I move that the Bill be now read a Second Time.
Private Business. - Waterford (Extension of Harbour Limits) Harbour Works Order, 1951, Confirmation Bill, 1951—Second and Subsequent Stages.
An Leas-Chathaoirleach
Question put and agreed to.
An Leas-Chathaoirleach
Would it be possible to take the remaining stages now? There is no reason why the Bill should be held up.
Agreed, to take remaining stages now.
Bill put through Committee, reported without amendment, and received for final consideration.
Question proposed: "That the Bill do now pass."
It seems to me rather a pity that this Bill should go through automatically in this way. Sadly, curiously, there is no representative from the City of Waterford in the Seanad. It is rather regrettable that the fourth city of Ireland should not have a personal representative in the Seanad, and someone has just said that neither has it one in the Dáil, at least one who actually lives in the city. As I spent a good many years of my life in the City of Waterford, I feel it would be an act of discourtesy to that ancient city to rush through a Bill of this kind without a word and I propose, with the indulgence of the Seanad, to say a word or two on this Bill.
Ever since the Norsemen discovered the City of Waterford it has been amongst the leading ports of this country. Having lived there myself I have had an opportunity of knowing that the Harbour Commissioners of Waterford have a very high reputation for efficiency and energy and as this Bill is a Bill to help them in their work something should be said on it.
The Port of Waterford has its difficulties, in spite of its natural advantages. For one thing, there is a great deal of silting mud coming down from the rich country of Tipperary. I do not know whether the Tipperary men have any grievance against Waterford on that account, but it gives a great deal of trouble to the Harbour Commissioners and, to judge from what I have seen of them in action, they cope with it by dredging and otherwise very efficiently.
The winding channel of the Suir and the strong currents and tides in that estuary also cause difficulties to shipping. It should be put on record in this House how well, up to the present, the commissioners have coped with those difficulties. Waterford is a well-managed port. It serves almost a quarter of this country and any Bill or any movement which makes the work of the commissioners easier should be encouraged.
There is one other aspect of it which I should like to mention. We hear again and again of the evils of centralisation and there has been a tendency in recent years to bring almost all the main shipping of the Republic of Ireland to Dublin. It has its advantages, but it has grave disadvantages also. Recently, Dublin Port was paralysed when Waterford and Cork were both free for receiving ships and, on that account, as a movement towards decentralisation and helping these provincial ports, the Bill also deserves support.
I do not want to speak at length on this, but I feel that the ancient and honourable Urbs Intacta deserves a word of commendation in this Seanad. To pass this Bill merely formally, to my mind, would be a slight on it. I only wish there were a City of Waterford man here to speak more fully on it. I would like to emphasise before this House that the City of Waterford continues to play a very honourable part in both the cultural life and the industrial life of the country and, simply as a tribute to that valuable port, I should like to add a word on this Bill.
I understand that this is an agreed measure. There has been no opposition to it from the Waterford end. There is no opposition to it here. I agree with Senator Stanford when he speaks about the importance of Waterford City. Certainly, it is a city of great interest and in past centuries it has made a very big contribution to the life of this country. To pass this measure without any discussion on it—as we were about to do— indicates that we were all thoroughly in agreement with it.
The difficulty about Waterford is that the channel is very winding. Mud from County Tipperary comes down and chokes it up occasionally. This makes it extremely difficult to operate and fairly heavy tonnage cannot get up the river. This Bill intends, apparently, to extend the powers of the port authorities and it will enable them to drain the river more effectively.
I am a member of the Waterford Harbour Commissioners. We requested the Minister to allow us to introduce this private Bill and he agreed to do all we asked him to do. I did not intend to stand up here to-day and start a full-scale debate on Waterford Harbour, on the merits of decentralisation and on the making of Waterford Harbour and other harbours as important as Dublin Harbour. If we were to discuss all that on a private Bill of this kind some of us would not get home for the Christmas holidays.
