Some pictures I took from the finish line of Ocean to City Race (2 June 2018) in association with the Cork Harbour Festival and Meitheal Mara; well done to all the organisers.
Stories from 1918: Conundrums of the Butter Market
At the beginning of 1918 the Irish butter industry was subjected to many restrictions of control by the Ministry of Food, which was linked to keeping supply to English markets throughout wartime. The grading of Irish butter by appointed English graders was decided upon as a necessity. Reluctantly the Irish traders complied. However, they unanimously opposed the grading being carried out in England, claiming that it would act very unfairly in Irish interests, and lead to abuses and heavy losses.
Cork butter had been locally inspected and graded for over 150 years. Compared to one hundred years previously, the Cork butter trade was on a slow decline. In 1858, 428,000 firkins of butter were been exported per annum and by 1891, this was reduced to 170,000 firkins. Competitive European prices out-competed the prices set by the butter market at Cork. In addition, the city’s best consumer, the British citizen favoured neater packaging, smaller more exact weights, improved colour, texture and taste; qualities that Cork butter did not possess. The quantity of butter exported decreased and decreased. In 1918, Further regulations or even controls of the market were not welcome. Despite the protestations of Irish producers and dealers, a new grading system was put into force, with the grading work being carried out in England.
At the Cork Butter Market on Saturday 8 June 1918, several merchants gave testimony of the problems of the new grading system to the Cork Examiner. A leading member of the Cork Butter Market Trustees stated that the Government system was causing a great economic loss to Ireland. The price of fresh lump butter had fallen from 217s to 211s per cwt. Irish butter was going into the “Pool” or Government centre of distribution, from where it was sold to English dealers at a flat rate, comparatively high. He also highlighted that shipping and rail facilities of transit caused the longest delays, and in bad weather the butter lost very considerably its weight and deteriorated in quality. As the quantities to be graded were large, delays were encountered. In nearly all cases it took at least ten days before grading was completed.
The market trustee argued that whilst the graders were undoubtedly qualified to deal with butter as for show purposes, the judging of Irish butter in war time should not be done, as if it were in a show competition. He noted; “It should be pursued along the best commercial lines; the present system of grading was lacking in initiative, and common sense…butter is very perishable, and it is when it has thus suffered, the graders in England deliver judgment on it. The whole thing was monstrously unfair and the only remedy for it was that the grading be done in Ireland. Nine-tenths of the butter could be graded here”.
Another export merchant highlighted that the grading system was done out of awarding of points for flavour, texture, packing, and colour. There were four grades, the lowest being known as non-table butter, and which was in fact a butter for use in cooking or confectionery. The highest grade was that which was awarded from 90 to 100 points. The prices for the different grades differed by about 5s so that if a butter did not achieve 89 points it went into grade two and so on down to non-table butter. There had been instances of butter that had left Ireland of the highest grade and was then a grade returned by the graders to the merchant as non-table butter.
Many merchants complained of the way returns were made. They shipped their butter to England, hoping that it would be graded within a week. However. it was often three weeks to a month before they got the return showing them the grade their butter had received. In one instance it was five weeks before the return reached one merchant. When the payment of sums amounting in some individual cases to £20,000 was delayed in this way for weeks and months the losses to trading were heavy and business was upset.
Another leading Cork trader said there was no reason why the grading should not be carried out in Ireland. A small efficient staff in Cork could deal quickly with the great exports that leave the south of Ireland, while in Limerick and Tralee, as in Dublin and the North, the thing, could be pursued with fairness and dispatch. He was apprehensive noting of the entire grading scheme; “it acted unfairly to the creamery interests, there were also certain differentiation in treatment between the creameries and the farmers’ dairy and factory butter. If it led to the killing of the butter industry among the farmers themselves it would mean the wiping-out of a dozen other subsidiary industries. Sufficient cold storage could be found in Ireland”.
