Edition Bobbett1. Texts by Elizabeth F. Bobbett: 1.1.3. Correspondence, Letters to newspapers
1939 Elizabeth Bobbett: Letter to the Kerryman, 23.12.1939
The Irish Farmers’ Federation. The Recent Strike
In your issue of the 9th instant there appeared a Leading Article on the Farmers’ Strike, and as this article seems to be written from the political point of view, I think in fairness to the farmers as a whole, I must ask you to kindly publish the enclosed letter which appeared in the Dundalk Democrat of 9th December, under the heading, “What Do The Farmers Want, Anyway?” This letter shows from the remarks and writings of prominent people, that all is not as it should be with the Agricultural Industry, and the writing is on the wall.
In your Leading Article you conclude by saying: “There is urgent need for a proper organisation of farmers that could examine all questions of common concern.” Your writer would seemingly ignore the fact that the Irish Farmers’ Federation is a Registered Trade Union, and draws no distinction between large or small farmers or any branch of farming, grass or tillage. We tried by every other means at our disposal to secure justice for our industry, and had no other alternative but to declare a general strike. When any other Trade Union declares a strike, the Government does not evoke the Emergency Powers Act to deal with the situation. The responsible Minister concerned always seeks an interview with the parties and endeavours to arrive at a satisfactory settlement.
There is at present a unique opportunity for the farmers of Eire to regain their lost export trade at satisfactory prices, and if we had a capable Minister for Agriculture who would do justice to his Department, he could use our Strike Demonstration as a very powerful weapon in securing remunerative prices on the export market. As regards price of milk and the difference between what is paid by the creameries and that given by the Dublin wholesalers that matter was amply dealt with in an article during the strike by Mr. Patrick Ryan, Secretary of the Leinster Milk Producers’ Association, and I know that the creamery suppliers in the South and West have no delusions over the matter.
Elizabeth F. Bobbett, General Secretary IFF. (We are at a loss to understand what Miss Bobbett means by our writing from the political angle. We have always stressed on farmers the necessity of rigidly excluding politics from their deliberations. The letter which Miss Bobbett asks us to reproduce from another paper is a lengthy anonymous production, which is now out of date. Editor.)