Edition Bobbett1. Texts by Elizabeth F. Bobbett: 1.1.3. Correspondence, Letters to newspapers

1942 Elizabeth Bobbett: Letter to the Irish Press, 09.10.1942

Price of Butter1

Miss Elizabeth Bobbett, General Secretary, Farmers’ Federation, writes: “As reported in the daily papers the Postal Workers’ Union has protested against the increase in the price of butter, consequent on an increase of twopence per gallon in the price of milk supplied to creameries. Their protest is in reality against a very small increase in the remuneration of those engaged in the production of milk.

To show how very unreasonable that protest is we challenge them to deny that if all engaged in the production of milk and butter were paid at the same rate as the members of the Postal Workers’ Union, and if the price of butter was fixed to cover cost of production, and to leave a modest return’ to the owners of the cows, butter could not be retailed at less than six shillings a lb.

For purposes of calculation it would be assumed that hours worked would be the same as in the postal service, and that overtime, Sunday work and night work would be paid for at trade union rates. If butter was produced on these conditions and if in addition the “go slow policy” was adopted by the workers, butter would cost probably as much as 12/- or even 15/- a lb. Those engaged in the production of milk and butter are the farm labourers and family workers. According to the latest report of the Department of Industry these total 517’500, of whom 377’200 are members of farmers’ families or family workers, by far the largest, most important, and most skilled body of workers in the country. According to some of our professors of economics their earnings are estimated at less than a pound a week. It is against a slight increase in the pay of these workers that the Postal Union protests though they are getting about three times as much themselves and are asking for more.

As to Scarcity of butter. Before the last war when milk was 4d per gallon and wages 12/- a week it took the milk of three cows to pay one man’s wages, taking the yield of the average cow at 500 gallons a year. We then had enough butter for ourselves and a large surplus for export. During the past season, with milk at 7d a gallon, and wages, including Sunday pay and insurance, nearly £2 a week, it took the milk of seven cows to pay the wages of a man, more than twice as much as formerly. But the cows would not give twice as much milk, and so many farmers who had to depend on hired help were driven out of business, hence the butter scarcity.

If all engaged in the industry were paid at Postal Union rates it would take the milk of twelve to fifteen cows at the new price of 9d per gallon to pay a man’s wages. That would mean that every farmer depending on hired help would be driven out of business and that the dairying Industry would be completely paralysed.

1 - The same letter was published in The Standard, 16.10.1942.