§ Mr. GINNELLasked the Vice-President of the Department of Agriculture (Ireland) if he will say what steps the Department has taken, and with what results, to extend the area under tillage throughout Ireland; if the Department has taken any steps corresponding to those in progress in England for availing of the present opportunity for industrial development, will he say in what places and what industries; and, in view of the scarcity of labour for these purposes, what steps the Department is taking to cheek the outflow of young and healthy people from Ireland?
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§ Mr. T. W. RUSSELLThe Department have, from the beginning of the present crisis, taken all practicable steps to bring, under the notice of farmers throughout the country the vital importance of a large development of catch-cropping and tillage, with a view to increasing food supplies. By means of a widely distributed series of special leaflets on various aspects of the subject, through the agency of agricultural instructors in each county, by means of the Press and in other ways, the Department have taken action and will continue to do so. At a meeting of the Council of Agriculture specially convened by the Department to deal with this question, a resolution was unanimously passed endorsing the action taken by the Department and urging upon farmers the necessity for a largely increased area under tillage and requesting the County Committees of Agriculture to adopt every means to promote the proposed measures among farmers and labourers. The Department also communicated with the County Committees with a view to having the subject fully discussed at their autumn meetings, at which inspectors and instructors of the Department-attended. In addition the Department have distributed in very large numbers a pamphlet entitled: "The War and Ireland's Food Supply" to all agricultural instructors and overseers (for circulation amongst farmers), to all seed retailers in the country, and to others likely to be in a position to assist. From special inquiries, the substance of which the hon. Member may have seen in a recent letter addressed by me to the Press, the Department have received gratifying proof that as a result of these efforts, the area under catch-crops has very materially increased in practically every county in Ireland.
In regard to the question of the development of industries, I would refer the hon. Member to my reply to him of the 10th of September last. The Department have continued to give close attention to this subject, by means of special inquiries in England, and in other ways, with a view to utilising as far as possible the present situation for the development in Ireland 339W of suitable industries. The Department's legal powers, however, in regard to industries are confined to the supplying of technical instruction and advice for the assistance of the promoters, and the furnishing, in approved cases, of the means of training skilled hands.