Protests at the rise in the price of milk

Dublin, 16 October 1915 - The people of Dublin have united in denouncing the latest proposal of the milk retailers in the city to raise the price of milk to five pence a quart.

In a series of editorials, The Irish Times have been very outspoken on this issue. They described this increase as 'impudent, heartless and so unwarrantable that it has not found a single defender except the dairymen themselves'.

'The flimsy excuses that have been offered on behalf of the milk vendors for the increase of their charges by 25% have broken down before critical analysis. This fact has not perturbed them. People must have milk and they are at the mercy of those who monopolise its distribution.'

Professor Mary E. Daly talks about Irish agriculture during WW1.

The Public Health Committee of Dublin Corporation claimed that the increase would have a disastrous impact on the infant population of the city, particularly because ‘milk is the principal and often the sole nourishment of infants. It warned that the already high infant mortality rate could now climb still further.

The Lord Mayor of Dublin held a conference in the Mansion House to discuss the issue, and he has moved to establish an inquiry into the 'alleged increase in incidental cost involved in carrying-on the dairy trade'. It is this cost which is being used to justify the increase in the price of milk.

[Editor's note: This is an article from Century Ireland, a fortnightly online newspaper, written from the perspective of a journalist 100 years ago, based on news reports of the time.]