Edition Bobbett2. Speeches and statements by Elizabeth F. Bobbett

1952 Aughrim, Annual Meeting of the Wicklow Farmers’ Party

Source: Wicklow People, 07.03.1952

Miss Elizabeth Bobbett, Member of the County Council, County Treasurer, presented a statement of accounts which was unanimously adopted. Expenditure: Miss Bobbett said the councillors had very little say in the matter of expenditure. Salaries and wages were fixed by the Department, and all increases were dictated by them. Regarding the grant to the County Committee of Agriculture, Miss Bobbett said she could not in conscience vote against the increase to £6,000 made in the grant seeing that that amount was all they got out of a local rate amounting to £157,000. At the last County Committee meeting, they had farmers looking for grants towards combine corn drills, but all grants would have to be cut out in order to make it possible to pay a fourth instructor for the county. It was marvellous that there was so much agriculture in the county, considering the economic war years, World War II, and the devaluation of the pound. Even the Institute of Bankers had to admit that if there was to be any increase in exports, it must come from agriculture. She hoped that when the Costings Committee made their report, the increase in the price of milk would be made retrospective to this month, in view of the fact that the increase granted was only an interim one. In conclusion, Miss Bobbett proposed a vote of congratulation to their champion ploughmen on their success in the All-Ireland championships.

[[…]]

Miss Bobbett said she had handed in a notice of motion for the last County Council meeting “that in view of the new Local Loans Bill which is coming before the Dail, we request the Government immediately to exact the necessary legislation to enable the Government to authorise the issue of credit to local authorities (at one per cent to cover book-keeping charges and not interest) for housing hospitals, sewage, water supplies, drainage works, as we believe that the present high rate charged on local loans (5½ per cent) will make it impossible for such works to be undertaken.”

About the digital edition

This volume of Elizabeth F. Bobbett’s writings and speeches is divided into four parts. The first section comprises 321 texts written by her. The second part contains 150 speeches and statements by Bobbett, most of which were published in newspapers. Part 3 contains 727 texts written about Bobbett by contemporaries of her or addressed to her. Finally, Part 4 is a collection of 50 source texts that are important for understanding Elizabeth F. Bobbett’s activism. Parts 3 and 4 will be made available online in March 2027.

Suggested citation

Elizabeth Bobbett: Speech in Aughrim, Annual Meeting of the Wicklow Farmers’ Party, 1952, in: Peter Moser (ed.), In her own Words. The Writings of Elizabeth F. Bobbett (1898-1971). Farmer, Feminist and Public Figure, Bern, 2026, https://www.histoirerurale.ch/editions/pages/bobbett/1952-03-07-457.html, consulted on .

Copyright and Creative Commons Licence

This digital edition is subject to copyright and the Creative Commons licence CC-BY-SA.

Export as a TEI XML file

The edition of the writings of Elizabeth F. Bobbett can also be downloaded as a TEI XML file here.