Note: the glasshouses and the tomatoindustry no longer exist. Flowers have largely gone as a large market as well.
Looking around Guernsey 1972 – Part 3
How we make our living
Contrary to the belief of some mainlanders, Guernsey receives no grant of any kind from the British Government.
The island has a self-supporting economy based primarily on its tomato and flower exports, its tourists industry and — increasingly over the past decade — its international banking business.
In the past Guernseymen earned their living in many ways from privateering and entrepot trade to growing dessert grapes for the tables of Victorian England.
The famous "Guernsey Tom" began to appear about a century ago under the name of "love apple". The tomatoes were grown in the glasshouses previously used for grapes, which is why a tomato nursery is known here as a "vinery".
Some of today's glasshouses are as large as aircraft hangars with automatic controls that allow up to 10,000 plants to be tended by two men. The industry now has a producer-owned central marketing board that grades, packs and ships about £10 million worth of "toms" a year, predominantly for UK markets.
Flowers are grown both under glass and in the open. They include roses (Guernsey is now one of the British Isles' major rose-growing areas), carnations, chrysanthemums, freesias, irises, orchids, daffodils, gladioli, tulips, anemones and fern. About £4 million worth a year are exported.
Guernsey's centuries-old fishing industry is far from extinct — in fact, new methods of fishing and marketing are emerging. Local fishermen and divers sell substantial quantities of shellfish, especially scallops, crayfish and lobster, to France, Jersey and the UK.
Dairy farming, too, is still vital to the economy because the island endeavours (and, except sometimes in mid-winter, successfully) to be self-supporting in milk. Only the world-famous breed of Guernsey cow is allowed here and, as you will see, many farmers still tether their animals in the fields to "ration" grazing. Experiments are being made to develop a Guernsey-Charolais cross-breed for beef production.
As a tourist resort Guernsey has grown steadily in popularity since World War II, but the authorities have been watchful to see that the island does not become too commercialised. Under the 1948 Tourist Law all hotels and guest houses — and nowadays self-catering units — have to be officially registered and are inspected and graded annually. Guernsey was pioneer of hotel grading in the British Isles and the policy has helped to develop tourism into a £9 million a year industry.
Guernsey's favourable tax climate has attracted many well-to-do settlers (known locally as rentiers), who have benefited the community by bringin4 money into the island. An important step to encourage more settlers was taken in 1961, when the States sold Fort George — a 54-acre former UK War Department property to the south of St. Peter Port — for development as a "millionaires' estate.
Partly to serve the rentier community, and partly because of rising taxation in other countries leading merchant banks began to move into Guernsey during the 1960s and have made the island an important offshore finance centre.
Guernsey's largest manufacturing industry is run by an American company, Tektronix, who set up plant here in 1958 and now employ over 400 people. The firm makes electronic measuring equipment which is exported to European and Commonwealth markets. The main factory is just north of the airport.
The island has several other small light industries that contribute usefully to its prosperity, but it is generally agreed that the economy still needs to be broadened.
Stamps and all that
TWO everyday items which tell a traveller he is abroad are the island's postage stamps and its distinctive currency.
For nearly three hundred years mail carrying it the Bailiwick, and to and from the UK, was ; protected monopoly of the British GPO and it predecessors. Until October 1st. 1969, when both Jersey and Guernsey governments became responsible, for their own postal systems, there were no Channel Islands postage stamps as such.
However, there are philatelists who will argil that the Channel Islands Occupation stamps — issue( when supplies of GPO stamps ran out — were in fact the islands' very first "own" stamps.
But true postal independence came on October 1st. 1969 when the former British GPO was turned into a public Corporation. A pledge was also give] that eventually the UK would hand over to the island responsibility for their own trunk telephone link with the mainland. They had already been running their own local telephone services for some decades.
Guernsey has issued two sets of definitive postage stamps. The first — in old "sterling" denominations — came out on takeover day 1969 and the decimal value replacements — new stamps, not overprints — were issued in time for D-day, February 1971.
Each year the island has issued up to three sets of "special" stamps which are valid for exactly one year from the date of issue. So far they have commemorated, among other things, the Liberation, Thomas de la Rue — the famous Guernsey born printer — agriculture and horticulture, local churches and old mail packet ships.
So great has been the interest from philatelists in Guernsey stamps that a specially built Philatelic Bureau in Smith Street, St. Peter Port, deals with thousands of orders each year from collectors all over the world.
Guernsey notes and coins date back much further than stamps but numismatists will be extremely lucky to find any but the current denominations in circulation. The coins are in the following values —50p, 10p, 5p, 2p, 1p, and 1/2p. Guernsey also produces £5 and £1 notes. Ten shilling notes were discontinued because they wore out so quickly.
One of the finest coins ever produced by the island was a four cornered 10/- issued in 1966 to commemorate the island's 900 years of association with the British Crown. Examples are hard to come by these days although many dealers have some stocks.
Another sign of domestic independence is the island government's lottery.
Profits have been pledged to a project which would please islanders and visitors alike. A multi-purpose recreation centre for wet weather and all-year-round use is envisaged.
Every lottery draw is open to the public and each 50p ticket has two chances of winning a prize. It could be as much as £10,000 in a periodic "Snowball Draw" as well as one of many lesser cash prizes in the more frequent "ordinary" draws.
TWO everyday items which tell a traveller he is abroad are the island's postage stamps and its distinctive currency.
For nearly three hundred years mail carrying it the Bailiwick, and to and from the UK, was ; protected monopoly of the British GPO and it predecessors. Until October 1st. 1969, when both Jersey and Guernsey governments became responsible, for their own postal systems, there were no Channel Islands postage stamps as such.
However, there are philatelists who will argil that the Channel Islands Occupation stamps — issue( when supplies of GPO stamps ran out — were in fact the islands' very first "own" stamps.
But true postal independence came on October 1st. 1969 when the former British GPO was turned into a public Corporation. A pledge was also give] that eventually the UK would hand over to the island responsibility for their own trunk telephone link with the mainland. They had already been running their own local telephone services for some decades.
Guernsey has issued two sets of definitive postage stamps. The first — in old "sterling" denominations — came out on takeover day 1969 and the decimal value replacements — new stamps, not overprints — were issued in time for D-day, February 1971.
Each year the island has issued up to three sets of "special" stamps which are valid for exactly one year from the date of issue. So far they have commemorated, among other things, the Liberation, Thomas de la Rue — the famous Guernsey born printer — agriculture and horticulture, local churches and old mail packet ships.
So great has been the interest from philatelists in Guernsey stamps that a specially built Philatelic Bureau in Smith Street, St. Peter Port, deals with thousands of orders each year from collectors all over the world.
Guernsey notes and coins date back much further than stamps but numismatists will be extremely lucky to find any but the current denominations in circulation. The coins are in the following values —50p, 10p, 5p, 2p, 1p, and 1/2p. Guernsey also produces £5 and £1 notes. Ten shilling notes were discontinued because they wore out so quickly.
One of the finest coins ever produced by the island was a four cornered 10/- issued in 1966 to commemorate the island's 900 years of association with the British Crown. Examples are hard to come by these days although many dealers have some stocks.
Another sign of domestic independence is the island government's lottery.
Profits have been pledged to a project which would please islanders and visitors alike. A multi-purpose recreation centre for wet weather and all-year-round use is envisaged.
Every lottery draw is open to the public and each 50p ticket has two chances of winning a prize. It could be as much as £10,000 in a periodic "Snowball Draw" as well as one of many lesser cash prizes in the more frequent "ordinary" draws.
Posts
