After the revolution - Paper Money of Sonora

After the revolution - Paper Money of Sonora

After the revolution
Private issues in Sonora after the revolution
One of the subsidiary aims of the revolution had been to end the exploitation of workers through
the tienda de raya. As the revolution was hijacked by the bourgeoisie it is not surprising that in
the following decade the workers could still complain, with little redress, of being paid in bad
money (
mal moneda).
Compañia Sud-Pacifico de México y Ferrocarril de Sonora,
Empalme
On 20 August 1916 employees at the workshops of the Compañia Sud-Pacifico de México y
Ferrocarril de Sonora at Empalme complained to the Governor, Adolfo de la Huerta, that the
company was operating a tienda de raya, paying them only 25% in actual cash. In addition,
certain items were only sold for gold. On 26 August the government exhorted the company to
sell all its good, for
infalsificables, at normal prices.
The company replied that it would do what it could to remove the source of
complaint{footnote}AGHES, Fondo Oficialidad Mayor, tomo 3083{/footnote}.
In March 1917 governor Adolfo de la Huerta decreed additional labour regulations, based on the
recommendations of a labour council, which were compatible with those enacted in the new
national constitution{footnote}provision of a safe working environment, appointment of
government safety inspectors, equal wages for natives and foreigners, hiring preferences for
natives over foreigners (when qualifications were equal), foreigners' knowledge of Spanish,
cash wages (as opposed to goods or tokens), and provision of medical care by
Spanish-speaking physicians and pharmacists. For their part, workers were instructed to be
punctual, hardworking, respectful, and obedient to company rules{/footnote}, including the
payment of wages in cash.
Hacienda 'Topahui'
The Hacienda ‘Topahui’ was situated twenty miles northeast of Hermosillo and had been in the
Gándara family for many years. In the nineteenth century it had paid in tokens{footnote}AGHES,
Fondo Oficialidad Mayor, no reference{/footnote}. Now, in January 1923 the local union, the
Sindicato Laborista de Sonora, complained that Antonio Gándara was paying his workers with v
ales
. These were cardboard tokens, measuring 88x49mm, for 10c and 25c, with the inscription
‘HACIENDA ‘TOPAHUI’/COMPROBANTE DE HABER/0-25/NO ES NEGOCIABLE’. The estate
was fined fifty pesos{footnote}AGHES, Fondo Oficialidad Mayor, no reference{/footnote}.
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After the revolution
Hacienda 'El Molino de Camou'
In the same year the Sindicato Laborista de Sonora also complained that the Hacienda ‘El
Molino de Camou’ near Hermosillo was paying with stamped cards (boletos sellados) usable
only at the exorbitantly priced
tienda de raya
{footnote}AGHES, Fondo Oficialidad Mayor, no reference{/footnote}.
Rodríguez Hermanos, Empalme
Again in 1923 another union, the Sindicato Obrero, complained that the casa comercial of
Rodríguez Hermanos, in Empalme outside Guaymas was nothing more than the
tienda de raya
of the railway company Ferrocarril Sud Pacifico de México. The store gave the railway company
coupons (
cupones
) with which to pay their workers, the coupons only being acceptable for merchandise in the
Rodríguez’ store. Since the Rodríguez never gave cash for their coupons if a worker needed
money he had to sell them to a third party for less than half their value. The store was also
accused of discounting coupons used for any purchase in excess of ten pesos. After an enquiry
it was decided that the company was in fact giving advances on wages while the Rodríguez
were offering credit facilities to individual workers and the coupons were merely a convenient
method of proving that an employee was owed wages by the railway company. As the company
was not in fact paying its workers with the coupons but merely giving them advances (
cartas de crédito
), and as, on the other hand, the store had no connection with the railway company and was not
using the scrip to pay its own workers, neither party was breaking the law{footnote}AGHES,
Fondo Oficialidad Mayor, no reference{/footnote}.
La Dura
In July 1923 Ricardo Clayton, the undermanager (sub-gerente) of the mining company in La
Dura (who was also conveniently the local chief of police and owner of a grocery and clothing
store) was also accused of running a
tienda de raya
. Clayton closed his accounts at the end of each month but in the meantime gave the staff
hand-written chits (
vales
) with a blue oval handstamp ‘JORGE CLAYTON/LA DURA, SONORA and date’, a signature
and value. The
vales
were never for more than 50c, apparently to discourage others from accepting them. As a result
2/4
After the revolution
of the complaints Clayton suspended the use of
vales
and began to pay every tenth day with bank cheques that were accepted throughout the town
as cash. Although the workers wanted to continue this practice the government would not allow
it and instructed Clayton to pay in real cash{footnote}AGHES, Fondo Oficialidad Mayor, no
reference{/footnote}.
On 21 January 1925 small shopkeepers in La Dura wrote to R. I. Clayton (presumably Ricardo),
manager of the La Dura Mill and Mining Company, telling him that they had asked the
government to make him settle wages weekly rather than once a month, as under the present
system workers were unable to shop where it best suited them{footnote}AGHES, Fondo
Oficialidad Mayor, tomo 3749{/footnote}. In March 1925 it was reported that the company was
giving daily and exclusively to the local branch of Rademacher Muller y Cia., Sucs. a list of
workers and their respective earnings so that the shop could grant them credit and that this was
tantamount to running a tienda de raya. The accusation was denied though as it does not seem
to have involved any paper it need not detain us{footnote}AGHES, Fondo Oficialidad Mayor, no
reference{/footnote}.
