VERSIE FLORIEN  THE ISSUES OF THIS ELECTION.  A General Election now is essential if a protracted period of political uncertainty and instability is to be avoided. The months and years immediately ahead will be of crucial importance for the whole future of Ireland. The decisions to be taken by the Government in the next few months could irrevocably change the whole course of future history. In these circumstances the Government must have, and must be seen to have, a clear and unmistakable mandate to speak and act for the Irish people. The importance of having a strong and effective Government has been amply demonstrated in the past few years. During that period unprecedented problems confronted the Irish people and Government, but they were dealt with calmly and resolutely. In the international sphere, the Fianna Fail Government under Jack Lynch successfully negotiated EEC entry terms which provided the most favourable opportunities in our history for economic and social advancement.  In relation to Northern Ireland the Government pursued the only sane policy which can bring about a true reconciliation of the communities, and a lasting peace with justice for all. The new Government after this election, in its appraisal of the British White Paper, will need the full support of the people to deal firmly with the new situation as it develops. Only a united Fianna Fail Government under Jack Lynch, vigorously and resolutely pursuing policies endorsed by the voters in all these crucial areas, can provide the leadership which will be essential. In this election Jack Lynch is asking the Irish people for a clear and decisive mandate.  Coalition.  In this election the people are now offered - as the only alternative to Fianna Fail - a totally unreal Coalition between Fine Gael and Labour. These two Parties have nothing whatever in common. Fine Gael is a largely conservative Party, while the Labour Party includes amongst its members a number of people of extreme left-wing Socialist views. As recently as last year these two Parties went to the country on different sides during the EEC Referendum, while in the Dail they were in violent dispute on several occasions during debates on legislation to deal with subversive organisations. Many Fine Gael T.D.'s represent strong farming areas. What are they going to say now to their supporters, who see them in alliance with Socialist elements who bitterly opposed our entry to the EEC? Any Coalition Government would be in a very weak position in dealing with EEC matters, in view of the known hostility of Labour to our entry. Ireland stands to benefit greatly from its membership of the EEC, and the voters will hardly wish to risk all this through support for a divided Coalition Government. The two previous Coalitions were utterly disastrous, leaving the country almost in bankruptcy. It was for this reason that the present leader of the Labour Party, Deputy Corish, said that should his Party ever decide on a Coalition with Fine Gael he would resign from the leadership, and retire to the back benches. For the past 16 years Fine Gael and Labour refused to have anything to do with a new Coalition. Now, overnight, they have agreed to form one. The voters will have little difficulty in deciding that this is merely an election gimmick.  Votes at Eighteen.  It takes many months to prepare the Voters' Register and this complicated work could not be ready in time for the General Election. Before dissolving the Dail the Taoiseach sought advice as to whether there was any way in which the vote could be given to the 18-year-olds, but was told that there was not. We regret this, but remember, it was Fianna Fail who put through the Referendum giving the vote to 18-year-olds. It was the members of Fianna Fail throughout the country who canvassed, put up posters, addressed public meetings in favour of the proposal. Very few of those (young and old) who now complain about 18-yearolds not being able to vote, did anything at all during the Referendum to help them get the right to vote in the first place. In these difficult and dangerous times, it would have been very unwise to postpone the Election until the new Register was ready on April 15th next.  Crime Rate: There has been a significant drop in the crime rate in Dublin in the last six months. Provisional figures drown up by the Gardai show that the crime rate has fallen by about one sixth in the six months from June to December, 1972, compared with the same period in 1971. There can be no doubt that the efforts of the Gardai have helped to reverse the upward trend in the crime rate which, this country, like every other country in Western Europe, has been experiencing.  Health Service.  Under the Health Acts, 1947 to 1970, a fully comprehensive Health Service is available to persons in the louver income group, free of charge on the basis of a Medical Card which entitles the holder to :  (1) A general medical practitioners service with choice of Doctor.  (2 ) A Maternity Care Service, including a supply of milk and a dish Grunt.  (3) Hospital and Specialist Services.  (4) Prescribed drugs, medicines and appliances available from retail pharmacists.  (5) Dental, ophthalmic and aural services.  (6) Limited travelling facilities for parents with children confined to hospitals for a long time.  Persons in the middle income group - those insured under the Social Welfare Acts (including voluntary contributors), persons who are not insured with a yearly means of less than 1,600, and farmers with a valuation under £60 qualify for in-patient and out-patient hospital services, a free Maternity Care Service, and assistance towards the cost of prescriptions. Persons in these groups are obliged to make an annual contribution of £7, towards the cost of these services. In all, 90% approximately of the total population qualify for full hospital in-patient and out-patient services.  