Edition Bobbett1. Texts by Elizabeth F. Bobbett: 1.1.3. Correspondence, Letters to newspapers
1940 Elizabeth Bobbett: Letter to the Farmers’ Gazette, 30.01.1940
Enforcing The Tillage Order
Dear Sir. The notice in the Daily Press of 23rd instant states that the Department of Agriculture’s statement says “the Minister cannot now tolerate further delay in cultivation of the prescribed area, and he has arranged for his officers, within the next week, to take possession of holdings the occupiers of which are not tilling the required area.” It also states that an amending order under the Emergency Powers (No. 12) Order, 1939 (Amendment) Order, 1940, made by the Government on 15th March is to ensure that in the event of the Minister taking possession of the lands of an occupier who is in arrears with the payment of his annuities or rates, the property of the Minister’s conacre tenants – their horses, implements and crops – shall not be liable to seizure in respect of those land annuities or rates.
It is of interest to recall the facts that on numerous occasions since 1937, the members of the Irish Farmers’ Federation, both by letter and on deputations, have always stressed the matter of seizures. We have pointed out to the Ministers for Agriculture, Lands, and Local Government that owing to the losses incurred in the economic war, many farmers, especially the small farmers in the mountain areas who depended on the sale of their young cattle as stores, had been depleted of stock and their lands were idle, being unfit, in most instances, for tillage. We have asked that where people reduced in such a way through no fault of their own, had their land idle and were in arrears with either rates or annuities, that if those people could let their land that the tenants’ stock would be safe from seizure, but to our requests the Minister’s reply was that legislation would be necessary, etc., etc. Now it is well known that for several years past there are thousands of acres in different counties that have had to lie derelict. I have even known a case in this county where the horses were seized out of the mowing machine. Can the farmers be blamed if their lands are bare? What provision has the Minister for Agriculture made to provide us with seeds and manures? We are told we can get loans up to £100 to buy agricultural machinery; but, on enquiries, we find such loans would not apply for the purchase of tractors. Also if a farmer is two years in arrears of annuities he need not apply for a loan as he won’t get it.
The burden of financing the farmers to purchase seeds has been thrown on to the County Councils, where the most of the money comes out of the farmers’ own pockets – “Rob Peter to pay Paul” – before we have any guarantee that we will get a remunerative price for what we produce or that we can get sale for it at all, our costs of production are rising daily. Where are the unfortunate farmers to get the money to pay labour, buy seeds, etc., to produce these crops, which are so essential to the country? It might be well to remind the public that it is not for fear of a shortage of food in Eire, as the only crops we could be short of are wheat and beet. We farmers by producing livestock, butter, eggs, etc., for export, are the producers of the wealth of the nation, and the whole country is depending on our success.
Therefore, it is time the Government treated us with justice and compensated us for our losses in the economic war before they make us the slaves to produce food stuffs at an uneconomic price controlled by the British Food Controller.