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DM inter Mary & Tom Ferko -3- 8/7/72 Tape 6

DM I haven't talked to as many men as I should have, I like women too much, no that's really something I don't think Angela or Wally have found that out see we never have you down talking business we're always having too much fun, that's neat, but here's something you both can answer, about work clothes as opposed to your every day clothes, did you have to buy your clothes from the company?
TF You could buy them anwhere you wanted to buy them, your boots or anything an place you wanted to buy them but you could buy in the company store, they were higher there than other places, that's why some guys that working in the mines would deal in the store and they'd never get a pay, when they got their due bills there was a snake on it and you know what that means.
MF There would be no money comin'.
TF The store took it all.
DM What do you mean a snake on it?
TF Like this, there was a thing that showed you how many hours you worked and how much you got an hour and how much you made for the total hours and then there was a small thing like on your check your name and everything was on there, how much money you had comin' well you tore that off and when you went for your pay you handed that thing in and you'd look for your name and then look for your envelope and then they handed you your money.
MF And a lot of guys didn't get any because they took everything for the store, food and clothing and everything so they wouldn't get no pay.
TF You go up and ask and tell him to tell the truth, he never got none.
DM He was alway in the hole to the store.
MF Yes because he would always buy everything from the store.
DM And that was higher, about how much percentage would you say?
TF I wouldn't know percentage buy it was always higher a nickel for so, I very seldom dealt in the store, maybe a loaf of bread or something like that, but I paid cash. I didn't have it taken off my pay.