LAND, LABOUR AND COMMERCE. 137 



result of collusion between master and man, and therefore one 

 which was difficult to stamp out. 



The payment of wages in money was very generally con- 

 demned by masters on the ground that their servants spent the 

 money as soon as they could on liquor. The settlers preferred 

 to pay the regulation wages and any extra remuneration in what 

 was called " property " that is, tea, sugar and tobacco. This was 

 profitable to the master because the price of these goods was 

 usually from 40 to 70 per cent, above ready-money wholesale 

 cost, and 25 to 35 per cent, above the Sydney retail price. 1 On 

 the other hand the servant did in reality get more for his money 

 in this way .than if it went straight into the publican's pocket. 



The servants of small settlers usually sat at their master's 

 tables and shared their food. Their ordinary diet consisted of 

 tea, sugar, bread and meat, and spirits as often as possible. The 

 social position of the poor man's servant, who sometimes farmed 

 a few acres of his master's land for himself and often married 

 his master's daughter, was higher than that of the servants of 

 wealthy settlers, but the latter were better fed. They received 

 the Government rations with an additional 7 Ib. of wheat, tea, 

 sugar, milk and vegetables. Compared with the diet of the 

 peasants and artisans of the United Kingdom they lived ex- 

 ceedingly well. 2 Their clothing, however, was bad. In the 

 Government service, owing to delays in sending slop-clothing, 

 the men were often very ragged. It was costly to supply them 

 with colonial-woven garments, and the Governor would not 

 risk such an expense. Bigge, however, stoutly condemned this 

 economy, saying that the convicts might have been justified 

 in revolting, forced to go about, as they were, indecently clothed 

 in rags. 3 



The settlers' complaints of their servants were very numer- 

 ous and of increasing frequency during Macquarie's governorship. 

 In earlier days severe punishment for insubordination, and a 

 more suitable class of field labourers, had largely accounted for 



1 See Appendix, Bigge's Report. R.O., MS. 



2 C/., e.g., Sir F. Eden's The State of the Poor, 1797, vol. i. Meat even or 



a week was a luxury with many, wheaten bread a rarity, and tea and sugar 

 scarcely used at all. 



3 Report I. It was, however, very difficult to prevent the men from selli 

 their new clothes. 