Caption:
949a. Former Cork Butter Exchange, Shandon, present day (picture: Kieran McCarthy)
Kieran’s June Historical Walking Tours:
Saturday 9 June 2018, Cork City & its Bridges (new tour), learn about the early history of the city’s most historic bridges; meet at the National Monument, Grand Parade, 2.30pm (free, duration: two hours, finishes in City Centre) in association with Meitheal Mara’s Cork Harbour Festival.
Saturday 23 June 2018, The Cork City Workhouse; learn about the workhouse created for 2,000 impoverished people in 1841; meet at the gates of St Finbarr’s Hospital, Douglas Road, 12noon (free, duration: two hours, on site tour), in association with the Friends of St Finbarr’s Hospital Garden Fete.
Saturday 30 June 2018, The Lough & its Curiosities; explore the local history from the Legend of the Lough to suburban development; meet at green area at northern end of The Lough, entrance of Lough Road to The Lough; 12noon (free, duration: two hours, on site tour)
A milk supply debate raged across newspapers in 1918. During 1917, new powers were granted to local authorities in England and Ireland to supply milk to children and expectant and nursing mothers at cost price or free. The Irish Local Government Board gave grants to urban and rural sanitary authorities of one half of approved net expenditure in the cost of milk and dinners provided for expectant and nursing mothers and children under six. The grants were given only when the arrangements formed part of a maternity and child welfare scheme established by the local authority. Dublin, Kingstown, Bray, Monaghan. Clonmel and Cork were noted as good schemes but were not enough to meet demand.
Apart from the local government scheme, notable in Cork was the Cork Milk Supply Scheme operated by the Roman Catholic Bishop, Rev Cohalan and local parish clergy. Set up in the winter of 1917, its story is told across minutes of meetings published in the Cork Examiner. The scheme was intended for poor families where there were young children of an age where milk was an important source of food.
In the early weeks of the scheme, the Cork and Kerry Creamery Company, acting on the initiative of committee member of the scheme, Mr Sunner, supplied to the poor of the South Parish, Cork. Excellent milk was supplied at a very cheap rat of one penny per pint. Subscriptions from local merchants and businesses made up the balance of price to the vendor. At the beginning of the scheme there were 660 families registered to get the milk at the cheap rate, with the figure rising to 965 families by the end of 1917. The income threshold of families interested in the scheme was not to exceed 25s per week, and in the family there were to be children under six years of age. An official register was compiled by the several parish committees. They made sure that the tickets were only given to the necessitous poor, eradicated duplication of tickets, and made sure the tickets went out from one central source in every parish.
At an executive meeting on Tuesday 28 May 1918 Bishop Cohalan presided. Mr Pelly, the Honorary Treasurer, stated that there was a sum of about £150 on hand. In view of the fall in the price of milk, the discussion involved debating about the discontinuing of the milk supply. The price of milk during the summer of 1918 was estimated to be 2d per pint, which was near the one penny mark already in place. The Committee decided that the scheme be discontinued except in the case of families already on the lists who had children suffering or recovering from ailments. The quantity of milk to be subsidised by the Committee was to be two pints per family a day. In making out the new lists of families to be relieved, the Parish Committees were to be given advice by the city’s dispensary doctors.
On 30 October 1918, a public meeting in connection with the securing of a supply of milk at a cheap rate for the children of the city was held in the Council Chamber, City Hall. Bishop Cohalan told the meeting they were assembled to commence the distribution of milk to the poor families of the city – to continue the scheme inaugurated the previous winter. He revealed that the number of pints of milk distributed between the end of 1917 and 1918 was 203,000. The money received in subscriptions in 1918 was £1,822 0s 6d. The amount expended was £1,745 8s 3d, leaving a balance, wherewith to start the winter of 1918 of £76 12s 3d.
Lord Mayor Thomas Butterfield proposed the following resolution: “That we deem it our duty to raise a fund with the object of putting the Cork Children’s Milk Scheme into operation again this year, in view of the inability of many poor families to procure a sufficient quantity of milk for children during the winter months, and especially in view of the outbreak of influenza”. Canon O’Sullivan of the North Cathedral seconded. He deemed that the absence of sickness the previous year in his extensive parish was down to the benefits of the cheap milk supply and school meals. There were 13,000 pints of milk distributed in his parish at 1d per pint, and it was not difficult to realise the benefits that arose in new parishes in the city.
