JOURNAL OF THE IRISH LABOUR HISTORY SOCIETY

,'-,;-''''.A PASSAGE TO BRITAIN 23COUNTY BOUNDARIESPOOR LAW UNION BOUNDARIESCounties Mayo, Sligo, Roscommon, Leitrim and Donegaland a spe,cial fourth class passage was provided during those periods of the year when the level ofmigration was highest. Finance rather than philanthropy governed the attitude of the railway companies.There were constant complaints about the service and facilities provided, especially against theMidland Great Western Railway Company. The rail companies did, however, respond. In 1879 westof Ireland migrants were granted a thirty-five per cent farereduction. 5Despite these concessions, passage to Britain put a financial burden on many families. It alsohighlighted the working of the credit system within the community, and in particular the importanceof the shopkeeper in providing loans to migrants. The shopkeeper was important in providing creditnot alone during periods of distress, but also on a regular basis for needs such as seasonal migration.This role of shopkeepers m ust be regarded as a necessary evil as the absence of banks resulted in their"being the only source of credit. They extracted a heavy price. Credit placed the people in thestranglehold of the shopkeepers, a point that was noted in 1880 by Captain Spaight, a local governmentboard inspector: :Once they get any of these people into their books, they never let them out of theirpockets till they have all that can be got out of them.'6In most ofthe incidences Spaight had come across, shopkeepers arrang~ for all migrant remittancesto come through them and the money was paid back with heavy interest. Without credit, however, itismore than probable that the majority of m igrants would have been unable to travel to Britain in searchof work. At the same time dependence.on credit was great and the pitfalls obvious, as the migrant'swelfare was associated closely with the shopkeepers' ability to extend credit. During the distress of1879"80 c"redit was not available and the migrants suffered great hardship. A deputation of tenants fromthe Aughagower area, near Westport, sought relieffrom the Westport Guardians. They stated that in