The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1869-12-18 00:00:00

Ely tontjlribc 0125crinr.

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 18, 1869.

THE MAILERS AND THE TRUCK

SYSTEM.

An o is the many evils with which the poor
nailer nas to contend, there is not one of a more
crying nature, or that has a more baneful effect
in grinding down the poor workmen by lowering
the standard of wages than the justly-detested
Truck System. We have often heard it stated
that it is the competition with machinery that
has brought their trade to its present low ebb,
and, doubtless, this may have contributed in
some ineasare to that end; but we maintain
that we must look to the Truck System for the
primary and principal cause of it. It is this
system which the millers have to thank for the
franient and protracted strikes, and the conse-
qneut want and privation which has stalked
tir nigh their midst, with their attendants crime,
ignorance, and 'id iery. For how could the op.
p •essed nailer educate his children when he was
compelled—if lie wished to provide them with
the barest necessaries of life—to put them to
work, no matter what sex they may be, from the
v.iiry tenderest years. In fact, we believe, that
natil recently, when the law intervened, it was
a came:ion thing for a child to have to do his
share to get his daily sustenance at six years of
ag Who then can blame him if, after being
Draught up in this manner he should be ignor-
ant, and careless if religious duties or oblige-
Moo& To show that the foregoing has some
foundation in Let. we will briefly quote a case
(a fall report of which is given in another part
of t paper) which was heard at the Males-
on eii P t y Si sinus on Tuesday last.
Al ta it Court en the above.nientioned day a
nail inufacturer of the name of Moore was
ch nall by Janes ilasterficlil, till leeently a
warkivau in his employ, with paying him his
wages in batter, cheese, and other goods nistead
of the turr.-nt coin of the realm From the
evidence it appeared that complainant had been
working for the defendant over fonr years, and
during the whole of that time he never received
the full amount of his wages in money; he
being compelloil to take Rneli artielos us they
eh Re ci sic., hi II as dent for the sow
rt dated. Besides 1 his his master only gave
hi half the stimilard priee for his work, he
only paying Lite Is lid per bundle to work up
ire i into nails, for whi Ii species other masters
were paying as 9ul. Fur tile abero lengthened

period the poor man submitted to this state of
thinge, donbtless thinking that " half a loaf was
better than no bread," hat of Lite, emboldened
by this sn'iniission, and he empineer's rapacity
getting the better of his prudenee, lie took to
confiscating, or rather keeping back not only a
part. but the glede of ids own and his son's
wages; in lien of which he some:hues gave
them as the poor man'e wife fleelered—smong
other thdiedi of en inferior finality—bread which
was not fit to o.it. It ie the "lest straw which
breaks tha earners hack." gird when it came to
this piss even the complainant, who had
mitiently borne so finish, formed a resnlutlon to
pot up with I' no longer. He accordingly left
the defendant'e emplay, and took oat it stun.
eienv against him for his illegal proceedings.
What did the defendant do in this extremlty
'le went to the eomplaimint's bans,. in company
with a pollee-officer, n.I searelied the premises.
The result of the -search wee that he subs°.
enently charged the complainant with felony.
Now, whether the defendant took a piece of
steel in 1.1% pocket and dropeed it in the corn.
nlainant'ii house, pnrpnerly that it might he
found there ne wire suggested by Mr. Hoinfray
in erase-examination, we will not pretend to
tolS' it is Redd lent fee us to know that when the
ease was tried in the hlitlesowen Police Court
liasterflehl was honourably acquitted. Not Rat-
isfied with this defeat, the defendant brought a
second charse against the man he had an cruelly
wronged : hut this second attempt to blacken
his victim's eh:tenter also signally failed, and
Rasterfield was again disrharged. He (floater.
field) afterwards brought hiR action fig.:dust the
defendant. and notwithstanding that the latter
lied the Resistance of a very able lawyer, lie was
found guilty on three separate hadietmenta, and
lined ..t5 in each case, and costa.
We roust here obsi rve that a lth ell rine defer-
ence to the Magistrates who indicted this pen-
alty. we CIA the above fines were sadly too
small to set as a deterrent either on the defend.
ant, or on the many other employers who treat j
'heir workmen in a similar manner. This fact
will be selleiently apparent when it is known
that defendant has forty workmen in his employ
the greater part of alum, It is only feasible to
simmer, are dealt with in a like manner to Pax.
•erSel.l : from which it will he at once seen that
the profits he would leek° in one year by this
'clarions system would amply compensate him
for the slight loss entailed by such a prosecution
4e the ffiregoing.

It will Hine lie corn at a glance what an Im.
IMMO advantage parsons who art in the manner
if defend:let wonld have in the onrapetitivo
market over the honest tr oleamen who pay their
VOrkllll-11 it leritirnit prlaa for their Montt, in
hard easb. No wonder that the latter are corn-
wben the slightest depression of trade
ocenrs, to I twer the standard of wages. Sheer
•edf•defeneo forces then i to it, CT if they did not
In sa the Trnek masters weti'd coantd,tely drive
them from the market. That such ii st ite of
things stmald exist is, doahtleag. a great disgrace
ta oar logislgtive system; hut that it does ex'st
the above facts are ample proof, awl it is with
this fact that the naiters have to deah Thawing
in miad that I hot are best siAsist,l who help
theres••lves, the pailers sliotill combine together
and form an association, not only to prosecnto
lighonest masters who :tct ia the way described,
,i'a t prote it 3,11 sne.mnr the workmen
.rho may he thrawn not of employment in can.
:avience of havin; giv..a inform diln of thoir
r‘f riona ractieea. Till an ne sneh Pneit)ty lo
,1101.011ghly organised and faithfuliy carried not,
tivy cannot hope to red rid of that hit,' tyrant
—elm wag en nt ea dete.noced during the late
drika--" Tommy Track."