Second Shetland Truck System ReportGuthrie, William
History
Second Shetland Truck System Report
Guthrie, William
Labor law -- Truck system -- History -- England; Shetland (Scotland) -- History
2232. What would she probably get for the work bestowed by her
upon 2 oz. black mohair?-I suppose that would make four or five
veils. Perhaps she might get 5s. Then, besides these little things
which are entered there, she might have got some things when she
was personally present, and the last balance would be struck upon
the whole.
2233. I understand you to state quite distinctly that this book is the
only one in which entries are made of any transactions with
workers employed by you?-The only one. As I said before, we
do very little in that way now; and this represents the whole of it.
2234. Do your sales to these women not appear in your shop
day-book?-No; these are the whole entries. If they get anything
when they come with their work, there is no entry made of it at all.
2235. If a woman, either a knitter employed by you, or one who
sells to you, comes to your shop and has a large sum of money to
get, is it the practice that you do not pay her entirely in goods, but
give her an advance in cash; or is it sometimes your practice to
give her a line?-We don't give lines at all; but I may say that it is
very seldom any of them have very much to get.
2236. If a woman has something to get and does not want goods,
do you make an entry of any kind to her credit similar to those
debtor entries against her?-I see here an entry: 'December 26-
Ann Anderson, 2 oz. black mohair. D. 5d., Cr. 7s. 6d.' That 5d.
has been got afterwards.
2237. Then she could have come at any time and got that 7s.
6d.?-Yes; and more if she had wanted it.
2238. That sum is probably standing to her credit yet?-Yes; she
has that to get just now.
2239. If she had got it, in what way would it have been marked
out?-It would have been marked returned, and another entry
made of the new work which she had got.
2240. I show you an entry in another part of the same book: what
does that mean?-It is a memorandum of the goods given to
women to dress. These are the goods given to Mrs. John Gifford.
They are marked down when they are given out, and when they are
returned they are marked out. There are more dressers than one.
2241. Here is one entry: 'January 3-Mary Greig, Trondra, 9 oz.
black. D. 8d., Cr. 7s.' Was that a country girl?-Yes.
2242. Is it not usual for country girls to take away all the value of
their goods when they come in with them?-I think that is
generally what they do; but sometimes, as in that case, the girl
does not seem to have been requiring anything.
2243. You don't know whether that girl asked for money?-I
don't know; but the shop-girl would be able to tell.
2244. You have no doubt that if she had asked for it, she would
have got it?-If she had asked for it, she would have got it; but, as
I have said before, it had been so long the custom not to pay
money, that they did not ask it, not expecting to get it.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account