The Men o' Whitehaa No 2.

"The Men O' Whitehaa." No 2.
Long time ago, but yesterday too. Rain On My Window (Tears in My Eyes) will be an ongoing tale of my early memories of life shared by my younger brother David on Whitehall Farm in Stronsay, Orkney, of our childhood on a working farm in the 1930s before we lost our innocence.
THE MINIMUM WAGE.
So we come to the last of the long look back to yesterday, back to the "Men of the Bu'," the "Men of Hobbister", the "Men of Whitehaa", the period leading into the War of 1939 – 1945. Comes 1938, war on the horizon, men in the "Terriers", the year my father bought his very first tractor from J. and W. Tait, a Massey Harris Pacemaker, his cousin Charlie Tait, a tractor which started on petrol, and then ran on paraffin when hot enough. At the time he said a war was coming, and so it did. That first tractor was the beginning of the eventual total elimination of the horse from our farming.
The minimum wage appears in the Wages Book for the very first time, when minimum wage actually started I do not know, but assume in 1938. We have heard the phrase many a time since. Wages had remained pretty static from 1919 to 1938. The intervening years had been without great incident. Jamie Moodie bought a half barrel of herring in 1927 for £1/5/-, a 4 bushel sack [224lbs or 100 kgs ] of bere at 10/-.. and a half boll [70lbs ] of bere meal at 10/- in 1928. In March 1928 Wm Marwick bought 2 cwts of bere and drying for £1.4.6d. So too did Sincy Shearer and Sunlocks Miller. Jamie Moodie again had 4cwts. As Whitehaa had no drying kiln this had to be dried at The Stronsay Meal Mill. I can only guess that the men were getting beremeal ground for themselves as malt would first be sprouted in a sweet bed in the loft and then taken to “The Mill” for drying and grinding for brewing.
Wool ran around 1/- a lb., used greatly by the mens’ wives for home spinning and knitting. Coal was around 3 tons a half year but varied with a carry over from one year to another. No peats on Whitehall, Rothiesholm Head and its peat banks was too far away and coal was conveniently handy in the Village. John Hutchison had a doctor's bill for 4/- paid by the farm in 1922, and deducted from his wages. Hard times indeed. Insurance was by the old weekly stamped card, with Sunlocks Miller having two weeks unstamped in 1923 as he was off work. Sunlocks bought two young weaned pigs for £1, we called them grices. Potatoes were sold by the barrel, I guess about one cwt but perhaps nearer a boll of 140 lbs. The 1925 harvest had the entries of extra workers Geo Taylor, £6.12.6d, Sam Reid ditto, Andrew W'mson £6.3/-, Jamie Reid £5.12/-., Mary Tulloch £8.9/-., Jas Miller £6. Maggie Hutchison had £5.14/-. Most of these lived in the Village, would have worked there in the herring season, farm casual work if they could get it when the herring moved South. They spoke of “lifting the harvest”, which was just that with so much bending to gather and tie the sheaves after the reaper, or even the scythe, and lift them into a stook. Or lifting the sheaves after the binder. Good for the waist I would think.
Then In November 1938 the first entry of the Minimum Wage. Sincy Shearer had £27/15/- in the half year, as did Peter and Gillies Stevenson from Burragate in Rousam. Ned Norquoy had £26.5/10d, younger then and not yet on the full rate. He came with us to Greenland Mains in 1944, moved latterly to Greenvale with John Mackenzie. Gillies Stevenson had £2.10/- extra as cattleman in 1939. James Norquoy had ”Harvest” in 1938 less rent £11/16/-, and 4 weeks as cattleman at 34/6d a week. He appears in 1939 as full time cattleman, minimum wage, 34/6d a week. Looks like he worked in 1938 as a harvest hand, then stayed on as a full time employee.
By the writing our mother was doing the books by May 1939, the Minimum Rate was £44.17/- for the half year at 34/6d a week. The earlier £27.15 of Nov. 1938 was with the perquisites entered as extra, while by May 1939 she had changed to applying the minimum on the top line, and then subtracting the perquisites, same result. In May of 1939 Sinclair Shearer, World War 1 veteran, in his last half year before his retirement, had Minimum Wage of £44.17/- for the half year. From that was deducted:- Rent: £3., Meal 10/-, Milk £2/12/9.5d, Coal £1/4/11d., 6 st oats 5/6d., Insurance £1/1/8d., Unemployment 8/8d., by Cash, £20/00/00d., leaving a balance due of £29/3/6.5d. To that had been added an extra £2.12/-, in all a top line of £47.9/-, and a balance after deductions of £18/5/5d. paid.
