THE TRUCK SYSTEM 79 



to-day. At last a time comes when no longer any 

 hope of return from certain men can be expected. 

 The advances are suddenly cut off, and these men, 

 deprived of their usual source of supply, fall back on 

 government relief, till to-day over one-third and 

 nearly half of the whole revenue of the country is 

 spent in pauper relief. The recipients are frequently 

 able-bodied men, and yet they have no shame in ac- 

 cepting it, looking on the government as an inde- 

 pendent source of wealth, and calling their annual 

 six to twenty-four dollars " a government appoint- 

 ment." 



Thus the system has played into the hands of 

 idleness and dishonesty also ; for though all a 

 man's catch is nominally his merchant's, he is 

 tempted to keep some part back and sell it else- 

 where, that he may have some ready money to 

 spend when he returns. Thus one man who has 

 already more fish than would pay his own debt, 

 will accept fish from another heavily in debt, and 

 turn it in to his merchant as his own, handing 

 over afterwards the money or goods he obtained in 

 return to his friend, and perhaps deducting a shil- 

 ling a quintal for the risk involved. A far more 

 common way is to take and sell your fish right 

 away to another firm. All are generally glad to get 

 fish anyhow ; for not only is it a loss to send away 

 a ship without a full freight, but also there is a 

 great race to get vessels away first each year, as 

 the first in the market will realize a higher price 



