Hopping (1909): 'good year for growers..bad one for pickers'

Post date: Mar 01, 2012 11:6:34 AM

Extract from Parish magazine of October 1909:

THE HOP-PICKING.

On our six farms, in spite of an increase of 21 acres on one farm, we had a total acreage of only 218 this year as against 233 last year. There were 949 bins, of which 219 were taken by home-dwellers. The total number of pickers (including binmen and babies) was estimated at 4350, the estimated number of immigrants being 3450. The appended balance sheet explains the work of the Mission. The short picking enables us to show a small balance in hand.

Additional beds are required for the hospital. This year beds were kindly lent by Mrs. Hole, Mrs. Sander, and Miss Fremlin. Under Miss K. Kerr's practical management the hospital did good service, as usual. We are grateful to her and her colleagues Nurse Griffith, who supplied the place of Miss Hewlett in the latter's unavoidable absence, and Miss Wait, who acted as "cookie." Nearly 500 out-patient cases were treated, and we had 7 in-patients, one of them a dear little girl who was very ill on admission, and whose life hung in the balance for several days.

The Open Air Lantern Services were conducted by Mr. F. H. Edinger, a student of King's College, and lay worker at Thornton Heath, who kindly volunteered his services. A Farewell Service in the Rooms was an experiment which was justified by the attendance.

The work of the Rooms was carried on by a small band of ladies got together by the Rev. H. Iselin, of St. George's-in-the-East, who stayed at the Vicarage, while the ladies made their home at Belmont, contributing towards the expenses of the establishment, as appears in the accounts. During the day they gave some assistance at the garden-stalls, one of which was managed by Miss Dorothea Livett, the other by Edward Barnes, the man employed to look after the Station Stall.

The night-work at the Station is without doubt most valuable, and well appreciated by the immigrants. On one occasion the Vicar and Mr. Iselin travelled by one of the night hopper trains— in the guard's van. The night train service seems to be well organised, but the same can hardly be said of the return service at the end of the picking, while 2/- per adult for single fares seems to be a high charge for the accommodation afforded. The arrangements for the return of the pickers by rail are certainly capable of improvement. Waiting about in the neighbourhood of the Station, sometimes for hours, naturally leads to unnecessary drinking, and then it is difficult to induce the pickers to go aboard. Much of this might be avoided. If the General Manager and the Growers would only put their heads together, they might surely devise a better system. In East Kent some of the growers charter special trains for their pickers, and if the pickers fail to take advantage of them they have to pay an extra fare. During the picking the hoppers are generally well-behaved: indeed much better so than the excursionists and visitors:it is at the end of the picking, when they have some money in their pockets, that the temptation to spend it in drink comes strong upon them; and surely it is incumbent as a responsibility upon all concerned to lessen the temptation as far as possible.

This year was a bad one for the pickers in the matter of earnings: a short crop—and this year's is the shortest for nearly 30 years—generally means a good year for growers and a bad one for pickers. We can only hope that this year the growers may be able to recover to some extent the serious losses which they have experienced in recent years.

We have to thank our numerous subscribers for their generous support of the Mission; and in particular our thanks are due to Mr. Brocklebank for lending us the cottage for the hospital; to Mr. Leney for the loan of two floats to serve as garden stalls; to Mrs. Hole for a pony, and to Mr. French for a truck, for use for the Lantern Services; and to the ladies, both parishioners and visitors, for personal services generously given. We must not omit to record, with thankfulness, that the Bishop of the Diocese came amongst us once again this year: his lordship preached and celebrated the Holy Communion in Wateringbury Church on the occasion of the Annual Gathering of Workers, and afterwards presided at the Conference in the Church Rooms. There was a large attendance, including the Chief Constable of the County and the Ladies Falmouth and Torrington. The Bishop afterwards visited the Gardens near Paddock Wood.

We have forgotten, to mention the Baby Show. We were to have an expert judge, a London doctor used to the business, but he had a slight motor accident and did not turn up till the affair was nearly over. Dr.Quinn. acting "locum" for Dr. Sander, very kindly stepped into the breach, and, in spite of his never having done anything of the kind before, helped by Miss Kerr he examined 40 babies with great despatch. A few friends had subscribed to the tune of 30/-, six pretty garments were awarded to the best babies, and every mother whose baby was "passed" as sound was given a certificate signed by the doctor. The mothers and their friends drank afternoon tea, and altogether the show was a success. All this kind of thing helps to lift the hoppers a little above the squalid level of their ordinary environment.