The Sun.
London, England, 1866-10-26 00:00:00

The Condition of Hop Pickers.

Yesterday a large and influential meeting was held at
the Town-hall, Maidstone, with the viow of :forming an
association for securing employment and improved dwell-
ings for hop-pickors in Kent. The Earl of Romsey pre-
sided, supported by Admiral Jones Marsham, General
Fletcher, Earl Darnley, C. Wykeham, Esq., M.P., the
Mayor of Maidstone (Mr. Alderman Lawrence); &c. Letters
of apology, containing also expressions of the warmest ap-
proval of the objects of the meeting, were read from the
Archbishop of Canterbury, the Earl of Abergavenny, the
Earl of Stanhope, J. Whatman, Esq., M.P., J. G. Talbot,
Esq., Mr. Cutbush, and other gentlemen.
The CHAIRMAN, in opening the meeting, said that there
was no doubt, for some little time before the actual picking
commenced, a number of those people whom the society
about to be formed wished to benefit were to be seen wan-
dering about the neighbourhood, begging and getting their
living as best they could ; and other gentlemen would
state what course was contemplated with regard to remedy-
ing that evil. Another evil was that in a large number of
places no sufficient moans were afforded for properly hous-
ing the hop-pickers. Under all the circumstances it was
extraordinary that the pickers behaved so well as they did.
It was thought possible to improve their moral and social
position ; but, in his opinion, it would be unwise to at-
tempt to get the law altered to meet the case in the way of
refractory legislation. But it was possible that the sooiety
might act upon the landowners to induce them to provide
means for the accommodation of the pickers. Then, it was
thought that something of the kind of a register office might
be established, especially in London, with agencies at
Chatham, Gravesend, Sheernes 3, and other large towns,
and it was thought that the members of the association
would use that means for negotiating between the planters
and persons intending to come to the picking.

The Rev. J. Y. STRATTON gave an outline of the nature
of the employment, the number that came down, and the
scheme which the provisional committee proposed to the
meeting to carry out. A report of the condition of the
hoppers had been published, from which it appeared that
one quarter of the dwellings provided for their accommo-
dation might be termed good, and while one half was only
indifferent, one fourth was positively very bad. They of
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might individually act, and so obtain a better class of hop-
pers. He believed that there was a great lack of informa-
tion on the subject generally, but he had been told the
number that came down every year was nearly 100,000,
but this, he thought, was an exaggeration. He had learnt
from the South-Eastern Railway Company that in 1864
upwards of 11,000 were brought into the hop district; in
1865 upwards of 10,000, and in the present year upwards
of 12,000, and there was an excess of 2,000 each year in
the number who returned, showing that many who came
on foot were enabled to pay their fare back to London
Besides these, ho wever, there was a vastly-increasing
number who came by the London, Chatham, and Dover
line. There was also a large number of wanderers who
left their homes and came down "on tramp " and there
-must be several thousands of those persons; he could not
say how many, neither could any one else, but they must
be counted by thousands. In 1861, the date of the last
returns of the excise duties, there were 18,000 acres under
cultivation in what was called the Rochester division,
which was not inclusive of a part of Yalding, which
was in the Canterbury division. The whole numbert
of acres under cultivation at that time wa s abou
46,300. He understood that the acreage had increased
to about 52,000 ; and if the acreage had increased
in the same proportion in the Rochester division it would
Amount to about 20,000, which, calculating four pickers to
each acre, made about 80,000 ; of these they might safely
put down 20,000 as immigrant pickers, and the rest as resi-
dent in the neighbourhood. Now it was to organise a sys-
tem of registry agency, whereby the time of intending
pickers might not be wasted by leaving their homes for
days and sometimes weeks before they were wanted, and
to enable them to be speedily conveyed to their homes
again, that an association was proposed. He had great
pleasure in moving a resolution to that effect, which he now
read. (Hear.)

In reply to a question from Mr. Hodsoll, of Loose Court,

Mr. STRATTON explained that as the question of improved
dwellings was after, all a matter between the landlord and
tenant they did not propose to bind tbosubscribers to any
particular course, but to assistas faraspossible in arranging
the details of the accommodation, the arrival and the de-
parture of the pickers.

The resolution was then seconded and carried unani-
mously, as were also resolutions appointing the Earl of
Romney president of the association, and the following
noblemen vice presidents i—The Archbishop of Canter-
bury, Earl of Abergavenny, Earl Stanhope, Earl Darnley,
&c. A committee, secretary, and treasurer, wen) also ap-
pointed, and the-meeting terminated with a vote of thanks
to the Earl of Romney fur presiding.