The aim of Fine Gael in this election is to secure a mandate from the people to form a Fine Gael government. If the people entrust us with that authority, the objectives of our policy will be to secure for all our people in a united Ireland a @ standard of living with equal opportunity for all to use their talents for the betterment of themselves our common country. To this end, our first objective must be to provide our people with an opportunity of earning a secure livelihood in their own land, whether they live in town, city or country. It is all too easy to promise the sun, moon and stars to the electorate, but we believe performance to be more important than promises. We will engage in no contest of promises, but we gladly invite comparison between our record of performnace and that of our opponents. Our record entitles us to seek the votes of the people to invest us with authority to get thsi country moving agian on the right road to prosperity and security in which every section of our people will have thier fair share. The policy we now offer the country is the well considered programme of men and women who have always sought to put the interests of the country before those of the party. We rely on policy rather than personalities to secure the support of our people. Policy and the men to give effect to it are what matter most at this critical time. Fine Gael has both and confidently looks to the people to give Fine Gael the authority to form the government after this election. Grave matters will require negotiations on behalf of our people in the new economic climate of the Common Market world. Fine Gael has a good record in all the negotiations it has undertaken heretofore. It can be trusted to maintain that record.  1. Agriculture. 1. A Fine Gael government will negotaite with the British Government to @ and expand the market for Irish agricultural @ in Britain. At the same time, negotiations will be @ to @ that Irish farmers will be able to sell their @@ in all other avaiable markets. 2. @@ will be established to sell all the increased @ of the @ @ prices profitable to the farmer. 3. Fine Gael will establish a National Agricultural Advisory Service for farmers. This Advisory Service will be based on Parish @ and the present Advisory Services of the County Committees of Agriculture in co-operation with the Agriculture Institute. Fine Gael believes that the income of farmers can be doubled through teh @ and proper use of such an Advisory Service. 4. Interest free loans to farmers of sums ranging up to 1000 will be made avaiable for schemes of increased production planned in conjunction with the Advisory Service. Other credit facilities for farmers will be provcided to help farmers to derise the maximum benefit from Fine Gael’s comprehensive programme for agricultural expansion. 5. the eradication of @@ will be completed the shortest possible @. 6. Fine Gaelwill press forward the @ Testing in order to improve all classes of livestock. 7. the use of Phosphate, Lime and Potash on @@@ will be expanded. At the same time on adequate @@@ of the land will be got under way. 8. Part D of the Land Project, closed down by the Fianna Fail governmnent will be revived. 9. farmers will be provided with dwellinghouses by the @@ Commission. The cost of providing dwellinghouses will be @@ to the Land Annuity as was done under the Land Project.  2. Land commission. The effectiviness and functioning of the Land Commission will be completley reviewed. The policy of the Land Commission will @@ in the light of the needs of the present time. Apart from ant changes that may be made after the review of the Land Commission has been carried out. Fine Gael will make the following changes immediately:  1. the minumum size of holdings to be alloted by the Land Commission will be increased. 2. Fine Gael will start a scheme to provide farms for young farmers which can be leased for a period of years at an annual rent. In this way the young farmers will be able to use their @ and credit in providing stock equipment etc. 3. Foreigners buying agricultural land will be required to @ their purchases with the Land Commission. Fine Gael will keep the purchase of agricultural land by foreigners @ review and will, through the system of registratin of purchase be able to take appropiate steps to deal with the problem should be necessily arise. 4. The Land Commission will be given the task of providing dwelling houses for farmers.  3. Drainage. 1. The drainage of main rivers will be intensified. 2. The Local Authorities (Works) Act, 1949, under which the smaller necessary schemes of drainage can be carried out by the Country Court and City Coroprations will be brought into operation agian.  4. Industry and Trade. 1. In the event of Ireland joining the Common Market Fine Gael undertakes to safeguard and protect the interests of industrial workers and those who have invested their money in Irish Industry. 2. Fine Gael will encourage Private Enterprise by tax and fiscal policies appropiate to modern conditions. 3. Fine Gael will intensify th efforts to establish home industries- especially those based on Irish raw materials- which already have access to export markets. Existing grants, loan facilities and concessions will be continued. 