Papurau Newydd Cymru

Chwiliwch 15 miliwn o erthyglau papurau newydd Cymru

Cuddio Rhestr Erthyglau

8 erthygl ar y dudalen hon

..THE TRUCK SYSTEM.

Newyddion
Dyfynnu
Rhannu

THE TRUCK SYSTEM. TO THE EDITOR OF THE PRINCIPALITY. Sin' --In perusing your journal of last week, I saw, among other letters, one from a grocer, of Abersychan, in which he has controverted my letter of the previous week, which he had no place nor right to do. Now I beg leave to state more fully how the British Company act in immediate connexion with the truck system, that the public may judge for themselves in these matters. In this neighbourhood there are two classes of shop- keepers, without mentioning the truck company shopkeepers, viz., ready money and credit shops. Certainly the British Company pay once a month, and the gaffers of the said works, though not mentioned in my last letter, have a full authority, though the company have a large truck shop themselves, to send their men to other shops of the place, according to their will; and the gaffers, as a matter of course, become responsible for the money to any such shopkeepers but at these shops the men are as tyrannically dealt with as ct the company's shops; and this they must do in order to pay the handsome discount exacted by the gaffers for the custom of those who suffer them- selves to be thus enslaved and whether he who signs himself Grocer" is guilty of this or not is better known to himself. The ready money and the credit or the truck petty shops dif- fer in their charges of from F.5 to E10 per cent. In the time of the worthy late manager there was a money draw every other week at the British works, and that very near to the amount of.earnings then the men did not grumble much if the pays," as we generally call the settlement at the end of the month, would be so long as seven or eight weeks, which did not often occur and immediately after Mr. Wood left, an alteration took place. There is now but one very small money draw even during the five-week month, to only about the amount of ten shillings to us colliers and miners, and the others in that proportion to their earnings. The other draws are put in the shop to be served in truck, I am sorry to say, of the basest sort. But now if we can wait without their provision or the money till the first Saturday in each month, we should receive all our earnings then; but we cannot stop without shop goods or money for a month, as I said before, our earnings being small. This company a short time ago were often in courts of law for trucking. What can be more shabby any- where I wonder than putting the labouring man under the necessity of having his goods served him on the counter, and calculated before he receives his money to pay for them, and then receives only the exact amount of the goods, then he pays for them, and the cash runs back immediately to the cashier, as already explained. I now appeal to the Grocer," is not this a fact, which can be proved by hundreds of us? In fact, they have dealt more shabby, in my estimation, a great deal, in the last reduction of wages, than the Varteg and Golynos Com- pany. The reduction of the first amounted to about ten per cent., while the latter amounted to only about five per cent. Also I have heard from good authority that the latter-company will in future be more liberal, which I hope they will be able to be, and right confident I am that they will feel pleasure in being so, as soon as circumstances will permit them. I hope the Grocer" will again review my letter, then he may be convinced that all he said is wrong and utterly incorrect. The old proverb may be well applied to him, Put thy hand on thy mouth that thy words may be few." I ask him again, Is it not true that the money draws at the British works have been much lessened lately ? Is it not true that the company intend to enlarge the truck shop P and is it not true also that there is much more business doing now at the British Company shop than in times past, owing to the truck string being drawn much tighter about the working men than it used to be? But perhaps I have trod rather heavily on the sore foot of the Grocer;" but he has been weighed already in the scales of the public mind, and found wanting, and the mene mene tekel upharsin has been written. I feel proud for the privilege you grant us to discuss a matter so important in your paper, and I beg to remain Your faithful servant, Abersychan, May 20, 1850. AN OLD MINER.

TO THE EDITOR OF THE PRINCIPALITY.-'

[No title]

REVIEW OF THE BRITISH CORN…

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ACCIDENT TO H.M. STEAMER CUCKOO.

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THE CARDIFF ATHENJEUM, AND…