INDUSTRIES written notice ; 1 fourthly, the right of joint management ; fifthly, the continuance of the adventure as long as any remained to work it ; sixthly, the frequent settlement of accounts in the periodic cost-book, and the enforcement of contributions by the purser in the stannary court ; seventhly, the right of excluding de- faulters from participation in the profits ; eighthly, the liability of mine, machinery, and produce to the claims of creditors ; and, lastly, the fact that the adventurer's interest lies, not in any capital which he may have advanced, but simply in the mine itself. 2 It should be noted that the liability of the adventurer, though restricted in kind, is un- limited in amount, so that during his partnership he is liable for the whole of the engagements incurred in the ordinary course of mine manage- ment. Should a mining company attempt to default its dues, its creditors have action, solely against the purser, 3 by petition, in the vice- warden's court, and, upon non-payment, the court will order a sale of the mine materials and produce. 4 On the other hand, the purser may obtain his remedy in the stannary courts against an adventurer who defaults his obligations. 4 Under this system the control of operations rests with the purser. 5 He keeps the accounts, authorizes the purchases of materials and stores, hires the labourers, recommends assessments upon the adventurers, summons the shareholders to monthly or bi-monthly meetings, and, at each, reads his report and prepares his statements. 6 Next in importance to the purser stands the chief captain, or manager, who superintends the entire mine 7 and the general routine of surface- work, and under him are sub-captains, usually selected from the most intelligent workmen, who act as foremen or inspectors of the work under- ground, are held strictly responsible for the work of their section, and are stimulated by prospects of advancement. 8 It is, however, the wages system which has attracted most attention. The Cornish miner's year is divided into various periods, and at the end of each occurs a ' setting day.' Some time before, the agents or captains go through the mine and decide what work is to be done in the succeeding period that is, what shafts are to be sunk and what levels driven. They also de- 1 The retiring shareholder is entitled to withdraw in cash his share of the mine machinery and materials, the value of which is usually left to arbitration (Rep. on Stannary Act Amend. Bill (1887), Q. 14).
- James, Pseudo-Cost-Book Companies, 22, 45.
3 Convoc. Cornw. 2 Jas. II, c. 6. 4 James, Pseudo-Cost-Book Companies, 15. 5 Cf. Pryce, Minerabgia Cornublensls, 173. 6 Bartlett, Treatise on British Mining, 24 ; Watson, Compendium of British Mining, 1 1 . 7 Pryce, Minerahgta Comubiensls, 174. 8 ' The Economyof Mining,' English's Quart. Mining Rev. iv, 265. termine how many 'pitches' or divisions of the lode are to be worked. They estimate the quantity and quality of the ore which these pitches are likely to yield, and the amount of labour that must be devoted to the work ; and, in a similar manner, they decide upon the amount of labour which can be done in a given time, in preparing the way for the extraction of the ore, and determine, for example, the quality of the ground through which the shafts, or winzes, are to be sunk, or the levels driven. On the setting day, the men employed in the mine, with those who have come from else- where, desirous of work, assemble around the account-houses or a platform, where the chief agent, or captain, takes his stand. He reads the rules under which the mine is to be worked, and then auctions off, to small groups of workmen, different pitches or pieces of work in the mine, to the lowest bidders, who, in this case, represent bodies of from two to eight men and boys, who work together. When the men go to work they are charged for the materials they use, in the shape of tools, candles, powder, and other necessaries, as well as for the cost of hauling the rubbish to the surface. At the end of the period for which the contract is let, a balance-sheet is prepared ; they are credited with the amount of work they have done and debited with its cost, and frequently also with a subscription for medical attendance and the maintenance of a club, which supplies them or their families with aid in case of accident. Sometimes, in addition, these ' tut workers,' as they are called, are credited with the small percentage of ore that may be extracted in the course of their operations in order to induce them to keep it as separate as possible from the rubbish, and, during the pro- gress of the work, they frequently receive pay- ments on account. So far, then, for the work of preparing the way. We have next to consider the actual work of excavation. In this case the work to be done is divided into small compartments, or pitches, and, in like manner, put up to auction, except that here the men offer to do the work in con- sideration of receiving a percentage of the price realized from the ore, after paying the cost of reducing it to a saleable state. This is the so- called 'tribute system.' As is the case with ' tut ' work, the miners pay their own costs in tools and materials, while to provide for their support, until the balance is handed over to them, they obtain certain customary advances from the adventurers known as ' subsist.' 9 This system, described in the nineteenth century by Tuckett, 10 Laing, 11 and Watson, 18 to 9 ' West Barbary,' by L. L. Price, Journ. Roy. Statist. Soc. li, 494-566. 10 Tuckett, Present State of the Labouring Population (ed. 1846), 223-226. 11 Laing, National Distress, 40, 41. " Watson, Compendium of British Mining, 114. 555
