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

1951 Elizabeth Bobbett: Letter to the Sunday Independent, 15.07.1951

Increased Butter Price

Several TDs objected to the last increase of 2d on the lb of butter, their reasons being that it was a burden on the poorer sections of our community. I think their knowledge of housekeeping must be rather poor, or why did these same TDs not disclaim the increase of 4d a lb put on margarine at the time the Inter-Party Government put 2d a lb on the butter.

It seems to me that the taxpayers are to pay up to give an economic price to the foreigner who produces the ingredients for the manufacture of margarine, while our native population are to be denied the cost of production and just reward for their labour in the production of butter.

Any one with housekeeping knowledge would know that it is the poorer section of the people who must buy the extra margarine. If they cannot manage on their 8 oz. of butter per head per week they buy some margarine, as the off ration butter at 3s 6d a lb is too dear for them and they were getting margarine at 1s 8d, so the increase in margarine was more to them than the increase on butter.

Is it not better to give our people plenty of butter at 3s 0d or even 3s 4d a lb – it is a high grade health-giving product of our own country – than run the risk of not having sufficient butter to meet the ration? It is well known that when the ration was only 2 oz. a week, very large numbers of the people paid up to 5s 0d and more for extra butter.

It takes 3 gallons of milk to make one pound of butter on the farm, but 2½ gallons sent to the creamery will make one pound of butter. Butter in this country is very cheap compared with other European countries.