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T H E C 0 U N T R Y M A N
309
Ac this is a matter of some importance
f o me, and that you may he enabled
to lender to each of us his due, T
would wish to make a few observations
on the subject, before you como to a
decision.
In the month of October last, if I
mistake not, somo conversation passed
between Mr. Aborcrombie and myself,
on the subject of my keopiug bis store,
on Fort Creek. Not much was then
said about wages. Mr. 'Crombio ob-
served to me, that, as I was not much
aequaiuted with the merchandizing
busiucss, I could not expect much. I
told him I could not; but let it be re
membered, too, that I did not expect
to have so much to do, as I have done
for him ; that 1 did not expect to be a6
much confined as 1 have been ; but
thought 1 should certainly have some
person, either black or white, to take
the drudgery, at least, or somo part of
it, off my hands.
But, instead of this, I have lived
with him better than ten months, cou-
fined myself closely to his store, and
done almost the whole of his business,
without even so much as a black boy
to bear a can of water for the people,
who, at his store, as at most others-
where spirituous liquors are retailed,
required some hundreds per year,
which 1 my self have chiefly furnished
ever since I’ve been there, till a few
days since. The bare bearing the
water, which I have furnished, is
worth something of consequence.
But to return to the point in ques
tion—viz. : the determining what
shall be my wages. The conversation
that passed between us in the first in
stance, is a matter which ought not to
have much influence in your decision,
as 'our final conclusion and bargain
was, that he should give me Whatever
any judges would nay was reasonable.
1 have lived with bur., as 1 before ob
served, and done almost the whuu of
his business—drudgery as well as the
lighter business—lev be'ter-than tea
month.: ne w wish to quit bim, yt
-n account ol any ill usage hem him,
bat for reasons which 1 d Tot here
•het'se. to notice .We cannot agree
as f< the compensation which ought to
be allowed me for my services. We
have therefore, gentlemen, agreeably
to contract, chosen you as referees, to
decide impartially between us in this
case. I shall a t pretend to say what
[ think would be a reasonable com
pensation. I shall only mention a
circumstance or two, and.leave you to
determine on this point yourselves.
Mr. Fredereric Freeman acted as
clerk : for W. Abercrombie & Go., iu
Sparta, after their store had begun to
decline considerably—when there was
not, I suppose, over half as much bus
iness done in it as there is at Mr. W.
Abercrombio’s, on Fort Creek—and
received $150 for services. Mr. Free
man was at liberty, too, almost when
he pleased, as he himself informed m#
and I don’t suppose bore tVei#y gal
lons of water <in the whole*timc ho
acted for them (W. Abercrombie Sc
Co.)
Young Mr. Hudson, who acts for
his brother, on Shoulderbone, has
$150 for his services per year. This
young gentleman has this, and is nei
ther confined to the store of nights, as
I have been, nor obliged to go there
of a morning till after breakfast, if bo
does not wish to go. Thus he en
joys exemption from confinement
for a considerable portion of his time.
This wa3 not the case with me. If 1
wish to go to see my parents, or any
other of my friends and relations, 1
could not start an hour by sun, on Sat
urday evening, nor even at night;
but had to wait until Sunday morning
before 1 could start, and thou had to
return at eve. He has also, in addi
tion to the $150 before-mentioned, the
benefits which arise from the collec
tion ol the Academy Rents. This
information 1 gained from Capt. Wm. |
Hudson, one of the brothers for whom
young Mr. Hudson act?.
Mr. O- Richardson,, not 'tong .before
Tengaged with Mr. 'Cromb’q, offered
me $500 per -ye&f, to go and keep
r.tyrb :/r Mi. Jamieson Andrews, who,
If oppose, had authorized him to pro
cure- a clerk for i nn—but Mr. An
drews, on reflect! in, concluded that
his s*cck of goods was so small : hat
he could not afford to ernp'oa a cl'"'
to whom he would have to en
tiling of consequence —- and took
charge of bis store himself.
Mr. Samuel Butts, who is exempt
from all manner of drudgery, and
does only the easier business in the
store of T. Foard, has $350,-and Mi.
'CrOmbie himself offered him $330 to
attend to his store. It is probable if
Mr. Butts had gone, he would have
have bad some underling to bear wa
ter, pick up chips, make fires, and, in
a word, to do' all the drudgery attach
ed to the business. I have attended
to the store without any of this assist-
cnee, and now that I wish to quit,
Mr. ’Crombic offers me only one hun^
died dollars! .
Now r , is it because Mr. Butts would
have done more than three times as
much as I have done, that Mr. *Crom-
bie is willing to give him more than
three times as much as he wishes to
give me—or what can be the cause ?
Mr ’Crombio can’t say that ho would
have dotio thrice, or even twice as
much as I have. Why, thou, did he
offer him thrice as much to attend to
bis store, as he now offers me for hav
ing attended to it? Mr. ’Crombie
will perhaps say that Mr. Butts has
served an apprenticeship, and conce-
quoutly ought to have better wages
than myself. I know this is the gen
eral opinion, but I would ask if one
person performs the duty of merchant
clerk as well without serving an ap
prenticeship, as,another does after hav-
iug done this, why should not he who
has not, he paid as well for services as
be who has served an apprenticesbit ?
The only reason that car, he giv :
is, because it is not cu.-'n-rw ■■ and
this, in fact, is no reason a: all. Y‘ it
wore not custom ary am eng ;i,- to live
•t religious bfe, would rb;;-, o y ren
•son why we should not ? in the same
manner, n it is not customary amc-tq;
us, that one who has not sc. ,ed an
apprenticeship, should be as well p;Jd
for lus services as one yho 'has . «uv
posing both ro perform to'thc
tion of their 1
sane r» ; , . •
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