At another meeting of the executive committee on 8 November 1918, reports from the different parishes indicated that arrangements were practically complete for putting the supply scheme into operation. An adequate supply of milk was to be put in place for each parish. The committee decided that the distribution of funds would be on the basis of the number of families on the parish lists as follows: North Parish – 400 families, SS Peter and Paul’s – 200, St Finbarr’s – 200; Lough – 70 and St Patrick’s – 60. The families under the scheme were expected to pay 1 ½d per pint for the milk and were to be entitled to receive two pints per day.
Caption:
948a. Creamery at Charleville c.1900 (source: National Library of Ireland)
Kieran’s June Historical Walking Tours:
Saturday 9 June 2018, Cork City & its Bridges (new tour), learn about the early history of the city’s most historic bridges; meet at the National Monument, Grand Parade, 2.30pm (free, duration: two hours, finishes in City Centre) in association with Meitheal Mara’s Cork Harbour Festival.
Saturday 23 June 2018, The Cork City Workhouse; learn about the workhouse created for 2,000 impoverished people in 1841; meet at the gates of St Finbarr’s Hospital, Douglas Road, 12noon (free, duration: two hours, on site tour), in association with the Friends of St Finbarr’s Hospital Garden Fete.
Saturday 30 June 2018, The Lough & its Curiosities; explore the local history from the Legend of the Lough to suburban development; meet at green area at northern end of The Lough, entrance of Lough Road to The Lough; 12noon (free, duration: two hours, on site tour)
Saturday 9 June 2018, Cork City & its Bridges (new tour), learn about the early history of the city’s most historic bridges; meet at the National Monument, Grand Parade, 2.30pm (free, duration: two hours, finishes in City Centre) in association with Meitheal Mara’s Cork Harbour Festival.
Saturday 23 June 2018, The Cork City Workhouse; learn about the workhouse created for 2,000 impoverished people in 1841; meet at the gates of St Finbarr’s Hospital, Douglas Road, 12noon (free, duration: two hours, on site tour), in association with the Friends of St Finbarr’s Hospital Garden Fete.
Saturday 30 June 2018, The Lough & its Curiosities; explore the local history from the Legend of the Lough to suburban development; meet at green area at northern end of The Lough, entrance of Lough Road to The Lough; 12noon (free, duration: two hours, on site tour)
Thanks to everyone who supported the ninth McCarthy’s Make a Model Boat Project 2018 adjacent The Lough, Cork; thanks to the lead partner Meitheal Mara and all at the Cork Harbour Festival.
Stories from 1918: The Cork Sailors’ Widows and Orphans Fund
Across the newspapers of Spring and Autumn 1918, references are regularly made of subscriptions being made to the Cork Sailors’ Widows and Orphans Fund. It was established to consider the impact on families who lost their breadwinners on torpedoed vessels and to relieve a large number of cases of distress among deserving widows and orphans.
A sub-committee of key merchants in the city was set up on 5 April 1918 and by late September it had held ten meetings. The committee was championed by Bishop Daniel Cohalan of Cork, Bishop Charles Cork of Cork, Cloyne and Ross, Lord Mayor T C Butterfield, A R MacMullen, President of the Cork Incorporated Chamber of Commerce and Shipping, Ebenezer Pike, Chairman of the City of Cork Steam Packet Company, Sir Stanley Harrington, Samuel H Newson and T Lillis, General Manager of Munster and Leinster Bank.
The Committee logged all meetings and published in the Cork Examiner all donations. Some were individual donations, which were banked until required for the payment of relief. Promises of annual subscriptions of any sum, small or large over five or ten years were also welcome. Larger sums of money came from bodies such as the Cork Cattle Trade Association. This association aimed to acknowledge the contribution of seamen in the cattle export trade.
