Excerpt of interview with Brian Smith, talking about Truck

This is an excerpt of a discussion between myself and Brian Smith in the Shetland Museum, about the horrendous Truck system. The Truck system was in operation in Shetland between the 1840s and the 1940s, and was an exploitative relationship between merchants and knitters, whereby knitters were paid in useless goods like sweets and tea for their amazing handiwork. These women were then forced to barter these useless goods with farmers and other merchants for stuff they could actually eat, like bread and potatoes. Brian Smith is the archivist at the Shetland Museum and Archives and is very knowledgeable about Truck. Here he talks about how the Truck system operated even after it was officially made illegal.