§ 6. Mr. WATERSONasked the Chief Secretary whether he can give any information as to the procedure adopted by the military authority in Ireland when orders are issued for the closing down of a creamery; how much notice is given to those responsible for the creamery; whether any opportunity is given to dispose of the perishable stocks of foodstuffs; and what arrangements are made by the authorities for the utilisation of the milk which farmers cannot dispose of owing to the closing down of such creameries?
§ Sir H. GREENWOODThe reasons for the closing down of a creamery and the duration of the restriction are notified by the Military Governor by Proclamation or through the Press. The Commander-in-Chief informs me that usually the creamery manager is handed a copy of the Proclamation, and that the length of notice given varies from one to four days at the Military Governor's discretion. It is not possible in such cases 2315 to make arrangements of the kind suggested in the last part of the question.
§ Mr. WATERSONIs the right hon. Gentleman aware that in some cases when notice has been handed to a creamery to close on a certain date, that the closing order has been applied two or three days before the date fixed. Will he answer the last part of my question, as to what steps are being taken by the authorities for utilising the milk which farmers cannot dispose of to the creameries?
§ Sir H. GREENWOODNo steps.
§ Mr. WATERSONAre we to take it that in the case where a particular creamery is closed down, 6,000 gallons of milk a day are wasted?
§ Sir H. GREENWOODNo, Sir. As a matter of fact, most creameries are not for the sale of milk at all, but are for the sale of milk products like butter and cheese, and the shutting down of the creamery is no hardship to the people of the locality so far as milk is concerned, although it is a hardship as far as the trade in products is concerned.
§ Mr. WATERSONBut is not the right hon. Gentleman well aware that before the products of the creamery can be realised, milk must be secured? Seeing that the creameries are closed down, what is he doing with the milk?
§ 8. Mr. WATERSONasked the Chief Secretary whether the Tournafulla Co-operative Creamery, Limited, Tournafulla, County Limerick, has been closed by an order of the military; whether the closure was carried out on the 12th, although the proclamation was dated 16th June; whether the military on the 19th instant took away practically all the essential books of the society; and what steps he proposes to take to prevent a recurrence of such proceedings, which fail to achieve their object and inflict hardship and injustice upon innocent persons?
§ Sir H. GREENWOODThe Commander-in-Chief informs me that the Tournafulla Co-operative Creamery was closed for 14 days by proclamation of the military governor dated 16th June, on account of road cutting in the neighbourhood. The local military authority, however, misinterpreted his orders and closed 2316 the premises four days before the date decided upon. He also had the books removed, but this was remedied as soon as possible and the books returned. I am informed that necessary steps have been taken to ensure that the orders of the military governor are in future more precisely transmitted.
§ 9. Mr. WATERSONasked the Chief Secretary whether he is aware that the Ballyclough co-operative creamery has been closed by an order of the military; whether the Ballyclough Co-operative Society has been warned by a military officer that the creamery would be continued to be closed for a month unless the society cleared the roads; whether in the same district Messrs. Cleeve's proprietary creamery has been allowed to remain open; and on what grounds the distinction is made between a co-operative creamery and a proprietary creamery?
§ Sir H. GREENWOODI am informed by the Commander-in-Chief that Ballyclough co-operative creamery was closed for 14 days from 16th May by order of the Military Governor as a punishment to the inhabitants for allowing malicious damage to roads and failure to repair these roads voluntarily. A warning was embodied in the Proclamation to the effect that the question of extending the period of restriction would depend upon the compliance or other of the inhabitants in keeping the roads in their locality in a serviceable condition. As has already been stated it was laid down that not more than three creameries in any one area were to be closed at one time. In this instance these creameries were selected which were in each case close to where roads had been trenched or blocked. The fact that the creameries were proprietary or co-operative did not in any way affect the selection.
§ Mr. WATERSONIs the right hon. Gentleman aware of the fact that this proprietary creamery is within a distance of 400 yards of the co-operative creamery? How can the right hon. Gentleman expect the managers of creameries and their staffs to maintain roads when according to the law as applied in Ireland it is an illegal practice to possess the necessary arms in order to protect themselves? Seeing that these roads have been in many cases cut up by the armed forces 2317 of the Crown, does not the right hon. Gentleman regard the closing down of the creameries as a severe injustice?
§ Mr. DEVLINThat is why he does it.
§ Mr. NEIL MACLEANThe right hon. Gentleman states that he closes down the creameries in order to punish the inhabitants of the district. Will he not bear in mind the fact that in punishing the inhabitants he is also punishing the people of this country by preventing them receiving the food products which they would otherwise get from these creameries?
§ Mr. DEVLINThe right hon. Gentleman does not care about that.