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usmess. Mrs Laughnan, a local school teacher, received bread from the bakery in
return for educating some of the Perini children.^*
Vincenzo hhnself also received payments many times through the barter
system, exchanging both his goods and labour. In 1872, for example, he fixed fences
for Fabrizio Crippa in retum for wine received.^ The barter system would appear to
have been retained by the more financially secure citizens because of hs link with
tradition and its cooperative spirit. For those citizens in need of cash for business
purposes, Vincenzo was able to offer interest bearing loans although this service was
mainly Umited to the Italian speakers and indicative of the low levels of currency within
their community. Men who worked for Vincenzo often received their payment in
goods from his store, a day's labour being the equivalent of five shillings worth of
groceries: Girolamo Ronechi, Pietro Pedrotta and Martino Marinoya were all paid in
this way.^" As it was rare for such peasant famiUes back in Europe to employ labour
from outside the family, a wage system may not have been well developed. Though
the practice of barter was widespread among the Italian speakers of Spring Creek, and
continued into the early years of the twentieth century, it was eventually replaced by a
fully cash economy. The eaming of wages and the opening up of the community to
outside forces, such as tourism, reduced both its efficiency and its appeal.
Besides the goods which Vincenzo provided through his hotel and store, his
business ledger also reveals a number of services. Skilled in both English and Italian,
he became the Italian speakers' legal representative and ran a lucrative business writing
business letters and helping settle business affairs. Most Italian speakers needed (at
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