I am glad Senator Stanford said what he did say about Waterford because, undoubtedly, it is one of our most important ports. Anybody who has read the newspapers over the week-end, and those of us who were at the opening of the new North Wharf at Waterford last Saturday, will realise that the people of Waterford are alive to the possibilities of their port and that the Government is willing to help. The previous Minister for Industry and Commerce introduced this Order which we are confirming to-day. We have received every consideration from the officials in connection with any representations which we made in connection with this Bill and even with regard to amendments. In every way they tried to facilitate us and to help with regard to any little difficulties which we may have had.
There is one point of a general nature to which I should like to refer. We have now started our own merchant marine in this country. I think we shall have to ask the central government to put our harbours in such a condition that the ships of our merchant marine will be able to use our ports. At present ships of 9,500 tons can enter only one or two of our ports. It is a great pity that such ships are not able to use all our ports because it would tend towards decentralisation. We want Cork, Galway, Limerick and Waterford to have all the facilities which Dublin will have.
I should like to thank the Seanad for giving us all stages of this Bill in one day.
I feel like congratulating Senator Stanford for, if you like, departing from tradition in opening up a discussion on this Bill. It is generally understood that a private Bill is an agreed measure, or if it is not an agreed measure it is referred to a Committee of both Houses. I think that no harm but rather a certain amount of good has been done by opening up a short discussion such as that which we have had to-day.
Senator Stanford said that we have no representative from Waterford in the House. That is scarcely correct.
On a point of fact. I explicitly said "Waterford City".
I am sure that if the citizens of Waterford City had the selection of a representative they would not hesitate to elect Senator Goulding. He has represented Waterford County and City for a number of years, and I have no doubt that he will continue to do so for a further number of years.
With regard to decentralisation of industry, I think that we have had a fair indication of the attitude of the present Government in that connection. Within the past week the Minister for Industry and Commerce has opened a north wharf in Waterford which will result, I feel sure, in adding considerably to the commerce of the city and of that part of the country, including, of course, Tipperary. It is of the utmost importance that Waterford Port should be developed. It is regrettable that the people who were nominated by the Government previous to the last one did not take their duties sufficiently seriously to attend a reasonable number of meetings of that particular body. However, it is encouraging that they are now sitting up and taking notice—probably as a result of the attitude last week of the Minister for Industry and Commerce.
We hope we shall see a considerable development of the Port of Waterford. There are some people here who may have heard their fathers talking about the time—about 100 years ago—when the Port of Waterford used to have no less than 60 ships in it at the same time. It is regrettable that, over the years, the situation has changed so that to-day it is almost a matter for celebration or wonder that there is a ship at all in the Port of Waterford. However, things are changing. The developments which are taking place will, I believe, prove beneficial to the Port of Waterford. I have in mind, in particular, the export of beef—frozen beef, chilled beef, beef in cans and in other forms rather than beef on the hoof. At one time Waterford had a big export of beef on the hoof.
Now, I believe, it is coming back to its own and that it will have that particular type of trade in the future. Similarly, Waterford used to have large imports of coal. During the years that industry, also, was knocked on the head. There have been further developments, and I believe that, as a result of the policy of the development of Irish industry of every description, Waterford Port—if it has the backing of the Waterford Harbour Commissioners, the local authorities and so forth; certainly it has the backing of the Government—will develop, and will once more be in a condition similar to that in which it was 60 to 100 years ago.
I look forward to the time when we will have for export from this country goods which were imported for a considerable number of years. Developments have been taking place, as a result of which goods are now being exported from this country which were being imported for practically the past 100 years. I look forward to the day when, instead of importing coal, we shall have a development whereby the Port of Waterford and other ports will be busy with the export of turf from this country. That may seem to be an exaggeration to-day, but I do not believe it is. I hope the day will come when everything that can possibly be manufactured on a surplus basis in this country will be exported and that the exports will take place not only through Dublin, but also through Waterford, Cork, Galway, Sligo and so forth.
