PLAINT OF THE CONSUMER

Take pity on us
Take pity on us
Give us good measure
Give us good goods

"Robson complained: '[...] . . . Yet not content with this, the governors add to the price of their goods, exact many more furs from the natives than is required by the standard, and sometimes pay them not equally for furs of the same value; and I wish it could not be said, that taking advantage of the necessities of this abused people, who as they have no other market to go to are obliged to submit to any terms that are imposed upon them, they derive some gains also from weights and measures. This they call the profit of the over-plus trade, part of which they always add to the Company's stock for the sake of enhancing the merit of their services [for the rainy day golden parachute], and apply the remainder to their own use, which is often expended in bribes to skreen their faults and continue them in their command. It is this trade that is the great bond of union between the governors and captains'" (Innis, 146).

"The Indians were alleged to have complained of various shortages.

'You told me last year to bring many Indians to trade, which I promised to do; you see I have not lied; here are a great many young men come with me; use them kindly, I say; let them trade good goods; let them trade good goods I say! We lived hard last winter and hungry, the powder being short measure and bad; being short measure and bad, I say! Tell your servants to fill the measure, and not to put their thumbs within the brim; take pity on us, take pity on us, I say! We paddle a long way to see you; we love the English, Let us trade good black tobacco, moist and hard twisted; let us see it before it is opened. Take pity on us; take pity on us, I say! The guns are bad, let us trade light guns, small in the hand, and well shaped, with locks that will not freeze in the winter, and red gun cases. Let the young men have more than measure of tobacco; cheap kettles, thick and high. Give us good measure of cloth; let us see the old measure; do you mind me? The young men loves you, by coming so far to see you take pity, take pity, I say; and give them good goods; they like to dress and be fine. Do you understand me? . . .'" (Innis, 147).

"He [Henry Kelsey] found [in July or August, 1691] the usual disturbances, following the introduction of European goods and especially guns, and incidental to war on the part of the middlemen (the Crees and the Assiniboines accustomed to canoes), against the more remote and less fortunate Indians of the Plains" (p. 125, Innis, The Fur Trade in Canada).

"Kelsey's task was to check the wars between tribes of the interior in order that they might hunt more beaver. On September 6, 1691, he wrote that he had advised the Indians,

telling ym yt they must employ their time in catching of beaver for yt will be better liked on then their killing their enemies when they come to ye factory neither was I sent there for to kill any Indians but to make peace wth as many as I could but all my arguments prevailed nothing with ym for they told me wt signified a peace with those Indians considering they knew not  ye use of canoes and were resolved to go to wars. So I seeing it in vain I held my peace.

[...]" (p. 125, Innis, The Fur Trade in Canada).

"[...] the problem of getting them to come to Hudson Bay was [...] practically insoluble"  (p. 126, Innis, The Fur Trade in Canada).

"[...] a knowledge of the requirements of the trade was scarcely less important, and in this the services of Radisson and Groseilliers were invaluable"  (p. 127, Innis, The Fur Trade in Canada).

"The reliance [of the Hudson's Bay Company] on French experience was even more in evidence in the purchase of trading goods.

[...] a cargo for the next yeares [1672] expedition for Hudsons Bay, that is to say, two hundred fowleing pieces and foure hundred powder hornes with a proportionable quantity of Shott fitt thereunto first bringeing patternes of the gunns to bee bought, unto the next committee, and more two hundred brasse kettles [akikoons] sizable of from two to sixteene gallons a piece, twelve grosse of french knives and two grosse of arrow heads and about five or six hundred hatchets . . ."  (p. 127, Innis, The Fur Trade in Canada).

"The fur trade to that area began under a monopoly sanctioned by the Crown--The Royal Charter for incorporating the Hudson's Bay Company granted by His Majesty King Charles the Second in the 22nd year of His reign A.D. 1670"  (p. 128, Innis, The Fur Trade in Canada).

"Wage schedules were planned and adopted [...] Young men twenty to thirty and bachelors were preferred. From fifteen to thirty men were needed for each post. In 1710 the policy of introducing Orkneymen was begun at rates for five years of £8, £10, £12, and £14 the last two years"  (p. 130, Innis, The Fur Trade in Canada).