I wish to ask the Minister to consider one matter. He will, I am sure, admit that there is very considerable criticism and uneasiness about the different prices—much higher prices—of a number of articles produced here to the prices of the same articles bought in the open market. I feel that the Minister would be wise, in his own interest and in defence of his policy, to give greater publicity to this matter. I know that the Minister is disposed to challenge these differences, saying either they are trivial or in some cases that they do not exist at all. In these days of propaganda the Government has to defend its case before the public in other ways than from its place in Parliament. Would the Minister consider from time to time publishing lists of the leading commodities and showing the differences in price that prevail here compared with the prices of the same articles abroad?
Imposition of Duties (Confirmation of Orders) Bill, 1939—Committee and Final Stages.
I do not think I have ever denied that the prices of some of the commodities made here are higher than those prevailing elsewhere. I think a great deal of nonsense is spoken from time to time about the level of prices for Irish industrial goods, and some people have tried to convey that all industrial products here are sold at extraordinarily high prices and are yielding abnormal profits to their manufacturers. That is not true. There are many industrial products, the prices of which here are no higher than, say, in Great Britain, and some of them are sold at lower prices than in Great Britain. There are, however, many industrial products, the prevailing prices of which here are higher than in Great Britain, due to known causes, such as higher wages, perhaps, better conditions of employment, or the existence of some special circumstance, as in the case of the flour industry, where the millers are required to use a stated percentage of Irish grown wheat purchased by them at a price fixed by the Government, or as in the case of the maize-meal mixture, where a somewhat similar condition of affairs prevails.
I may say that the Prices Commission, which has been very actively engaged in investigating the prices of a number of commodities during the past 12 months, has secured adjustments here and there. Certain prices have been reduced, and, generally, voluntarily reduced, by the manufacturers concerned, after discussion with the commission, but, on the whole, their investigation has shown that profiteering, as such, does not exist, and those associated with these investigations have said to me that for all the profiteering they have discovered, there is not much reason for their existence. Of course, as a commission, they have a much wider field of work to cover than the investigation of prices, and possibly their mere existence is having a useful effect upon the general price level. Certainly, the fact that these investigations are proceeding from time to time keeps before the minds of the manufacturers and traders concerned the existence of an instrument which can be used against them, if the thought of profiteering should enter their minds; but the net result of their investigation shows that there is no such thing as serious profiteering at all. Wherever they have been able to discover circumstances which appeared to justify interference, and where they did interfere to secure a reduction of price, the reduction was effected voluntarily, and was never of very substantial amount.
It is, of course, important that the general price level here should not be raised unduly as a result of the development of industries here, and, therefore, I can assure the Senator that the Prices Commission will not cease its activities, or lessen its activities, even though the results of their investigations so far have been as I have stated. It is my hope that, with the growing efficiency of our industries, and there can be no question about the improvement in their efficiency as workers have become better skilled and managements more familiar with the intricacies and technicalities of their jobs, we will get a general improvement in prices, and in the quality of the products. Prices, of course, are of no importance, except in relation to quality, but the movement has been all in the right direction, and, only in the past month or two, many important products, manufactured here for the first time in the past two years, were reduced in price voluntarily by the manufacturers thereof.