Senator Stanford started something when he said that there was no representative of Waterford in the Seanad. The place seems to be alive with Waterford men. I happen to be a Waterford man, too, and there are a few more sitting behind me. It is hardly necessary to point out that in the Seanad we do not have direct representation of cities and places because the Seanad is a vocational body.
I am sure the people of Waterford will be very pleased to hear that so much interest was taken in this Bill to-day. Long ago, when I lived in Waterford, the port used to be alive with shipping. Every evening ships could be seen coming into and going out of the harbour. I hope that as a result of the steps now being taken by the Government under this Bill we shall see Waterford harbour restored to that happy position.
I congratulate Senator Stanford for provoking this discussion. In matters relating to an agreed measure, we generally let things go through without any discussion. I suggest that the discussion started by Senator Stanford has done no harm.
One thing which I noticed very pointedly was that both Tipperary Senators—Senators Burke and Quirke —ignored his statement that the cause of the trouble to the Waterford people was the mud which came down from Tipperary. We complain a lot of the fact, which is true, that Dublin is top heavy in relation to the rest of the country. I think it should be the policy of any Government to develop our harbours, in whatever part of the country they are, to encourage trade to come to them and go out from them. That would probably help to keep people in occupations and make them reasonably satisfied to stay in their particular part of the country. It is very easy to tell people to stay at home, but I suggest that one of the ways to keep them at home is by creating work and by encouraging trade into our various harbours. We have some of the finest harbours in the world if they were developed. I congratulate Senator Stanford for provoking this discussion which, I think, has been very helpful.
This is an agreed measure. Not only is it an agreed measure but it was specifically requested by the Harbour Commissioners in Waterford, who are representative of Waterford Corporation, Chamber of Commerce, the Minister for Industry and Commerce, the Federation of Irish Manufacturers and Live Stock, Labour and fishing interests. Thus, it can truly be said to be an agreed measure.
Senator Stanford, who spoke first, connected the Bill largely with decentralisation. It, in fact, arises out of a specific instance of decentralisation in industry. There is an extensive cardboard factory in the course of erection by the National Board and Paper Mills at Grannagh, County Kilkenny, which is outside the present limitation of the jurisdiction of the Waterford Harbour Commissioners. The commissioners desired to bring the landing piers for that site within their jurisdiction, and made application for this Order. The Order is entitled as contained in the schedule to the Bill— Waterford (Extension of Harbour Limits) Harbour Works Order, 1951. Under the provision of Section 135, sub-section (1) of the Harbours Acts, 1946, the Order requires implementation by the Oireachtas before it has any effect. The limits of the area of the jurisdiction of the Harbour Commissioners are being extended to the extent of about three miles along the landward side of the River Suir. It takes in an area which, at the present time, extends beyond the site of this proposed new factory, but it will facilitate the commissioners, in the event of further industrial development along this area, to erect buoys, do the necessary dredging and in return therefor to collect the requisite dues that will come in from the shipping interests coming there.
I do not think there is anything else I need add at this stage except to say that I am glad Senator MacFadden did not stand up and lay claim to be a Waterford man; otherwise we would have had to travel a lot of country before we got this Bill through the House.
On a point of order, may I inquire if it is not usual to give such information as we have just been given in introducing a Bill rather than at the end? Further, I must say I reserve the right—and I am sure every other Senator reserves the right—to speak on a private Bill if he wishes so to do. It seems to me that this policy of having an agreed measure upon which nothing will be said is a most dangerous policy, and I personally will oppose it.
The proper method, in my opinion, of answering the questions raised by Senator Stanford is through the Committee on Procedure and Privileges. That has always been the practice, and I would dislike if that practice were departed from now.
Is the House asked to pass a Bill of this kind without any preliminary information simply because the committees have acted on it? It is an important Bill. It strikes me as a very odd procedure, to say the least of it.
Question put and agreed to.
Ordered: That the Bill be returned to the Dáil.