Edition Bobbett2. Speeches and statements by Elizabeth F. Bobbett
1953 Kilquiggan, By-election Meeting
Source: Wicklow People, 02.05.1953
Miss Bobbett, addressing the meeting, said it was her first time to visit Kilquiggan as at other election times she was looking after eastern and northern districts for Mr. Patrick Cogan. She was herself a farmer, a working farmer at that, and she knew farming conditions in other counties as well as in County Wicklow. She would say that the Wicklow farmers were the hardest working people she had met. Their land was not so good and they had to work very hard to try and live on it. She was going forward as an Independent Candidate with no allegiance to any Political Party. She did not think that either of the big political parties were catering for the needs of the rural people, most of the voting strength was in the cities and towns and, therefore, the needs of the country people were not noticed. She was going forward on an economic policy, but they could rest assured that when any matter of National importance came up, they would find her as good an Irishwomen as there were Irishmen or perhaps even better.
Making a special appeal to the women voters she said they had no one to represent them because while there were several women in both big parties they were tied to the party and had to vote with the party often against the interests of women. Had any of these women voted against the fact that we in the country pay 4d a stone more for our flour and wheaten meal than they do in the city, she asked. Had they voted on the recent motion to give women and single men the same pay for equal work. The answer was No.
That we needed people of Independent voice to look after the rural interests was only too evident. She said that only last week she had been on a deputation to the Minister for Agriculture and brought up the matter of the new agreement with Britain for Pigs and Pork. She said that it was most unjust that such an agreement was made and brought into force without giving our pig producers the chance of getting rid of their heavy-weight pigs which were reduced in price over night by 36s a cwt and now even lower. We are asked to produce more and more, but why are farmers so urged. It is not for the love of the farmers, not because any Government is worrying about the farmers’ standard of living, but because they want our increased agricultural produce to export so that they will have money to buy imports whether these imports be necessities or luxuries. But when farmers increase production as we have done in the case of pigs it is unfair to leave us to the mercy of Britain to give us any old price they like. We should have a guaranteed price for what we produce and let the Government then exchange our produce with what every country they like at whatever price they can get. But until we have a National Financial System in this country there is not much hope for that taking place.
Our farmers are told they are inefficient compared with the Danish and New Zealand farmers, but take for instance the New Zealand butter. She told them that the New Zealand farmer was getting to-day for the lowest grade milk for manufacturing into butter was 2 11½ a gallon while the New Zealand housewife could buy her butter at 1s 8d a lb. The New Zealand butter was selling on the English market at 3/- a lb. New Zealand had a National Financial system whereby they were able to guarantee their farmers fair prices. With our greatly reduced number of cows, a decline of over 76,000 since 1951, our outlook for butter production was not bright.
Miss Bobbett said she was against so much State interference in Government and Local Authorities, we are compelled to build certain type of cottage which have too high a rent for the rural people.