Page 348 - Panjek, Aleksander, Jesper Larsson and Luca Mocarelli, eds. 2017. Integrated Peasant Economy in a Comparative Perspective: Alps, Scandinavia and Beyond. Koper: University of Primorska Press
P. 348
integr ated peasant economy in a compar ative perspective
informant, the wage of a worker in an industrial plant in the year 1913 was 3
to 3.40 kreuzers per day for a man, e.g. 1.5 to 1.7 goldinars, and 2 to 2.3 kreu-
zers, e.g. 1 to 1.15 goldinars per day for a woman (for ten hours of work)2. Af-
ter WWII the value of ice and the profitability of its production and com-
mercialisation sunk, since for a hundredweight of ice, 4 liras were paid in
Trieste (twenty-five or thirty carts of ice filled an ice store with twenty-five
to thirty-five kg of ice per cart; Belingar 2005, 350). For comparison, at that
time a calf cost about 120 liras and an adult cow 200–300 liras (Klemenčič
1959, 136), while a cart of ice was worth a hundredweight of flour (Belingar
2005, 350). It has to be added that the ice-trade was tax free, although most
of the other peasant merchandise such as meat, spirits, stock, poultry and
crops could not avoid paying duty (Belingar 2005, 351; Bugarič and Hrobat
1994a, 15).
Ice-trading represented a small income also for the hired workers. The
informants remembered that a daily wage for workers storing the ice in the
winter time was around 10 liras, which was considered a good payment in
the time between WWI and WWII. For this money a pair of worker’s trou-
sers could be bought (Bugarič and Hrobat 1994a, 23). The payment for the
workers in the summer, when the ice had to be brought out of the ice-store,
was 5 to 6 liras per worker, only the heaviest job, carrying the ice from the
ice store, was paid 10 liras (Belingar 2005, 350; Bugarič and Hrobat 1994a,
25).
Concluding remarks
From the view of ethnologists, the peasant activities which were not linked
to farming are seen as cases of activity, “supplementary” or “additional” to
the essentially agrarian economy (see Makarovič 1978, 8; Sedej 1988–1990;
Bras 1988–1990, 208; Bogataj 1992, 86‒141). Janez Bogataj only warns that
with the introduction of the term “house industry” in 1883, craft was not
perceived any longer only as an additional activity, but as the main occupa-
tion (Bogataj 1989, 10).
Nevertheless, Marija Makarovič at the same time presents some in-
teresting data and regional specifics in the agrarian economy, from which
we can presume about the importance of the trade of agrarian products. In
the 17th and 18th centuries the homemade corn in Istria was enough for only
four months of the year, the missing corn was imported while 4/5 of ol-
2 Slovenec 29. 9. 1913, 5; http://www.rtvslo.si/kultura/razglednice-preteklosti/kaj-in-
kako-so-oglasevali-pred-sto-leti/318891, 20.12.2016.
346
informant, the wage of a worker in an industrial plant in the year 1913 was 3
to 3.40 kreuzers per day for a man, e.g. 1.5 to 1.7 goldinars, and 2 to 2.3 kreu-
zers, e.g. 1 to 1.15 goldinars per day for a woman (for ten hours of work)2. Af-
ter WWII the value of ice and the profitability of its production and com-
mercialisation sunk, since for a hundredweight of ice, 4 liras were paid in
Trieste (twenty-five or thirty carts of ice filled an ice store with twenty-five
to thirty-five kg of ice per cart; Belingar 2005, 350). For comparison, at that
time a calf cost about 120 liras and an adult cow 200–300 liras (Klemenčič
1959, 136), while a cart of ice was worth a hundredweight of flour (Belingar
2005, 350). It has to be added that the ice-trade was tax free, although most
of the other peasant merchandise such as meat, spirits, stock, poultry and
crops could not avoid paying duty (Belingar 2005, 351; Bugarič and Hrobat
1994a, 15).
Ice-trading represented a small income also for the hired workers. The
informants remembered that a daily wage for workers storing the ice in the
winter time was around 10 liras, which was considered a good payment in
the time between WWI and WWII. For this money a pair of worker’s trou-
sers could be bought (Bugarič and Hrobat 1994a, 23). The payment for the
workers in the summer, when the ice had to be brought out of the ice-store,
was 5 to 6 liras per worker, only the heaviest job, carrying the ice from the
ice store, was paid 10 liras (Belingar 2005, 350; Bugarič and Hrobat 1994a,
25).
Concluding remarks
From the view of ethnologists, the peasant activities which were not linked
to farming are seen as cases of activity, “supplementary” or “additional” to
the essentially agrarian economy (see Makarovič 1978, 8; Sedej 1988–1990;
Bras 1988–1990, 208; Bogataj 1992, 86‒141). Janez Bogataj only warns that
with the introduction of the term “house industry” in 1883, craft was not
perceived any longer only as an additional activity, but as the main occupa-
tion (Bogataj 1989, 10).
Nevertheless, Marija Makarovič at the same time presents some in-
teresting data and regional specifics in the agrarian economy, from which
we can presume about the importance of the trade of agrarian products. In
the 17th and 18th centuries the homemade corn in Istria was enough for only
four months of the year, the missing corn was imported while 4/5 of ol-
2 Slovenec 29. 9. 1913, 5; http://www.rtvslo.si/kultura/razglednice-preteklosti/kaj-in-
kako-so-oglasevali-pred-sto-leti/318891, 20.12.2016.
346