Jamie Norquoy had 2 cwt potatoes at 5/- the cwt., milk at £5/5/7d, indicating that milk was to be paid for at the quantity required. He had Swanney's account deducted at £5.9..111/2d, credit charged to him but paid and deducted by my father from his wages. Peter Stevenson had coal supplied at 591/2d cwts, no apparent charge so that was a perquisite supplied free. In May 1940 he had a deduction of £19./9/4d. for full cost, appears to have been a standard rate for a presumed specified supply of extras such as a certain predetermined amount of milk, coal and potatoes.
War came in September, 1939, as our father predicted, and so too the dreaded Income Tax, though only charged against unmarried John Peace jnr, his married cattleman father John paying nothing. John's brother Willie, also unmarried, had Income Tax. £5 from each of them. May 1941 saw the Minimum going up to 52/- a week, a fleece of wool of 6lbs bought by John Peace snr was 8/-, 1/4d a lb. Whether that was the fleece that we saw Mrs Peace spinning into wool, to then knit stockings or jerseys for her men I do not know, but we watched her skill many a time at the spinning wheel, though her knitting fingers were too fast for our eyes to follow. She bought some white wool, some black, the resulting blended double-twist thread giving a traditional grey-speckled gansy. Quite attractive too. Or thick socks but they needed a fair bit of darning, the soft wool did not wear too well in tackety boots.
Meal was no longer the three bolls in the half year but was bought as required out of the loft meal kist. Bakers bread was available from Swanneys and Jock Stout in the Village. Half loafs, cookies, plain or with currants sometimes, sticky buns, rolls. Whit extravagance, boy!! The flour scones, bere bannocks and oatcakes of so many homes were being supplemented with "fancies", if you can remember that old term, from "the van", travelling shops on wheels. Peter Stevenson had 2 gallons paraffin oil at 1/4d per gallon, approx 6p today.
So to May 1942, the last entry of the Wages Book, 1942, though our farming went on. Peter Stevenson had 7 weeks at 52/-, 19 weeks at 65/-, a total for the half a year of £79/19/-. He was the foreman but did not appear to receive any more pay on that account. Willie Peace, John Peace jnr., John Peace snr., all at the same rate of 65/-. Willie Peace had Income Tax at £10/7/6d. John his younger brother Income Tax at £9/10/-. with no reason I know of for the difference.
Tom Anderson appears at 39/-.a week, looks a fair rate for a young lad against the rates for the older men on full wage. He went to school with me, a year or two older, but we had the distinction of being together belted by Mr John Drever, Headmaster. I was in Class 4, Tom in Class 5. There was a follow on to that incident, well earned because we sniggered while lining up after playtime. When Mr Drever looked for the strap he was, temporarily, unable to find it. A pile of jotters on his desk were sent sailing skywards in his exasperation. Unfortunately, there was a large circular ventilator opening in the ceiling, half of the jotters sailed through, and did not come down again. He found the belt.
Many years later the school was being refurbished, and I asked Tommy Rendall, who had been on that job, if Mr Drever's room had been re-roofed. It had. When I asked him if a pile of jotters had been found in the roof space, all he could say was "How the H*** did you know about that? All I could say was “I was there!!” Incidentally, Tom Anderson’s Insurance was 2d a week, his N.H. also 2d. And his was the very last entry in the book in May 1942..

Over the 36 years of the Wages Book until it finished 28th May 1942 pay had moved from £9 in the half year at the B'of Rothiesholm in 1906 to £79 at Whitehaa for the half year to 28th May, made up of 7 weeks at 52/-, and 19 weeks at 65/-. which was for Peter Stevenson. A full half year at 65/- would have been £84/10/00d.
Perquisites had risen. Holidays with pay came in, not a lot. Time off sick was un-payed. Maybe a half-day as maternity leave, or a funereal. Stronsay favoured Sunday funereals, fitted in between morning and evening services at the Church. The men were clean and dressed anyway, practical. Did not take time off work!! Houses were being improved somewhat on the larger farms. Usual first step was a small add-on kitchen at the back of the house, mostly built by the men themselves with some help from knacky neighbours, with material being supplied by the farmer, sometimes no more than timber and asbestos sheets. An equally small front-door porch which did good service in many ways apart from keeping out some drafts, uses such as the men’s outdoor boots and clothes, a spare bucket or two, a bag of feed for the chooks.. Most men could keep a pig for themselves, and a few hens. Somewhere in the book I could analyse prices by deduction but that is a more general look at farming. There are not too many left who can correct my errors, but of The Men O’ Whitehaa there are still a few around.