Part 19 (1/2)

Nicholson, 3510; L. Leslie, 5093.]

In the rural districts, the custom of selling goods at two prices, according as the payment is in money, or in knitted articles or yarn, still prevails. By Messrs. Pole, Hoseason, & Co., it has been given up quite lately.

[P. Blanch, 8578; G. Scollay, 8639; J. S. Houston, 9715; Rev. J.

Fraser, 8039.]

There is no doubt that the general prices of tea and drapery goods are higher where hosiery is dealt in. It may be that a cash purchaser gets a reduction occasionally, or always if it is asked for.

But there is a general concurrence of testimony to the effect that goods got by knitters at the hosiery shops are dearer than at other shops in Shetland. Various merchants admit that a higher profit is charged, in consequence of the custom of paying in hosiery.

Two respectable shopkeepers in the country say that the goods which knitters have bartered at their shops for provisions were said to have been got at higher nominal prices than those charged for the same things by them. And various witnesses state, as the result of their experience, that prices at hosiery shops are higher than at others, and that they would get more goods for cash at the ready-money shops than for the same nominal amount in hosiery, where that is rather bought. Mrs. Nicholson, a very intelligent witness, says:

'3509. Are there drapery shops now in Lerwick that do not deal in hosiery?-Yes.'

'3510. And is it the case that you can purchase the same goods at those shops at a lower price than you can at shops where the hosiery business is carried on?-Yes; I know that from experience, because I have the money in my hand, and I can go and purchase them cheaper elsewhere than I can do at some of these shops. I don't say at them all; but I know there are some of the drapery shops in Lerwick where theycould be got cheaper. I will give a case of that. Last summer I had to buy a woollen s.h.i.+rt, and I went into a shop and saw a piece that I thought would do. The merchant brought it down and said it was 1s. 8d. a yard. Another merchant had charged me 1s. 6d. for something of the same kind, and I told this merchant that the thing was too dear. He said, ”I will give it to you for 1s. 6d. a yard;” and I said, ”Well, I will give you 4s. 6d.

for 31/4 yards of it;” and he gave it me. A day or two afterwards a woman came into my house and saw the goods, and said, ”That is the same as I have bought; what did you pay for that?” I said I had paid money,-because it is an understanding that some shops can give it for less with money than with hosiery. I told her I paid 4s.

6d. for 31/4 yards; and she then told me that she had paid 2s. of hosiery for a yard of it-6s. for 3, or 6s. 6d. for 31/4 yards-just the quant.i.ty required.'

'3511. Have you any objection to give me the name of the woman and the names of the shops?-I could give the names, but I would prefer to do so privately. The stuff I bought is still in existence, and also what she bought, and they could be compared, to show that they are of the same quality. I did not do that with any intention of finding out the difference in prices; it just occurred accidentally, and I only give it as an instance, to prove that if we could get money for our hosiery goods it would be far better for us.”

[A. Laurenson, 2206, 2245; W. Johnston, 2869; Contra-R.

Sinclair, 2523 sq.; C. Nicholson, 12,004; R. Henderson, 12,916; A. Johnstone, 4215; J. Halcrow, 4174 sqq.]

The evidence of Mr. Morgan Laurenson, quoted above, may be referred to. Mr. Laurenson says he gets no profit on hosiery, except the profit on the goods he gets in exchange. What the amount of that profit is, has been shown in dealing of prices.

[above p. 35]

SHETLAND YARN

The trade in the raw material of the knitting trade presents some features of interest. Some women stated that they could not get worsted from the merchants in exchange for their work-wool and worsted being called by them 'money articles.' Further inquiry showed that this was uniformly true only with regard to the true Shetland yarn, which the shopkeepers can with great difficulty get in sufficient quant.i.ty for their own purposes and for which, even if they could keep it for sale, the people would give only the price for which they can get it from their neighbours,the same price at which the shopkeepers have bought it. Even when sold for money, it is given as a favour, or, at least, the transaction is out of the usual course. But even the Yorks.h.i.+re or Scotch yarn cannot always be got from the shops in exchange for knitted work.

Of course, both kinds are given out to knitters working on the employment of the merchant. Shetland yarn and wool may be bought occasionally in small quant.i.ties at the shops of grocers and provision-dealers, who have got it from country people in exchange for meal and goods.

[J. Irvine, 115; C. Williamson, 152; C. Petrie, 1423, 1430; B.

Johnston, 449; A. Laurenson, 2288; R. Sinclair, 2465; R.

Anderson, 3179; W. Johnston, 2897; J. Tulloch, 2781; R.

Linklater, 2752, 2765; A. Laurenson, 2304; Mrs Nicholson, 3530.]

The merchants, who give out both kinds of worsted to be knitted for them, generally purchase only articles made of real Shetland wool.

[C. Greig, 11,551.]

SPINNING.

In the country, the knitters or the older women in their families commonly spin their own wool; or if, as in Lerwick and Scalloway is generally the case, they have not sheep, they spin wool bought from neighbours or at the shops just mentioned, and knit the yarn so manufactured. For instance, a witness says that she barters tea or a parcel of goods for a small quant.i.ty of wool, which she spins herself, having no money to buy worsted-money article-or to put the wool to the spinner because that would require money too; or at times she may get a little wool in exchange for a days work, 'but it is not often we can get that.'

[C. Greig, 11,532, 11,547; E. Russell, 11,572; M. Coutts, 11,617; Joan Fordyce, 16,049; P.M. Sandison, 5192; M. Jamieson, 14,053; G.C. Petrie, 1425.]

Exceedingly high prices are sometimes given for the finest qualities of Shetland worsted. It is sold by the cut, which is nominally 100 threads. The weight of the worsted is of course less in proportion to the fineness of its quality, and 7d. per cut being where the price of the finest quality, which is rare, the price per lb. reaches 4, or even 7. Ordinary yarn for fancy work is 3d.

to 4d. per cut, or 24s. to 40s. per lb.

[A. Sandison, 10,186.]