It affords me special pleasure to say a few words in support of this Bill. I represent an area that has benefited considerably from the development of our peat resources, an area that looks forward with confidence to the future. This barren land is now a hive of activity, the hum of machinery and the talk of the working gangs replace the silence of the past and have converted an area that was desolate and waste into an area that will be of some use to the nation. Our people from that district heretofore went to England, and now I am looking forward to some change so that those people will get work at home in their own areas and play their part in this revolutionary change which will benefit the Irish nation.
In addition to the work provided in that area I see that we can now hope to make some use of the land; when it is reclaimed it will be a source of profit to the nation. I am pleased to hear that the production of milled peat has now passed beyond the experimental stages and that its future is assured. On behalf of the people of North Mayo, I congratulate the Minister on the work he has done and on the foresight and courage he has displayed in the development of our bogs and peat resources. In addition, the land from which the peat is taken will, I am sure, be capable of reclamation and of productive use for the nation. The pioneers of this work are definitely entitled to anything they are getting or any benefit which they may derive under this Bill. I know that there will be no difficulty in getting plenty of workers, now that they are assured of houses. The provision of suitable housing accommodation will mean that we shall get contented workers in the various turf areas. Once we provide the houses we shall have no trouble in getting workers.
I regret to hear that measures have had to be taken to compel certain people to use native fuel. It is hard to understand, why, in present circumstances, imported fuel should be used by anybody, especially in an area such as North Mayo where an abundance of native fuel is available. It is not unreasonable to expect that people should co-operate in the policy of using native fuel wherever possible. I was therefore pleased to hear the Minister say that he would insist upon native fuel being used.
During the debate last week, I heard Deputy Blowick, one of the Deputies for South Mayo, complain that in North Mayo a considerable quantity of turf had not been taken over by Bord na Móna and that it had been left on the producer's hands. I am pleased to be able to tell the House that, so far as North Mayo is concerned, all the hand-won turf from last year's crop has now been taken over and that no surplus turf in the area has been left on the producer's hands. That is certainly a matter for which we should be grateful.The area I represent is one in which a very considerable quantity of turf is produced annually. Our fuel resources are virtually the only natural resources on which a large number of our people have to rely and I am pleased to know that all the hand-won turf available for sale in North Mayo has now been purchased.
I should like to ask the Minister if he would consider the question of paying a subsidy of so much per ton for the carriage of turf from outlying districts in my constituency, especially from areas such as the parish of Aughoose and Doohoma. These districts are approximately 40 miles from a railway station and if a subsidy were made available there would be plenty of hand-won turf produced there. In these areas, the only work available is that of producing hand-won turf, that is turf cut by the ordinary sleán. I feel that the people in these areas are as well entitled to get a subsidy as people who are sending beet to Tuam or elsewhere. There is no hope of growing beet in this area. It is a poor, desolate area, in which practically no other work is available and if work is not provided for the people on the bogs, there is no prospect open to them except to trek across to a foreign country. I would make a special appeal to the Minister, now that the market for hand-won turf is being developed, that he might consider the possibility of giving a special subsidy for the carriage of turf from North Mayo, especially from those areas which are 40 or 50 miles distant from a railway station. As I say, I think we are as much entitled to such a subsidy as the people who are sending beet along to Tuam or elsewhere.
I have heard some lamentations to the effect that our people will not work in the bogs. I can assure the Minister that, so far as North Mayo is concerned, the migratory labourers there will be only too happy to work in the bogs, now that they are assured of a market for the turf which they produce. If they are assured of work for two, three or four months in the year, they will be delighted to remain at home and will have no desire to cross the water in search of work. The presentdevelopment of turbary in the area means that the people are guaranteed definite work for the season and there will be no trouble in getting plenty of labour in this area in the future. People there are hoping that they will be employed full-time and thus avoid the necessity of having to trek across to foreign lands. In conclusion, I wish again to thank the Minister for his foresight and courage in attempting to develop our fuel resources to the full and I can assure him that the people of the area I represent will avail to the utmost of the work which is now provided for them. It is the only work they have and I again thank the Minister for the steps he has taken to ensure that such resources will be utilised to their fullest extent.