Edition Bobbett2. Speeches and statements by Elizabeth F. Bobbett

1953 Moneystown, By-election Meeting

Source: Wicklow People, 30.05.1953

Miss Bobbett said she would not delay the meeting long as they could read reports of her other meetings in the “Wicklow People” and she did not like to hold up other Candidates who were waiting to address them. She therefore, briefly referred to the main points of her policy, the first being to work for greater economy and efficiency in the spending of Public money, a matter she said, which had been proved very important as even the Minister for Finance last week had shown them that he could save over three million pounds in the administration of State services, but that saving had been given to increase salaries to Civil Servants. They would have all the political parties addressing them, blaming each one in turn for the high cost of living, and each one saying they were the only party that could reduce it, but they were not telling them how they were going to do it. She said that one way would be to restore the food subsidies and let their people have enough good, healthy food and more houses which would lead to less requirements for Health Services, and the money that would be needed for the new Health Bill which nobody seemed to want except the politicians, for whom it would mean making new jobs for those to administer it would be better used to reduce taxation and restore the food subsidies.

The cost of living was the cause for so much unemployment. The worker wanted more wages and the employer could not meet the high wage and high taxation. While great attention was being focussed on the number of unemployed, about 80,000, she said that there were only about 30,000 farmers who employ hired labour. It was obvious to anyone that every farmer could find full employment for another man if he had the money to pay him, so much of the trouble was because the farmer had not the means to give full employment.

The drift to the towns was caused by the politicians, as everything was done to make life better in the towns – higher wages, shorter hours, even higher benefits under unemployment benefit and public assistance. Some years ago a Minister for Finance had boasted that “they had now moved the pointer 30 per cent in favour of the towns.” Why, she asked? Because there were more votes to be got in one street in a town than in a whole countryside. She made a special appeal to the women to give her their fullest support, because women at present had no one to fight their cause. While they had a few women in both parties at present, they had to vote on party lines which was often against the interests of women. Had they ever heard any of the women deputies raise their voices against the price of flour to the country people, or against the excessive high price charged for children’s clothes?

Neither had they heard protests made by the women or Labour deputies when some years ago there was an increase of 4d a lb put on margarine at a time when butter was severely rationed and the off-ration butter was very dear. Still it was the poor who would be the greatest consumers of margarine. Now there was an uproar at the price of butter, but if farmers had been given a fair price for their milk the cow population would not have fallen so low. She believed the all-out effort seemed to concentrate on Exports, with no regard for the home market. Naturally, if the farmer got more for the milk he sold to make chocolate crumb or to be turned into dried milk or sold as tinned milk, he was not going to sell it for manufacture into butter.

As their representative on the County Council she believed some people criticised her for voting against the increases in wages for the road workers, but her reason for doing so was because she knew that if the increase was given, while it would benefit some, it would put many out of employment for several months, and she considered it a Christian duty to try and keep the men in full employment, and better to share the money as far as possible. One of the reasons for the present high cost of living and high taxation was because in 1949 the British Government devalued the £ and as we have no control over the Banking system our £ had to be devalued likewise. The only good they got was by a better price for the meat sold to USA or for the black-faced wool, but for what they bought from America they had to pay on the double. “You have only to look at a pound note and you will see written in Irish and English that it is payable on demand in London; it is even made in London as are our coins.”

She was no stranger to the mountain districts. They knew she was always fighting their cause. She reminded them that in 1948 when she had gone on a deputation to Mr. James Dillon, Minister for Agriculture, she had tried to get grants for those sheep farmers who had suffered such losses in the 1947 snow storm, but he was most unsympathetic. He would only suggest that the mountain farmer take advantage of the Land Rehabilitation Scheme, and reclaim his land to enable him to keep more sheep. “We at the time pointed out to Mr. Dillon that in most cases the farmers did not own the mountains where they fed their sheep, so that was useless advice. He refused even to consider the granting of a subsidy on ewes.”

In conclusion she said that she was constantly being asked if she was elected what side she was going to take. Her reply was that she was Independent and not tied to any party. She would vote according as her conscience directed her unless directed by her Constituency Committee on the matter. “If a matter is, in my opinion good for the country, I will vote for it, no matter which party proposes it; and if I think it is not good, I will vote against it.” It was a very heavy responsibility that they were asking her to shoulder, but the farmers knew how hard she had worked and studied for the past seventeen years, and if elected they could be sure of her loyal service. That the interests of Rural Ireland were sadly neglected by Party politicians was all too obvious. Only last week, the Rev. Dr. Cornelius Lucey, Bishop of Cork, had made the statement asking that more thought and consideration should be given to rural conditions by the city people and profession people. She appealed to them all to come out and vote at this election.