Agricultural.  1972 is a good year for farmers. Total value of farm Output increased to a record provisionally estimated at £460,000,000, £70,000,000 rare than in 1971. The volume of output of cattle, milk end pigs all reached record levels. The major increase in the value of output was in cattle. The increase in output its much higher than the, rise in farm in costs with the result that farm income should be up by more then £50,000,000 in 1972. Farmers have reinvested a significant curt of thin income in increased breeding stock thereby laying the basis for greater prosperity in future years. Farmers will continue to reap the benefits of EEC membership. In the years ahead form exports all continue to grow substantially, both in volume and in value. This turn will help to generate economic growth throughout the economy and will mean more in rural Ireland.  STABILITY.  Fianna Fail aims to progress with stability. Without stability, no progress is possible. Fianna Fail therefore intends to see that private illegal organisations are not permitted to usurp the functions which the people have entrusted to the Government elected by them. Fianna Fail believes it has, and hopes to renew, its mandate to plan for the unity of Ireland based on the consent of all Irishmen. It will not permit illegal organisations to frustrate this objective.  The Gardai Siochana: The number of men in the Force has been steadily increasing since the recent recruitment campaign started. By March 1973, there will be 7,700 in the Force the largest number ever. This will represent an increase of 1,100 in less than two years, and is over and above recruitment to replace normal wastage such as retirement.  In Dublin at present, the Gardai strength stands at 29570. This is the largest number ever on duty in the City, and is an increase of nearly 800 in the last twelve months. There are also more patrol cars, motor cycles and vans at the disposal of the Gardai in Dublin, then ever before. @ all @ radio equipped. Walkietalkie sets are, also being used more extensively by men on the ground. A number of other developments are also taking place which will lead to better administration and efficiency. A special Task Force has been set up in Dublin to deal with vandalism. One of the most modern Communications Centres of any Police Force in the world will soon be in operation in Dublin Castle. Construction work is almost completed and the new radio equipment will begin to be installed here next month. It should be full operational by Summer 1973. This new Centre will allow for a more speedy response to 999 calls from the public, end the more efficient use of police cars. Fianna Fail aims at progress with stability. Without stability, no progress is possible. Fianna Fail therefore intends to see that private illegal organisations are not permitted to usurp the functions which the people have entrusted to the Government elected by them. Fianna Fail believes it has, and hoses to renew, its mandate to plan for the unity of Ireland based on the consent of all Irishmen. It will not permit illegal organisations to frustrate this objective.  LABOUR RELATIONS .  The Department of Labour is pursuing an active manpower, policy with emphasis on she training and retraining of workers and the development of a National Information and Guidance and Placement Services for people looking for employment. It also provides information on the operation of the Redundancy and Resettlement Scheme and on careers for school leavers, a Manpower Forecasting Unit assists in analysing and predicting employment trends. An important objective is to promote good industrial relations and the Minister for Labour is responsible for legislation on Trade Union matters. He is also concerned with the safety, health and welfare of workers while, at their places of work Industrial Relations. The first National Agreement reached by the Employer /Labour Conference has been a great success. As a result the number of man days lost through Strikes in 1971 (293,770) was a major improvement on previous figures; compared with @@@@. Reform in our system of Company Law consequent upon our entering into the EEC will open up new opportunities worker participation in management decisions. Ireland has only two Unions with more than 20,000 members.. Given the number of small Unions and the low level of Union subscriptions, the ability of some of them to cope with the complex issue of the future must be open to doubt. The Trade Union Act of 1971, was designed to discourage the further fragmentation of the Trade Union movement. In the past, Union needed only to have seven members before being how, it will require at least 500 members. It is hoped that the reforms contained in the 1971 Act will discourage Trade Union rivalry in the future and will lay the basis for happier industrial relations between labour and management.  Social Services. It has been the policy of the Fianna Fail Government to pass on to all sections of the community the benefit of increased economic prosperity. For instance the Social Welfare Act, 1952 has been amended on 17 occasions since 1957, to allow for increased social benefits. The rates of the principal social assistance payments have been increased every, year since 1959, and the principal Social Insurance rates have been increased ten times in 1961, 1963, 1964, 1966, 1968 1969, twice in 1970, in 1971 and in 1972. Apart from the foregoing, Fianna Fail has introduced a whole range of new Social Services. New schemes introduced by Fianna Fail since 1957, include :  (1) Old Age Contributory Pension (1961).  (2) Occupational Injuries Insurance (1967).  (3) Free electricity for pensioners (1967).  (4) Free travel for pensioners (1967).  (5) Free Television Licences for pensioners (1968).  (6) Care increases for incapacitated pensioners (1968)  (7) Death Grant (1970).  (8) Deserted wives allowances, 1970,  (9) Old Age (Care.) Allowances, 1970  (10) Pay-related Benefits (1972)  Most of these schemes have been improved and extended since their introduction; however, new and dramatic improvements in our Social welfare system are expected and planned as a result of our entry into the EEC. Increased prosperity and the release of subsidies previously paid to agriculture will make possible improvements more dramatic than anything; we have seen in the past.  PRICES.  Prices have been rising here, as they have risen all over the world. In 1972, however, while still much too high, the rise in the cost of living in Ireland was less than in either 1970 or 1971. The trend, therefore, is in the right direction. But wages have been going up much faster than prices, so people are in fact much better off. Despite higher prices, workers' living standards have risen by about 20 per cent over the past four years - one of the fastest increases ever. Social Welfare benefits have on average gone up by over 60 per cent in the past four years, which is much more than the rise in prices. So it is not merely those in good jobs, but the poor also, who have gained. Farmers also have improved their living standards, as a result of better prices for farm produce under EEC conditions. In spite of rising consumer prices, therefore, every section of the community has been able to improve its standard of living during the past four years.  VAT.  The introduction of VAT has not caused any increase in prices. The latest report of the National Prices Commission (on which trade unions and housewives are represented) shows that there is no evidence of any rise in prices due to VAT. The tax is simply a change from one kind of tax to another, and the change has been made to bring us into line with other EEC countries.  A PRICE FREEZE?  A price freeze would not work here for two reasons. First, we have to import about 40% of all the things we buy, and we can't put a freeze on the prices charged us by other countries. Secondly, even for our own internal prices, it would be impossible to freeze these without also freezing wages. If wages were free to go up while prices were frozen, lots of firms would lose money and have to close down thus throwing thousands out of work.  WHAT CAN BE DONE?  A lot has been done already, and more will be done. The National Prices Commission was set up two years ago, and operates a strict price control to make sure that no unnecessary rises take place. The Employer/Labour Conference set up three years ago has negotiated two National Pay Agreements. Between them these two bodies have slowed down the rate at which prices and costs have been rising. This year should see a further improvement on last year's figures. Even with the recent jump in meat prices (due to a world-wide shortage of beef) it has been predicted that prices this year would rise by between 6% to 7%, as against over 8% in 1972. We should be able to get a much faster improvement in 1974, because by then EEC action should be helping to keep down import prices, and continued co-operation between trade unions, employers, housewives and Government will help a lot with our own prices and costs.  REDUNDANCY.  Two years ago the Government set up a new company call Fair Teoranta (Help Ltd.), which helps firms who have got into difficulties through higher prices and costs or for other reasons. Thousands of jobs have been saved in this way, because many firms would have closed down without the help of Fair Teoranta. But you cannot save every firm in every situation. There will always be factories that go bust. In those cases the best cure is to get new jobs quickly. The Industrial Development Authority do this, and since the EEC Referendum last year. The rate A which new jobs are being found has doubled. The effects of this faster inflow of new firms will be seen over the coming year. In the meantime Fianna Fail has acted to reduce unemployment. Last year almost £50 millions extra was allocated for housing schools, hospitals and so on, to give extra jobs. The result of all this can be seen in the fact that unemployment is now 4,000 lower than at this time last year and this in a time when there has been no emigration, so that there are more people around looking for work. There has been dramatic improvement in the emigration problem over recent years. During 1950's when things were bad emigration was running at over 40,000 per year, in the 1960's, when things improved, it trapped sharply. In 1961/66, the average emigration per year was 161000. By the period 1966/19711 this had fallen to 113000 per year. Last year there appears to have been no emigration, so for the first time since the Greet Famine, we appear to have brought emigration to a halt. The results of this are showing in the increasing population, which is now up to three millions and riming by about thirty thousand per year. The increase in population, particularly in the Dublin area has strained the capacity of the community to provide sufficient houses. There were few complaints of housing shortage in the mid Fifties when emigration was at its height end when vacant houses could be seen all over Dublin. But every effort must be made and is being made to meet the present demand for houses. In 1960 6,000 houses were being built in each year. By 1970, we were building 13,000 houses each year. Last year the figure was 18,000. This year it will be 20,000. These figures are all time records and are the result of a well planned build up which can be sustained. Housing shortages have already been wiped out in most areas. Even in Dublin, where there is always @ backlog because the population is growing all the time the uniting lists have been shortened dramatically, and there will be a further out in the waiting time for a house in the present year.