§ Mr. SHEEHANasked the Vice-President of the Department of Agriculture (Ireland) whether he is aware that since the commencement of the dispute between the Creamery Managers' Association and the Department regarding the appointment of a Mr. Carroll as creamery instructor, the Department have endeavoured in several ways to boycott the creameries which have refused to send butter to the surprise competitions, namely, by refusing to supply specifications for buildings or machinery to creameries not participating in their scheme, by refusing to give any technical instruction whatever to creameries not entered for registration, and by not allowing creameries not entered for registration and inspection to take part in the butter exhibitions at grocers' and industrial shows; and whether he will say what action he proposes to take?
The HON. MEMBERfurther asked the Vice-President of the Department whether his attention has been called to the fact that the Department refused to permit creameries not entered for their surprise competitions to exhibit at their stand at the recent exhibition of the Belfast Industrial Development Association; and,: considering that margarine, bacon, jam, and other manufacturers not receiving any technical advice from the Department were allowed to exhibit, and that butter-blending factories, egg merchants, and others have been canvassed from time to time by the Department to exhibit their goods at grocers' exhibitions in Great Britain under the auspices of the Department, will he state why the Department laid down conditions which debarred the vast majority of the creameries from exhibiting at the exhibition referred to?
§ Mr. T. W. RUSSELLI will answer both these questions together. It is incorrect to state that the Department have boycotted any creameries. The truth is that an association of some creamery managers have endeavoured to boycott the Department, presumably because of the appointment of an instructor who was not a member of their own body. The managers or proprietors of a certain number of creameries have been influenced by this association to refuse to send exhibits to the surprise butter competitions, which constitute a very important portion of the Department's scheme for the improvement of creameries. The Department could not accept any responsibility for the improve- 2271W ment of the produce or the management of creameries of which the proprietors or managers are not prepared to avail themselves of the advantages offered by the Department and to conform to the regulations under the scheme for the improvement of their industry. In these circumstances the Department have decided that it would not be advisable to exhibit at their produce shows butter from such creameries.