§ 32. Mr. SCANLANasked the Chief Secretary for Ireland whether his attention has been called to the resolution passed at the last meeting of the Irish Council of Agriculture, on the Motion of the Vice-President of the Department of Agriculture (Ireland), to the effect that all shipments of potatoes from Ireland, unless such as may be authorised by licence from the Department, should cease; whether the Government have given effect to this, resolution by forbidding any further exportation of potatoes from Ireland; and, if not, will he say what are the intentions of the Government in regard to the condition created in Ireland by the partial failure of the potato crop, aggravated by continued exportation?
§ 42. Mr. HACKETTasked the Chief Secretary for Ireland whether he has received a resolution from Thurles Urban Council in reference to the price of potatoes; and if the Irish Government intend to take any steps to regulate the price of potatoes, which are the staple food of the poorer classes in towns in Ireland?
§ 48. Mr. CRUMLEYasked the Vice-President of the Department of Agriculture (Ireland) if the Board has issued an order prohibiting the exportation of potatoes from Ireland; and, if not, if he will say why it has not done so?
§ 50. Mr. DORISasked the Vice-President of the Department of Agriculture (Ireland) if he has received a resolution from Castlebar Urban Council emphatically protesting against the continued exportation of potatoes from Ireland, and calling upon the Department to put an embargo upon such exportation, as otherwise, owing to the partial failure of the crops, there will be an alarming shortage of the staple food of the people of the West of Ireland; and if he can state what action the Department intends to take on the subject?
§ Mr. DUKEThe exportation of potatoes from Ireland has not yet been at all abnormal. The resolutions referred to have been received and the Department of Agriculture is closely observing the prevailing conditions with a view to any action as to prohibition of export, or otherwise, which may become necessary.
§ Mr. SCANLANIs the right hon. and learned Gentleman aware of the 454 meeting of the Agricultural Association of Ireland at which his colleague proposed a resolution that there should be no exportation of potatoes from Ireland except under licence?
§ Mr. DUKEI am aware of the resolution, for I received a copy of it. Consideration of that resolution is comprised in the ground upon which my answer is founded.
§ Mr. DILLONIs the right hon. and learned Gentleman aware that while exportation is not abnormal, there is a shortage of over 1,000,000 tons, whereas the exportation is about 200,000 tons; therefore, there is a deficit of the supply of the poor people of Ireland?
§ Mr. DUKEThe question of the prohibition of export depends very much upon the districts and their relation to one another. The potato crop in some districts in Ireland from which potatoes have usually been exported is not, I am told, very seriously affected compared with other parts of the country, and the withholding, up to the present time, of any order for absolute prohibition of export is founded upon a desire to consider the relative interests of the various parts of the country.
§ Mr. SCANLANIs the proposition of the Vice-President of the Department of Agriculture accepted—is it a fact that potatoes can only be exported from Ireland under licence, or has the appointment or proposed appointment of a food dictator made a difference?
§ Mr. DUKEThese matters have been taken into account in considering the question; therefore I can add nothing to the answer I have given.
§ Mr. CRUMLEYWill the right hon. and learned Gentleman take into consideration the extraordinarily high price that the working man earning low wages in Ireland at the present time has to pay; that the poor depend solely for their food upon potatoes, which are at the present time 1s. 6d. and 1s. 8d. per stone, whereas in normal times they are only 6d.; and will he take steps to have the exportation stopped?