Hopping (1904):early short picking; high prices

Post date: Feb 24, 2012 10:37:40 AM

Extract from Parish magazine of October 1904:

THE HOPPING—1904.

This year will rank as a remarkable one in the annals of the industry. The summer months were dry, with spells of intense heat without parallel in recent years. In the early stages of the plant there prevailed generally an unusually strong attack of fly, which was overcome only by unusual efforts in washing. In the last stages the hops seemed to develop rapidly, and everywhere picking was commenced a week or ten days earlier than usual. The picking lasted barely three weeks; the necessity of getting the hops down quickly brought a large number of pickers, who were readily found owing to a general depression of trade, and the crop was not large. In our own district it has proved to be a fair average crop both in quality and quantity. But the remarkable feature of the year is the general shortage in the crop, a shortage which, it is said on good authority, has not been paralleled since the famous year of 1882. Prices accordingly rule high as compared with recent years; but, as the Times says in its Financial Supplement of to-day (October 3rd), it is admitted on all hands that they are not so high as might, under all existing circumstances, be reasonably expected.

Unfortunately forthe pickers, as well as for the growers and everyone concerned, the fine weather broke up in first week of picking and remained cold and unsettled throughout.

A ful record of the work of the local or parochial Hopping Mission would be little more than a repetition of the account which we published last year, when our Little Hoppers' Hospital was established; work on the old lines was consolidated, but no fresh effort was made. The local interest in the work has been maintained, many resident ladies, too numerous to mention by name, taking part in it. The ''Station coffee stall." which in the interval between the coming and going of the pickers was again converted into a ''Canon Court Gardens Stall," was well conducted under the superintendence of Miss Lownds, whose place in her absence was taken by Mrs. Howe. A ''gardens stall'' is so evidently appreciated by the pickers wherever it is established that one cannot help feeling that it would be advantageous if the system could be extended to all the gardens. It costs very little. With the experience which we have gained the inauguration of such a stall ought to present no difficulty and very little trouble; the only real trouble is to find some responsible person to look after it, and that ought not to be insuperable. The Vicar does not care to obtrude himself in the matter, but if he receives permission to make a fresh attempt he will gladly undertake the responsibility.

The Lantern Services were somewhat interfered with by the weather, but Mr. Colby, at the Vicar's invitation conducted six services, and the Vicar,on one occasion with the help of Mr. Hamphire, conducted four. At the latter, slides of the Russo-Japanese War were shown. Hymns, prayers, and a brief address make up the "service."

We were fortunate in obtaining, through the agency of the Hop-picking Mission Committee, the help once more of Mrs. Riches and Miss Dixie, who successfully superintended the Club Room and Stall at the Church Rooms; and of Miss K. Kerr, Miss Hewlett, Miss Scholfield—all trained nurses—and Miss L. Pine-Coffin who composed the hospital staff. We have to thank Mr. Richard Fremlin again for the use of the stable-buildings at the Thatched Cottage, and Drs. Southwell-Sander and A. Black for honorary attendance. Next year we shall have to look for new quarters, and probably also we shall have to replace the plant kindly lent us by the Rector of Mereworth. We have reason to hope that through the kindness of Sir George Donaldson the question of new quarters, which seemed at first to be a difficult one, may be solved. As to the new plant, consisting of furniture and appliances, household and surgical or medical the means of meeting the cost has already accumulated in the balance of subscriptions which we have been able to put by for such a purpose both this year and last year. This was foreshadowed in our report published in the Parish Magazine of October, 1903. If, as is probable, we shall have to make some special provision for the accommodation of out-patient cases, the amount indicated in our balance-sheet is not likely to prove too much. In other respects the balance-sheet speaks for itself.

One word about the annual Conference, promoted by the Hop-picking Mission Committee and held as usual in the Church Rooms, Wateringbury. The Chief Constable of the county presided, and in his opening remarks bore testimony to the evidence which his special knowledge supplies of the great improvement during recent years in the general demeanour of the immigrant pickers, an improvement which he attributed in great measure to the influence of the various missions. A paper, read by the Rev. A. R. Longford Browne, who has recently been working in a Mission at Five Oaks Green, contained some excellent ''thoughts on work among the pickers," but unfortunately led to a discussion upon the housing of the pickers and the sanitary arrangements of the encampments. In the course of the discussion it was suggested that independent sanitary inspectors might be specially appointed to deal with the matter by the Local Government Board. In consequence of the turn which the discussion thus took the meeting was reminded that such matters do not come within the scope of the work of the Hop-picking Mission Committee, and the "objects of the Committee," stated in the following terms, were quoted:— ''The extension of women's work; nursing, clubs, coffee-stalls, etc.; collecting and distributing literature promoting consultation amongst the workers, and generally ostering missions and social work amongst the immigrant pickers''. It is to be hoped that in future the Committee in promoting consultation by means of the Conference will guard against a tendency of its guests in their irresponsible enthusiasm to force upon the Conference discussion of matters which the Committee has purposely excluded from its objects. At the close of the meeting Canon Curtis, who, at the Celebration previously held in the Church had delivered an eloquent and helpful address, in touching upon continuity in work reminded the meeting that the pickers in their parishes at home came throughout the year under the influence of mission-work of much the same character as that promoted with so much success by the Committee in the hop-districts amongst the immigrant pickers.