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

1951 Elizabeth Bobbett: Letter to the Wicklow People, 03.03.1951

Estimates For Financial Year, 1951/52

No doubt the publication of the Estimates showing an increase of £4,368,955 net and making a total demand of £83,036,048 is a grave disappointment to the people but more especially to the farming community. Because in the reductions made, it shows a reduction of £1,015,490 for agriculture. The country is in a grave state of emergency, and more than ever is it depending on the output from agriculture, both for home consumption and to have extra to export. As well as this increased production from the land, the farmers know that they must try to increase production of feeding stuffs from their own lands, as the amount which heretofore we could import is no longer within our reach. It is therefore sadxx to see the main industry of the country the one to suffer largest in the reductions this year. We know that many of the increases mentioned are beyond the ability of our Finance Minister to overcome as they are governed by outside influences, but surely more provision could have been made to help farmers to produce, when the country depends for them for their food and for 80 per cent of their exports. I note that Dr. Paul Miller, Chief of the Economic Cooperation Administration Mission to Ireland stated at a meeting in Dublin last week, that a proposal had been xx by him to the Minister for Agriculture that five million dollars out of the grant counterpart fund should be used to subsidise the distribution of lime to farmers throughout the country. The plan he envisaged was a five years’ plan and would he thought increase the productivity of grassland by 50 per cent. He realised that agriculture would always provide the country’s major score of foreign exchange.

I hope the Minister for Agriculture will take immediate steps to enable farmers to get lime this year at reduced costs as up to date even the small “lime subsidy” scheme as worked under the County Committee of Agriculture for County Wicklow has not been sanctioned this year and was a very gross disappointment to farmers. County Wicklow land is very deficient in lime and cost of transporting it is very high and put its use beyond the means of many farmers.

Elizabeth F. Bobbett, General Secretary, Irish Farmers’ Federation, Wicklow.