I move:
That the Customs Duties (Agricultural Machinery) (Provisional Imposition) Order, 1932, made by the Executive Council under Section 1 of the Customs Duties (Provisional Imposition) Act, 1931 (No. 38 of 1931), and a copy of which was laid on the Table of Dáil Eireann on the 20th day of April, 1932, be approved subject to the following modifications, that is to say—
(a) the deletion of the Schedule to the said Order:
(b) the reference in paragraph 3 of the said Order to the articles mentioned in the Schedule to the said Order shall be construed as a reference to the articles mentioned in the First Schedule to this Resolution, and the said paragraph 3 shall have effect accordingly;
(c) the parts of agricultural machinery specified in the Second Schedule to this Resolution shall be exempt from the duty imposed by the said Order;
(d) the duty imposed by the said Order shall not be chargeable on any component part of an agricultural machine which does not exceed five shillings in value;
(e) the Minister for Agriculture with the concurrence of the Minister for Industry and Commerce may issue a licence to import any grass mower, wheel rake, or swathe turner, and where a licence is so issued, the Revenue Commissioners may authorise the importation without payment of duty of any grass mower, wheel rake or swathe turner referred to in such licence or repay any duty paid thereon in pursuance of the said Order.
First Schedule.
Machines and component parts of machines of all descriptions (other than machines driven by an internal combustion engine incorporated in the machine) for use in cutting turnips, mangolds or other roots, but excluding machines for use in the combined process of cleaning and cutting roots.
Agricultural machinery (other than machinery designed and constructed for operation or haulage in operation by mechanical power) of any of the following descriptions, and component parts of any such machinery, that is to say—grass mowers (except lawn mowers), with or without reaping attachments, wheel rakes, tumbler rakes, swathe turners, hay tedders (excluding hay kickers), hay collectors (not exceeding 15ft. in width), hay carts or bogeys, horse drawn agricultural sprayers (excluding powder sprayers), chaff cutters, oil cake breakers, ploughs, spring tooth harrows and zig-zag harrows, one wheeled horse-drawn grubbers and hoes, corn drills, disc drill cleaners, beet lifters (excluding combined beet lifters and toppers), single and double turnip and mangold seed sowing machines, grass and clover seed barrows, horse drawn land rollers, potato diggers, manure distributors (excluding combined ridger and distributors).
Second Schedule.
Castings not machined, tines and helpers for spring tooth harrows and tines for swathe turners, coil springs, chains, steel fingers for grass mowers, steel bars and iron tubes which require a process of machining before being capable of use as parts of agricultural machinery, brass nozzles and rubber tubes for agricultural sprayers, spiral steel tubes, steel discs.
As Deputies are aware, when an Order is made under the Customs Duties (Provisional Imposition) Act imposing a duty, the Resolution has to be submitted to the Dáil within ten sitting days and approved of by the Dáil. Otherwise the duty ceases to have effect and any revenue secured under it has to be repaid. Within another period of ten sitting days a Bill must be submitted to the Dáil and must pass its Second Reading. In view of that, I suggest that it might not be desirable or necessary to discuss these Resolutions at length now. I shall explain the circumstances under which the Orders were made and the modifications in the duties which are now proposed, and any discussion which Deputies consider may be necessary could take place upon the Bill which will be introduced within ten sitting days from now.
The position concerning the Order made in respect of agricultural machinery was that certain information reached the Executive Council that some abnormal importations of agricultural machinery had taken place and that others were in contemplation. Consequently, an Order was made to prevent industrial injury being done, from the flooding of our market with foreign machinery, pending the consideration of the circumstances of this industry by the Department of Industry and Commerce. The examination of the circumstances of the industry took place in the meantime, with the result that we have now to submit to the Dáil a Resolution confirming the Order, with certain modifications. These modifications are set out in the Resolution circulated to Deputies. Certain classes of agricultural machinery are exempted from duty altogether. The Order originally applied to certain classes of agricultural machinery which are enumerated in the schedule. Certain classes there enumerated will not be subject to duty in the future. In addition, certain parts of agricultural machinery are also being exempted from duty. One of the matters in relation to the duty, which was raised here by Deputies, by way of question, was the necessity for permitting the importation of parts for foreign machines now in use here. We have considered that matter, and it is proposed here to modify the duty by excluding from its scope all parts for agricultural machines which do not exceed 5/- in value. Investigations that we have made show that that exemption will operate to exempt from duty 95 per cent. of the parts for the foreign agricultural machines referred to. In addition, as certain apprehensions have been aroused, it is proposed, in this year, to confer upon the Minister for Agriculture power to issue licences if, at any time, it appears to him that inconvenience will be caused through inability to procure any particular agricultural machine of home manufacture.
Normally, an Order of this kind should be imposed some months earlier than it was made so that the factories here would be in a position to build up stocks that would enable them to meet the requirements of the country in the first year. In this year, however, that is not possible, and, consequently, as some people are apparently of the opinion that the home factories may not be able to supply all our requirements in certain machines, it is proposed, where the necessity is proved, to give this power to the Minister for Agriculture of permitting the importation of parts for these machines under licence, free of duty.