Pitiquito
In September 1923 there was a complaint that the Compañía Palo Verde Cotton Investment of
Pitiquito paid with tickets that were only accepted by Manuel Lamas, the owner of the largest
store in the area. These tickets were not true currency as they were made out to individual
workers. They measured 119x67mm, and were inscribed ‘PALO VERDE COTTON
INVESTMENT CO. / No_____ / Pitiquito (date)_ / Number_____ / Labor_____ / Peso____ /
Importe____ / Pesador_____’{footnote}AGHES, Fondo Oficialidad Mayor, no
reference{/footnote}.
Horcasitas
In September 1924 it was reported that the business house of Lavin y Gómez and another
American store in Horcasitas were paying in slips and tokens (boletos y fichas) but on
investigation this was denied{footnote}AGHES, Fondo Oficialidad Mayor, no
reference{/footnote}.
El Tigre
3/4
After the revolution
In
1925
the
El
Mining
Company
had
two
tiendas
de
raya,
plant,
and
in
El
Tigre
itself,
which
used
awhilst
system
of
at
El
Molino,
the
site
of
the
,concentration
cash.
and
only
The
on
back
the
of
rare
the
occasions
when
aand
worker
was
in
credit
on
pay
day,
did
they
pay
out
in
carteras
reply
had
named
in
merchants
discount.
Fondo
the
the
of
company’s
Oficialidad
person,
Secretario,
legend
In
accepted
response
‘No
they
billiard
Mayor,
25
es
could
them,
the
transferible,
August
halls,
tomo
government
be
and
redeemed
1925{/footnote}.
cinemas
3749,
redeemed
Ni
report
Negociable’
ordered
for
them
merchandise
wholesalers.
of
Presidente
the
with
but
company
the
In
by
Municipal,
addition,
they
any
to
pay
one.
could
at
weekly{footnote}AGHES,
Chinese
El
They
10%
only
Tigre,
could
(or
be
and
17
cashed
greater)
also
August
Japanese
be
by
used
1925:
the
On
5follows:
October
1925
the
state
government
sent
a
circular
(company
núm
.1925{/footnote}.
293
Municipales,
concerns
to
be
were
paid
reminding
in
paying
legal
in
tender.
them
merchandise
that
Since
Article
the
or
governor
123
by
means
of
the
was
Federal
of
aware
that
certain
)a
to
stipulated
Presidentes
agricultural
that
and
wages
mining
vales,
fiches
o
cartones
(Bavispe,
Misa,
reported
he
asked
Nacozari
that
Cumpas,
for
there
aTigre
Chico,
report
were
Guaymas,
Navojoa,
from
no
each
abuses
Hacienda
Pilares
Presidente
inworkers
their
de
de
Teras,
districts,
San
Municipal
Rafael,
Sahuaripa,
but
of
others
Huasabas,
the
state
Santa
mentioned
of
La
Ana,
affairs
Mesita
Tubutama,
instances
in
de
their
Cuajari,
area.
of
Ures)
Many
La
tiendas
as
Though
the
Moctezuma
Copper
Company
did
pay
in
cash,
itConstitution
gave
carteras
asked
for
store
them
sold
and
these
flour
at
entitled
the
local
the
cash
holders
price
to
of
lower
$3.60,
prices
but
at
for
$3.00
basic
in
items.
to
For
workers
instance,
who
the
carteras
,company
and
frijoles
for
50
to
60
centavos
cash,
but
35c
in
{footnote}AGHES,
Nacozari,
12
October
Fondo
1925{/footnote}.
Oficialidad
Mayor,
tomo
3749,
report
of
Presidente
Municipal,
Pilares
merchandise,
El
Tigre
the
through
Tigre
Mining
its
system
Company
of
was
the
only
company
still
paying
part
of
its
salaries
in
carteras{footnote}AGHES,
3749,
report
of
Presidente
Municipal,
Villa
El
Tigre,
13
October
Fondo
Oficialidad
Mayor,
tomo
In
San
José
de
Garcia
farming
companies
paid
in
vales
provisionales,
workers
de
clarification
Policía,
asked
San
as
to
for
José
how
it{footnote}AGHES,
de
frequently
García,
20
the
October
Fondo
1925{/footnote}.
were
Oficialidad
paid
and
Mayor,
whether
The
tomo
government
the
3479,
paying
report
in
asked
cash
of
for
Comisario
when
vales
were
redeemed
in
full.
The
Comisario
de
Policia
in
Sinoquipe
reported
that
there
were
no
tiendas
company
Oficialidad
1925{/footnote}.
paid
Mayor,
in
cheques
tomo
3749,
that
report
were
cashed
of
Comisario
by
local
de
storekeepers{footnote}AGHES,
Policía,
Sinoquipe,
Arizpe,
but
that
20
one
October
Fondo
mining
In
Nogales,
Caborca
Arizona,
the
Pintas
which
Mines
were
Company
cashed
at
paid
a
discount
with
cheques
in
a
kind
drawn
of
on
the
First
National
Bank
of
tienda
de
raya,
under
the
Martínez
name
of
‘Armando
Quiroz’.
In
addition
the
local
farm
owners,
Remigio
established
V.
Aguilar
and
hijo
,Antonio
merchadise{footnote}AGHES,
Municipal,
paid
their
Caborca,
labourers
13
with
October
chits
Fondo
for
1925{/footnote}.
the
Oficialidad
local
stores,
Mayor,
so
most
tomo
was
3749,
paid
report
in
of
Presidente
The
Hacienda
de
Topahue
used
a
system
of
boletos
Sunday.
If
necessary,
the
hacienda
would
give
workers
carrying
forward
any
credit
or
debit
every
vales
drawn
on
one
or
other
casa
comercial
in
Policia,
Hermosillo{footnote}AGHES,
San José de García, 3 November
Fondo Oficialidad
1925{/footnote}.
Mayor, tomo 3749, report of Comisario de
4/4