Apple stealing case. London Press and Home Secretary responds

Dover Express and East Kent News August 23rd 1929

The farmers speak including Grandad, William Clark

THE APPLE STEALING CASE

The letter from Mr. Edwin Bradley to Lord FitzWalter which appeared in last weeks issue in reference to the apple stealing case was copied into the London Press on Monday. On Friday the following appeared in the ‘Daily Mail’ one of the journals which a week previous called attention to the 14 days sentence that caused the magistrates to pass such a sentence.
The Daily Mail’s correspondent wrote:-
“The farmers in the area of the two new Kentish mining villages of Aylesham and Snowdon are complaining of the damage done to their crops, and special steps are taken to guard them.
Last week a sentence of 14 days’ hard labour was passed at Dover on a young miner of Aylesham, for stealing apples valued at 1s., from an orchard. Mr. Clines, the Home Secretary ordered the man’s release.
Mr. Clark, who lives at Ackholt farm, between the villages, told me:

“Our crops are suffering a great deal. The miners’ women and children took away our peas in baskets. A great deal of trouble is caused by the large number of dogs which the miners keep. My neughbour: Mr. Baleden, had five sheep killed, and three injured by dogs. His loss is about 60pd. And there is no recompense.

There is no resident constable in either place, through the population is now 3600.

We want to get on comfortably with the miners and their families, but as the fathers have to go to work at different times, many of their children are inclined to run wild. Last week boys put a number of corn sheaves into a hedge and set fire to three of them.”

Mr. Arthur T. Stead of Ratling Farm, who was the prosecutor in the apple stealing case said:
“I have lost much of my fruit since the mining villages were built, and I am also losing about 30 poultry each year. I have asked for police protection.

On Saturday the following appeared in the” Daily Mail” stated to have been sent to them by their Canterbury correspondent:-“Mr. John Elks, the miners’ agent for the Kent district said to me:-“In my opinion there is generally a great deal of prejudice against the miners, both in the countryside and in the towns in Kent. It is especially so among what I may call the upper classes, the landowners and the farmers. The shopkeepers treat us reasonably on the whole. We do not agree with the statements that that the damage the farmers are suffering from is wholly due to miners. The miners are blamed because they think there is no one else to blame. The Kent mineworkers association would like some proof from the farmers.

Mr. Elks defended the miners against charges of drunkenness, “I say definitely,” he concluded "that the county magistrates are prejudiced against miners.”

Mr. E. Lawther, of Aylesham, the president of the Kent mineworkers association, said:-“I do not think the people generally in East Kent have anything against the miners, it is only among certain classes. If the farmers had put before me any cases where depredations had taken place and they suspected our people , I and other officials of the association would have been only to glad to cooperate with them to stop it”
Mr. Owen Marks, a Snowdon miner, living at Dover, said:-“The Magistrates and the landed gentry in general attempt to treat us like a lot of spendthrifts. If they care to examine the record of mine4s as a whole they will find as upright a class of workers as any in England.
On Tuesday the following letter appeared in the “Daily Mail” from Mr. Edwin Bradley, whose letter to Lord FitzWalter was published in our last issue:

(To the Editor of the “Daily Mail”)

“Sir- Mr. Elks- the representative has stated in today’s (Saturday’s) ‘Daily Mail’ that the trouble in East Kent arises from class prejudice against the miners and denies that the miners have raided the farmers’ crops. He asks for facts, May I give him a few as I have lived in East Kent all my life and I know the people well?
A farmer living at Ackholt, near Snowdon Colliery had a field of potatoes, and about a fortnight ago, set his two sons with a dog to guard them at night. (This is Kent in the 20th Century) The elder lad, aged 20, took a loaded gun, he (two unreadable short words here-b) unwisely, probably feeling afraid. By some means the gun was accidentally discharged and the poor boy killed on the spot at midnight. Did that father send his sons there because of class prejudice? N, it came out in very reluctant evidence at the inquest that he was compelled to guard his crop against the miners.
The Wingham branch of Magistrates of which I am a member; has been severely blamed for sentencing a young miner for 14 days’ hard labour for stealing one shillings’ worth of apples. This is only half the truth. The man was 23 (figure very unclear-b) and one of a gang of four: the other three escaped. It is true he only had a shillingsworth of apples in his possession, but he and others like him would have had all the fruit in the orchard. if it had been unguarded. My next point is most important. On this same farm some time ago three grown up miners aged about 40, were caught red handed stealing the fruit. There was no previous conviction against them and the magistrates anxious to spare their character, discharged them after appealing most earnestly to their better natures, and warning them that imprisonment must be the penalty for another offence. This may have been foolish leniency it certainly was not class hatred. Another farmer I have known had his whole onion crop stolen and many others have suffered similar loss, but the thefts generally occur at night, and the culprits are hard to catch. The farmers too, are very reluctant to proceed against them as rightly or wrongly, they dread reprisals. The farmers are having a great struggle to get a living just now. Is it fair to expect them to go to the expense of watching their crops, not to speak of the suspense and annoyance caused them. They naturally look to the Magistrates and police to protect them. I suggest to Mr. Elks that the miners’ organizations take the matter up seriously, and try to restore the former sense of security and confidence in the countryside. I know that they would have no easy task in controlling that portion of the mining population that is frequently shifting, but they would find that the Kentish people of all classes would cooperate with them and a better feeling would follow them all around and a sing (sorry that’s what it looks like-b) be removed from the mining community.- Edwin Bradley, Leybourne House, August 24th 1929)

We have received a letter from Mr. F. (looks like T, but am certain this was Frank Turner) Turner, the Chairman of the Snowdon branch of the Kent Mine Workers Association, but we cannot publish it as it makes charges of perjury against another person that would justify an action for libel, if not of criminal libel against us if we published it. If there is any authority for his allegation it is a matter of Public Prosecution and the Police to take up and not a matter to a letter to the Press.


Damn, I would love to see Mr. Turner’s letter.

In all these articles I have tried to copy punctuation and capitilisation exactly- it seems important. Magistrates get a capital M even in the middle of a sentence. Police get the middle of a sentence capital sometimes e.g. when Express is being magisterial about Mr. Turner’s letter. All named policemen have capital letters before their name Miners and farmers don’t qualify for any special capitals, before their name or otherwise.

Lord FitzWalter gets 2 capitals in his territorial name-one slap in the middle.

Miners refer to others by surname only Jackson, farmers to each other as Mr. Jackson. Miners don’t refer to farmers by name and vice versa.



BramBled