Citizens in the city and county organised entertainments and collections, which also helped materially strengthen the Fund. A benefit concert was hosted by Lord Mayor Butterfield in Cork Opera House. On 25 March 1918, the programme had contributions by several very-popular artistes Miss Rita Wallace sang selections from Madame Butterfly and Maritana. The accompaniment was by Miss M Barker of the Cork School of Music. The Opera House Orchestra was augmented for the occasion. It performed the overture Poet and Peasant and long selections from Cavalleria Rusticana and other pieces.
A summary report was given at a meeting of the General Committee of the Fund held on 25 September 1918 at the Munster and Leinster Bank, with the local Canon O’Leary, PP in the chair. Up to September 1918 the sub committee dealt only with cases arising out of the loss of the six Cork steamers, Bandon, Ardmore, Lismore, Kenmare, Innisfallen and Inniscarra (see last week’s column). A debate was ongoing whether to include a number of cases of widows of Cork men who were lost on other non-Cork related boats. About 20 cases were known to the sub-committee.
Ninety-six lives were lost on the six Cork steamers and applications for relief from the fund were received for 95 households. Of these 17 were dealt with by grants of fixed loans, 67 others received monthly allowances, and of the remaining seven cases there were still under consideration and four for different reasons were not considered suitable for assistance. In dealing with all the cases the General Committee worked closely with the parish priests of the city in the Middle Parish, North Parish, South Parish,Blackrock and with clergymen in county districts. The services of the Cork Savings Bank gave useful advice and practical help in the distribution of the fund.
The scope and usefulness of the work done by the Fund was wide ranging. Many heartbreaking cases were brought to the General Committee. In one case a widow had ten children and was expecting another. There were numerous cases of six and seven children in a household. Three expectant mothers were given special grants. A grant was given to a family to bury their mother, who only survived her husband a few weeks. Her children were being helped by a weekly allowance from the Fund. The aging father of a deceased seaman lived on a small island off the west coast of Ireland. His only income after his son’s death was by picking and selling periwinkles and Carrigeon moss. In another case a grant was made for sanatorium treatment for a son who was recommended as suitable by his doctor. The committee also considered an application from a widow for the amount of fees required to qualify herself as a maternity nurse.
On 11 August 1918 the Committee sustained a great loss by the death of Mr Francis Lyons, of 4 Ashton Place, Blackrock Road. He was one of the committee’s core members and was Joint Honorary Secretary and Treasurer. Besides being one of the founders of the Fund, Mr Lyons took a keen and an interest in its management and promotion and gave up a great deal of time to the General Committee meetings.
On 25 September 1918, the financial position of the Cork Sailors’ Widows and Orphans Fund included total receipts, £7,282 4s 10d, which includes the large subscription of £705 1s 1d received recently from the Cork Cattle Trade Association, and £40 received from the Canteen Committee of the Incorporated Church of Ireland. The sum of £1,651 6s had been allocated in final grants and weekly allowances.
The Committee was paying weekly allowances amounting to £39 19s per week, at which rate the balance they felt would last less than three, years. It was hoped that during that time additional contributions would be received which, would enable them to continue longer its important work.
Captions:
947a. Steam Packet Office at Penrose Quay Cork, c.1900 (source: Cork City Museum)
947b. King George Statue atop Steam Packet Office on Penrose Quay, present day (picture: Kieran McCarthy)
Kieran’s June Historical Walking Tours:
Saturday 9 June 2018, Cork City & its Bridges (new tour), learn about the early history of the city’s most historic bridges; meet at the National Monument, Grand Parade, 2.30pm (free, duration: two hours, finishes in City Centre) in association with Meitheal Mara’s Cork Harbour Festival.
Saturday 23 June 2018, The Cork City Workhouse; learn about the workhouse created for 2,000 impoverished people in 1841; meet at the gates of St Finbarr’s Hospital, Douglas Road, 12noon (free, duration: two hours, on site tour), in association with the Friends of St Finbarr’s Hospital Garden Fete.
