SEPTEMBER 22ND, 1941: Facing into the third winter of the second World War in 1941, a government minister, Seán MacEntee, warned people to expect greater hardship because of growing shortages of materials that were outside the country's ability to produce, chiefly oil and coal. The extent of those hardships could be gauged from the existing difficulties catalogued in the same newspaper in a letter from Mary Frances Keating, later a columnist with the paper, listing the conditions of some people in the Portobello and North Frederick Street areas of Dublin.
MRS A, widow, does charing, has rheumatism; lives up four flights of stairs; has no gas in house. No bell-man comes now. She fetches turf when she can get it from a local factor at some distance, pays 8d. per stone; finds coal at 7d. quite useless, as it is all slack and stones, and scarce anyway. Pays 2½d. per pint of oil, but has had none since September 4th – no more till October; pays 4½d. per candle, which lasts three hours. Earns 15s. [180 pence] per week, has daughter in laundry, who earns only 10s. now, due to soap and starch being scarce. I saw her rent book, 6s. 1d. per week, always paid. Says she uses seven stone of turf per week and sixpence for sticks for kindling. Finds it hard to cook, and harder to buy a little food with what she has left. Is terrified of the winter coming.
Mrs B, seven children, husband out of work, new baby coming, gets relief, free milk et cet. No gas in house, no fuel, as she cannot afford to buy turf at 8d. per stone. Cannot wash or do any cleaning, as she needs every penny for food. Never has any light, since she has no oil, and cannot afford candles at 4½d. Local builder’s wife gives her wood to cook when she has any. Sometimes the neighbours cook a dinner for her on Sundays if she can buy a little turf to add to theirs.
Mrs C, three in family, gets “relief”, no fuel this or last week, no gas in house. Father-in-law in street around the corner has gas and boils kettle for her sometimes. Can’t afford to buy candles at 4½d., has had no oil since early September. Baby sick with diarrhoea. Says they grumble at her in the hospital and say she does not boil the children’s bottles or keep them clean. Says she never cleans the house or does a family wash now.
Mrs D, coal factor’s wife, husband away every morning to look for turf, up to 12.30 on Friday had not had any. Coal mostly slack and stones. Sells his weekly ration to the local people in one day and is idle for the rest of the week. Has to give up his horse. Charges 8d. per stone for turf and 7d. per stone for coal.
So much for the south side.
Now for the north.
Coal factor here has no coal today, and will not have any till next week. Charges 6d. per stone for turf, says it is poor quality, but all that he can get.
Has no oil and charges 2½d. for small candles when he is lucky enough to have any. Most of the houses have no gas for one reason or another.
Mrs B, seven in family, gets “dole”. Says she never has any light as she cannot get oil and cannot afford candles. Cannot cook in small grate with turf. Is ashamed of all the dirt. Two children attend the hospital with “glands”. One child died during the summer with diarrhoea.
Mrs F, widow, with old age pension, 84 years of age. Pays 5s. 1d. rent. I saw rent books over a period of time. Room on the ground floor, full of damp and mildew. Lives alone since husband died. No gas or light, burned her whole ration of oil in the first weeks of September. Cannot afford to buy candles.
The neighbours are very good and make her a sup of tea when she has no more fuel. Finds turf at 6d. per stone beyond her buying power, as she has 4s. 11d. per week to live on.
http://url.ie/2fa9