234 



THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 



KENT V. SUSSEX — THE HOP DUTY. 



There is a deal of stamina about the men of Kent and 

 Sussex. They seem to possess to the utmost the na- 

 tional attribute of never knowing when they are beaten. 

 Great is their reverence for beer, and incessant their 

 efforts to have it fairly dealt with. They are con- 

 tinually holding meetings, and sending up deputa- 

 tions, with this one object. Now they' are rousing 

 the whole country for the repeal of the Malt-tax, and 

 anon they have a consultation more confined to them- 

 selves, on the abolition of the Hop-duty. Every county 

 member amongst them stands committed to these 

 points, and every Chancellor of the Exchequer knows 

 how often he will have to hear of them. If the Con- 

 servatives are in, they at any rate will do something for 

 the relief of this great branch of the agricultural in- 

 terest. Or, if it be the other side, for very consistency's 

 sake, they must surely repeal here and abolish there, 

 and carry their free-trade principles fully out. But 

 should they not do so — if the petitioners get as 

 little encouragement from one. Party as the other, it 

 must not be assumed that they return home altogether 

 dispirited, and out of heart and hope. On the contra^ry, 

 they call another meeting the next week, and arrange 

 for another deputation the next session. Further sub- 

 scriptions are announced. Honourable gentlemen con- 

 tinue to be kept equally well-primed ; while every pub- 

 lic question, whether it be the outbreak in India, the 

 increase in the Income Tax, a change in the Ministry, 

 or another Reform Bill, is considered chiefly with a 

 view to its probable effect on malt and hops. 



Of course such an opportunity as the Emperor of the 

 French's recent manifesto was not to be passed over, 

 and accordingly a Meeting of the hop-growers of 

 Kent has been held at Staplehurst. We were going 

 to have free trade with France. The full measure 

 of reciprocity was come at last. They would be 

 able to send in their light wines duty free. The inevi- 

 table consequence, the natural sequitur, the grand 

 climax to all this, is self-appareut in a moment. If we 

 are going to drink foreign wines untaxed, surely we 

 should have English beer on the same terms. If the 

 principle is worth anything, let it be carried out. If 

 you countenance free trade in beef and bread, perfect 

 the system, and give it also in beer. Let there be no 

 tax on the unmanufactured material of one or the 

 other. 



Unfortunately the men of Kent have scarcely come 

 to this. When a much-enduring Minister has been 

 baited by the hour together, when he has been told 

 over and over again that this is a subject the Govern- 

 ment 7nust attend to, this a grievance that shall be 

 remedied, some vehement orator goes a little too far, 

 and the Right Honourable Gentleman is pounded no 

 longer. He sees a weak place to creep through. He 

 is much obliged — greatly edified — duly impressed — 

 but still it would appear to him — the deputation will 

 pardon him — but they hardly seem to have agreed 

 amongst themselves as to what they really do want. 

 And then he smiles blandly, and bows coui'teously, and 

 is sure they will admit that, under the circumstances, 

 he can say nothing as yet. The Private Secretary op- 

 portunely opens the door, the County Members have 

 urgent engagements elsewhere, and the Influential Body 

 fight it out in the street, or over an early dinner at the 

 King's Arms, Westminster. 



The hop-growers of Kent are just at present in 

 something of this predicament. They do not w 



V 



free-trade in hops after all. They are too stanch 

 Conservatives for that. They only wish to have a re- 

 mission of the war duty and the five per cent. Hops, 

 in fact, are ticklish things to meddle with. There are 

 people still who will tell you that in the best hop- 

 producing districts they would rather the tax remain 

 than not, and then go for the chance of a bad year. 

 Indeed, it is an exciting business that sounds some- 

 thing like going on the Stock Exchange, or betting on 

 the Derby, or working a mine, or becoming a railway 

 shareholder. Still the opportunity was a good one. 

 French wines are to come more and more into con- 

 sumption here, simply from the duty being decreased. 

 Then, say the hop-growers, do as much for us. We 

 will not ask you to abolish the tax altogether, but re- 

 duce it. Of course the less there is to grant, the greater 

 the probability of its being acceded. The hop-growers, 

 then, offer to go for the repeal of the war duty — for 

 " this and nothing more." They are very unanimous 

 on the point. At least they are so in Kent, but alas! 

 they are not so in Sussex. Some outrageous fellows there 

 are, even now, contending for total repeal, thorough 

 free-trade in hops and malt, and nothing less. WhSt, 

 then, is the moderate party in Kent to do ? What can 

 they say to Mr. Gladstone when he demonstrates that 

 should he concede so much, their neighbours will be 

 only clamorous for so much more ? 



The Meeting evidently felt the difficulty. Mr. 

 Smith Marriott, the Chairman, said, " There was 

 great unanimity among them last year ; but he was sorry 

 to say that this year they were not so unanimous, at 

 least he judged so from what had been said in other 

 places. He, however, trusted they would again meet 

 each other ; unanimity was highly necessary if they 

 wished to get rid of a great injustice." He could only 

 repeat this caution at a later period in his address : — 

 " He hoped the planters would see the imperative 

 necessity that existed for unanimity in opinion. If they 

 were unanimous, there was some ground to hope for 

 relief from a burthen that pressed most grievously 

 upon the planter, upon the landlord, and lastly, but 

 not least, upon the labourer, whose interests were of 

 course identical with those of his employer." Then, Mr. 

 Punnett, who followed, made special reference to the 

 Mid-Kent planters, who were to a man in favour of 

 the reduction of the war duty, and the penny per 

 pound. But " their ardour in the cause was consi- 

 derably lessened because of the recent meeting at 

 Robertsbridge, where they were in favour of a free 

 trade in hops; and it was that alone, in his opinion, 

 that was the cause of their non-attendance that day. 

 There were those Sussex men who were doing just as 

 they did in 1859. They were going for free 

 trade, which they agreed to give up when they had 

 their large meeting, and agreed to merge all their 

 private feelings, and to act together for the one common 

 good; and it was consequently time for the men of 

 Mid Kent to look out for themselves. He could not 

 help considering it a great breach of faith on the part 

 of the Sussex men. Let the planters go for one -half, 

 and get it if they could, for in trying to get all they 

 would have to put up with nothing. If they found 

 their notions were wrong they could then go further, 

 but not for free competition." Curious is it to tliose 

 not thoroughly initiated in the mysteries of this trade 

 to see how a partial remission of a burden is sought for, 

 but how entire relief from it is to be avoided, 