4. Fine Gael, believing in the right of Irish men and women, earn their livelihood in Ireland, will strive to provide employment for all, and industrial development will be directed towards this end. Fine Gael will make arrangements for the granting of loans @ specially low rate of interest, for approved projects which will provide permanent employement at good wages for our people.  5. Industrial relations. Fine Gael accept as basic that good industrial relations are essential to economic progress that such relations are best achieved through direct negotiations (conducted in a spirit of mutual confidence) between the Trade Unions and employers. A Fine Gael government will encourage and foster the development and maintenance of good industrial relations, and will introduce legislation that may be necessary to give statutory effect to proposals agreed betweeb employers and employees.  6. Finance. 1. Under a Fine Gael government there will be no further taxation of the necessaries of life. A balanced budget will be achieved by increasing the national income and by securing a permanent expansion of the country’s economy. 2. Fine Gael will review the present method of Taxation with a view to its reform and to removing, as far as possible the inequities and anomalies of the system. In this review, @ consideration will be given to reports of the Income Tax Commission, established by Mr Gerard Sweetman, T.D., when Minister for Finance.  7. Education. 1. Fine Gael believes that the present methods of reviving Irish have not been succesful and that in the interests of the Irish @ a change must be made. Fine Gael will seek to revive @ on the basis of @@@@. 2. Fine Gael will end the teaching of children in infant classes @@, where Irish is not the language spoken in the children’s homes. Irish will, of course, be taught to all children in National, Secondary and @@ in the same way as any other essential subject. 3. Appointments to professional and technical positions in the Public Service will no longer be dependent on an Irish Test. 4. The test in Irish required by statute for certain professional qualifications will be dropped. 5. Boys and girls sitting for the Leaving Certificate will get their certificates for the subjects in which they pass, they will no longer be deprived of their certificates because of future to pass in Irish. 8. Fine Gael will provide, @ a national basis, special facilities and specially trained teachers for retarded and mental handicapped children. 9. Fine Gael will introduce a system of State scholarships which will enable every child capable of benefiting from further education to proceed from the national school right through to the @@ of the financial circumstances of the child’s parents. More scholarships of higher value will be provided under a Fine Gael governmnent. A proportion of such scholarships will be assiociated with @ in Irish as part of the porogramme of inducement to revive Irish. 8. Fine Gael will press ahead with a school building programme for national schools in order to climinate over-crowding in classes. Sufficient teachers to staff the schools in the new conditions will be provided.  8. Health. Fine Gael will carry out a complete re-organisation of the Health Services and introduce a new comprehensive Health Service based on insurance. The new comprehensive Health Service will @ the following main @: 1. the present @ Means Test and the Blue Card system will be abolished. 2. Those unable to provide for themselves, for example Old Age pensioners, persons receiving Widow’s pension. Unemployment benefit or unemployment assistance, Home Assistance, small farmers, and such like, wil be provided with all services, medical, surgical and hospital and drugs and medicines, free of charge and without contribution. 3. A free medical service based on the familiy doctor will be extended to all persons within the scheme. A free choice of doctor, free of charge, will, where possible, be provided. 4. Free hospital and specialist services will be provided for all patients within the scheme. 5. Drugs and medicines, at substantially reduced prices, will be provided for those who do not het them free. 2. Fine Gael will provide generous grants to Bodies engaged in Cancer research, to hasten the discovery of a cure for cancer. 3. Fine Gael will provide increased State aid for the prevention of early diagnosis, treatment and cure of cancer, and provide, free of charge, the best medical tretament, drugs and care.  9. Social welfare. 1. Fine Gael’s aim is to expand existing Social Welfare benefits as our resources will allow, and forthwith Fine Gael will take immediate steps to initiate a scheme of retirement pensions for perosn not entitled to Old age Pensions or pensions from their employers. It is entended that such s scheme would operate along the lines of the Voluntary Health Insurance Scheme, and he open also to persons wishing to supplement any pensions they may be entitled @ to but which might not be adequate. 2. Fine Gael will also take immediate steps to initiate a voluntary scheme of widows and orphans provisions of existing legislation.  10. Local government. Fine Gael will reduce the burden of rates. 1. by the re-organisation of the present Health Services which they propose to undertake, and (b) by giving to County Councils and Corporations a wider discretion to use the Road Grants in the way they think best in the interest of the ratepayers. 