be got. That is the object and sole purpose of the Bill, and when it comes forward on further stages I trust it will be passed unanimously by the Seanad. This is really a Government Bill introduced at their request.

I desire to second the motion.

Question: "That leave be given to introduce the Bill," put and agreed to.
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