Saturday 30 June 2018, The Lough & its Curiosities; explore the local history from the Legend of the Lough to suburban development; meet at green area at northern end of The Lough, entrance of Lough Road to The Lough; 12noon (free, duration: two hours, on site tour)
Independent Cllr Kieran McCarthy at the recent Tourism Events Arts and Marketing Functional Committee of Cork City Council praised the initiative of the Cruise Ambassador programme. It commenced for the season on 2 April. To date Cruise Ambassadors have boarded six liners, five of which were clocked at Cobh and one at Ringaskiddy, this location is used as a second berth when there are two large vessels in the Port and Cobh is already occupied. Passengers have the option of availing of a rail service scheduled by Iarnrod Eireann to facilitate the cruise market. As the season progresses Ambassadors will also board a number of smaller liners who can berth at Customs House Quay in Cork City.
Cllr McCarthy noted: “The Cruise Ambassador Programme continues to be very well received both by Port of Cork and by the Cruise Line companies. The Ambassadors have now established contact with staff on board who make return journeys and so it has been possible to have information on board in some cases prior to their arrival in Cork. Ambassadors continue to make available the Top Attractions brochure and Cork City maps etc”.
“The Cruise Ambassadors will serve Cruise Liners due to the end of the 2018 Cruise Season and continue to provide tourists with information on Cork increasing the footfall of cruise tourists to the City. The City Council has been engaging with business interests in relation to the development of initiatives that will maximise the economic benefit in terms of retail, hospitality etc” said Cllr McCarthy.
Independent Cllr Kieran McCarthy at the recent Tourism Events Arts and Marketing Functional Committee of Cork City Council has called for further thematic Council brochures to be printed showcasing the city’s bridges and churches as part of the city’s attractions. Cork City Council has reprinted the Top Attractions in Cork brochure for the 2018 season. Circulation began with a French print prepared for the Cork City Council participation in the Rennes Tourism Fair in February, when almost 4,000 brochures were distributed from the Cork stand.
Cllr McCarthy noted: “To date over 100,000 brochures have been printed and circulated in English, French, German, Spanish and Polish. The Tourism Section has engaged the services of Glance Promotions who distribute brochures to hotels and tourist hot spots in the City and County, stocking them in specially designed stands in reception areas or areas with high footfall. The brochure is also being distributed via the Tourist Office on the Grand Parade and Car Hire Companies and is also available to View online. The brochure is also distributed Via the Cruise Ambassadors boarding liners at Cobh, Ringaskiddy and Customs House Quay. There is huge scope to develop a thematic series of these top attraction brochures for the region”.
Cork City Council’s involvement in an EU Interreg Heritage project is a great learning curve for all involved according to Independent Cllr Kieran McCarthy has expressed delight that the Recovery and Valorisation of Maritime Military and Industrial Atlantic Heritage MMIAH Interreg Project is already helping the thinking process in the design of interpretation.
Cllr McCarthy noted: “The MMIAH project at Cork City Council officially commenced in the first quarter of 2018, with the appointment of a Project Manager to oversee this three-year project. Work on completing the technical details for the project are well underway, including preparation of an evolutionary study of the MMIAH assets of each partner area, and a study concerning best practice examples of recovery of MMIAH assets in Cork city”.
The outcome of this study will allow for the infrastructural element of the MMIAH project budget to be invested in Elizabeth Fort over the next three years. To date, two steering committee meetings for the project have taken place; the first at Ferrol in Spain, and the second at Ilhavo in Portugal.
Cllr McCarthy highlighted: “Cork City Council will host the third steering committee meeting to coincide with Cork Harbour Festival on 5 and 6 June 2018, and delegates from the nine partners involved in the project will be in attendance. A full programme has been developed for this meeting, including a (free) MMIAH public seminar in the Council Chamber at City Hall on 6th June. The aim of this seminar is to publicise the MMIAH project, and to show how the project aims fit with wider tourism and urban regeneration and enhancement proposals to Cork City”.