2. Grants will be provided for the repair of all roads which are not at present the responsibility of a County Council. Such roads, when properly repaired, will become the responsibility of the County Council for the future, whose duty it will be to keep them in a proper state of repair. 3. Fine Gael will introduce legilslation to provide exemption from Rates for seven years in respect of the increase in the rateable valuation consequent upon improvement of houses and business premises. 4. Fine Gael will introduce a scheme to enable the owners of vested Council houses to get, in addition to grants at present available, a loan from the Council to improve or renovate their houses. These loans will be charged on the houses and will be repayable over a long period.  11. FOREIGN POLICY. The Foreign Policy of a Fine Gael government will be based upon the defence of freedom at home and abroad against the imperialist aggression of atheistic international Communism.  12. PARTITION. Fine Gael believes that a united Ireland can and will, ultimately be achieved on the basis of full respect for the rights of all sections of the communitys irrespective of their religion or political beliefs. Fine Gael believes that the welfare of the people of Ireland depends on the friendly co-operation of North and South and that co-operation can and should be continually fostered. Fine Gael will establish in the Taoiseach's Department a special section devoted to hastening the end of Partition. Adequate finances will be provided to encourage developments which would remove or reduce present barriers to co-operation @ eliminate misunderstanding land foster friendly and harmonious relationships with our separated countrymen in the North.  13. Seanad Eireann. Fine Gael believes that the Senate can make a more valuable and @@@@ the laws of the state than it is being allowed to make. With this end in view Fine Gael will @ the majority recommendations of the Senate Electoral Commission, whose principal recommendations was that @ representation in the senate should be given to the @ vocational groups in the senate.  14. Forestry. Fine Gael will press ahead with the expanded forestry programme begun the Inter Party Government. 2. Fine Gael will establsih an organisation to market effeiceintly the product of Irish forestry. 3. A Game Board, similar to the highly successful Ireland Fisheries Trust established by the Inter Party Government, will be established. The Board will be given the job of preserving and expanding existing stocks of game and developing this natural @@ both @ the benefit of Irish @ and as a tourist attraction. Ll?  15. Fisheries. 1. Fine Gael will expand and develop the boat-owning fishermen of our sea coast. 2. All necessary credit facilities for boats and gear will be made available for the further expansion anal development of the industry. 3. Fine Gael will press forward with research into the marketing and processing of fish in consultation with fishermen. 4. Fine Gael will provide up-to-date and safe anchorage and landing facilities for fishermen. 5. To meet the needs of a progressive fishing industry Fine Gael will expand the boat building industry.  16. Tourism. 1. Fine Gael will intensify the development and expansion of the tourist industry by grants interest free loans, and the provision of adequate credit facilities. Special attention will be given to the needs of the smaller hotel and guest houses. 2. Fine Gael will expand and develop the activities of the Ireland Fisheries Trust in the improvement of trout and @ fishing.  17. LICENSING LAWS. Fine Gael will, as a matter of urgency, review the Licensing Laws, with a view in particular to rearranging the opening hours on Sundays, and with special reference to the requirements of holiday resorts.  18. GROUND RENTS. Fine Gael will introduce legislation to enable all persons paying Ground Rents to buy out their ground rents on terms fair to them and to the ground landlords.  19. DEFENCE. 1. Fine Gael will undertake a review of the present administration of the Defence Forces, and will make any changes that may be considered necessary and desirable and thereby ensure confidence in and contentment within the Defence Forces. 2. Fine Gael will establish a code of reguations to govern promotion in commissioned and N.C.O. ranks. 3. The operation of the Military Service Pensions Acts of 1924, 1934 and 1949 will be reviewed, and amended where necessary. 4. The Army Pensions Acts will be reviewed, co-ordinated and amended in favour of our of the widows and dependent children of officers, N.C.O.’s and men. A review will also be made of present pensions and allowances in respect of wounds and disease contracted on service. 5. The Means Test for Special Allowances will also be re-examined.  20. LAW REFORM. Fine Gael will press ahead with Law Reform initiated by the Inter Party government with a view to bringing the law more into line with present day requirents in Ireland and in co-operation with the Judiciary to reduce the cost of litigation in our Courts by the elimination of unnecessary and costly procedures.  21. ADMINISTRATION. Fine Gael will reduce the number of Ministers by at least two by re-arranging, and where necessary amalgamating, the functions of existing Departments of State.