These are the cases in which exceptional circumstances are found
in dealings between merchants and persons employed at the
beaches. Throughout Shetland the most common arrangement is
to pay splitters and beach-boys or women by a beach fee, which
varies from £8 or £10 for the season to an experienced head curer,
to 30s. to a beach-boy in his first year. Sometimes extra hands are
paid weekly wages as day-workers. But even in these cases
advances are generally made in goods; and sometimes, as at
Mossbank and Greenbank, the account runs 'three, four, five, or six
weeks or perhaps the whole season.' In a passage already quoted
from the evidence of an extensive employer, it is made very clear
that these people, in whatever way they are paid, are 'expected' to
come to the employer for supplies.
[W. Pole, 5917; p. 14, see above.]
The operation of truck in this department is shown in the
examination of Mr. Robertson, manager for Mr. Leask, who
employs 80 persons regularly, and others occasionally, in his
curing establishments near Lerwick. Mr. Robertson afterwards
produced a 'time-book' for the people employed at Sound Beach,
near Lerwick,
13,607. ....'to show the proportion of money and of goods received
by each. [Produces book.]'
'13,608. That is a time-book for the work-people employed in 1871
at Sound Beach, which is about a mile from Lerwick?-Yes. It
shows the amount of cash paid, the balance, of course, being the
amount of their accounts for the week.'
'13,609. The first name is M'Gowan Gray?-He is the
superintendent.'
'13,610. The entry in his case is, Cash 2s., time 6, wages 10s.: what
does that mean?-He has 10s. a week of wages, six days a week,
and 2s. is the cash he has to get.'
'13,611. The entry in the inner column is made at pay-day,
showing the amount of cash he has to get?-Yes.'
'13,612. How is the amount of cash ascertained?-We have a
ledger account with each individual, which is settled every week,
but perhaps it may not be balanced. We do not generally balance
until the end of the year, but we square accounts before.'
'13,613. Is the account squared to ascertain the amount of cash
payable?-Yes, the amount of cash due to the individual.'
'13,618. Are the balances entered here always paid in cash?-
Always.'
'13,619. Are they never allowed to lie?-Not with the
work-people.'
'13,620. Is the week ending 2d Sept. 1871, of which this-
[showing]-is the account, a fair average of week throughout the
season?-I think it will be about a fair average.'
'13,621. It shows £5, 17s. 5d. as the total amount of wages earned;
and of that, £3, 19s. 7d. was paid in cash at the end of the week,
the rest having been taken out in the course of the week in
goods?-Yes, principally in provisions.'
'13,622. I see that in one case it had been altogether taken out in
goods, and there was no cash due?-Yes; but in others you will
find that there has been nothing taken out, and that the whole was
paid in cash.'
'13,623. I see that in six cases cash has been paid in full out of
twenty-seven people employed?-Yes.'
'13,624. I fancy that in that week rather more has been paid in cash
than the average, because in the following week £2, 9s. 2d. was
due, and £1, 1s. 6d was paid in cash. In another week £4, 12s. 2d.
was payable, and £1, 11s. 10d. was paid in cash. In another week
£4, 6s. 9d. was payable, and £1,4s. 5d was paid in cash, there
being twenty-five persons employed in that week. Then, in the last
week which appears in the book, £3, 14s. 7d. was payable, and £1,
2s. 7d. was paid in cash, there being twenty-five persons employed
then also?-Yes; people of course require the same amount of
provisions whether they earn much or little, the amount of their
balance in cash being less where the work has been less.'
[W. Robertson, 11,248.]
The story from other places is much the same. Thus, at Scalloway,
where Messrs. Hay & Co. have a curing establishment, their
manager's evidence is:-
'11,430. Is payment made to them in the shop at the counter?-
Yes. Their advances are entered against them in the book, and
then their wages are placed to their credit; and if they have
anything to get, it is given to them.'
'11,431. Is there a separate ledger account for each of these
parties?-Yes; every one has an account, and when he gets
advances these are put to that account.'
'11,432. Can you say that any money ever passes at any settlement
with these beach people?-Sometimes there has been a little, but
not a great deal.'
[G. Tulloch, 11,430.]
The beach fee, which is the usual mode of payment to beach-boys,
is almost always anticipated to a large extent, and the advances of
goods sometimes begin as soon as the boy is engaged in the
winter-<i.e.>, from three to six months before the work is begun.
An example of the practice is presented in the evidence of James
Garrioch, shopkeeper at Fetlar for Messrs. Hay & Co.; from an
analysis of which it appears that of £16, 6s. payable as beach fees
to nine boys, less than £7 was paid in cash, chiefly at settlement;
and of £13, 5s. due to two men employed as curers, only £3 was
paid in money. An examination of the books of Spence & Co.
leaves the impression that most of the men and boys employed by
them in curing at Balta Sound and Haroldswick take goods to an
amount exceeding their beach fees.
[W. Goudie, 4401; J. Flaws, 5011; T.M. Adie, 5754; T. Thomason,
6241; J. Anderson, 6602; T. Hutchison, 12,608; J. Robertson,
sen.,14,086; J. Garrioch, 8791; W.G. Mouat, 10,277.]
At Quendale, Sumburgh, and other places, where the tenants are
bound to deliver their fish to the landlord, it is one of the
conditions of their holding that 'they have to supply boys when
they have them suitable for the purpose.'
[G. Jamieson, 13,361; A. J.Grierson, J. Bruce jun., G. Irvine, W.
Goudie, 4369; J. Burgess, 5106.]