Second Shetland Truck System Report - LightNovelsOnl.com
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Baltasound, Unst, January 19, 1872, ROBERT GRAY, examined.10,751. Are you a fisherman here?-I am. I fish to Mr. Sandison at the station.10,752. Where do you live?-I live at Snarravoe.10,753. You have heard the evidence to-day, and you desire to come forward and make some statement yourself with regard to the advances of meal you have received from Messrs. Spence & Co?-Yes. I wish to say that if I had not been advanced by them in two bad years, I must have starved with my family, because, I did not have the means with which to buy supplies.10,754. Were you in debt to Spence & Co. at the beginning of the two bad years?-Yes.
10,755. And you continued to fish for them?-Yes.10,756. Have you got further into debt during late years, or have you cleared any of your debt off?-I have got a little out of debt, because I had some cattle to spare, and I had a bigger fis.h.i.+ng; but at the time when I had nothing with which to support my family they supported us and paid my rent too.10,757. On whose property do you live?-On Major Cameron's property.10,758. Then you paid your rent to him?-I paid my rent to him until Spence & Co. took me into their service.[Page 263]10,759. Who did you fish for formerly?-Captain Cameron kept the fis.h.i.+ng when he was alive, and I fished for him, and at other times I just fished for the man that I got the best bargain from.10,760. But at one time Captain Cameron held you bound to fish for himself?-Yes.10,761. You now take your supplies from Spence & Co?-Yes; and I could not be better supplied than I have been by them.10,762. You don't deal anywhere else?-No, except for any small thing which I require; and if I have a penny or so I go into any shop and buy.10,763. Do you get any cash in the course of the year?-I get it when I ask for it.10,764. How much have you asked for?-I never could ask for much because I was in debt, and I am in debt yet; but when I asked for a little, I got it at any time.10,765. I suppose you have some money pa.s.sing through your hands at times?-It is not very much. I went south some years ago and I had no money, and I wrote to those people to supply my family while was south, and they gave them what they required.10,766. Is that all you wish to say?-Yes.Baltasound, Unst, January 19, 1872, ALEXANDER SANDISON, recalled.10,767. Do you wish to say anything further?-Yes. The reason why the big shops have no change is, that they are daily paying for produce and advances to their fishermen, and change is very much wanted. I have often had to issue small checks for want of change promising to pay them when I got the change.10,768. Is there any other person here who wishes to give evidence or to make any statement? [No answer] Then I adjourn the sitting here until further notice.UYEASOUND: SAt.u.r.dAY, JANUARY 20, 1872 CHARLES WILLIAMSON, examined.10,769. You are a fisherman at Cullivoe in North Yell?-Yes.10,770. How long have you lived there?-I have lived for four years at Gutcher.10,771. Where were you before?-At Mid Yell.10,772. Have you been a fisherman in Yell all your life?-No; I have been south at sea half the time, and at the whale fis.h.i.+ng.10,773. Do you do much in the winter fis.h.i.+ng?-A good deal.10,774. You do a good deal more at that than your neighbours?- Yes, a good deal.10,775. How much will you make for a winter and spring fis.h.i.+ng, before the regular haaf fis.h.i.+ng begins?-Last winter I made about 12, and in the spring 6.10,776. Have you made a good fis.h.i.+ng of it this winter season, so far as it is gone?-Yes, very good.10,777. Do you sell your fish as you land them?-No, I salt them as I land them.10,778. Will you make as good a fis.h.i.+ng of it this season as you did last season?-I hope I shall. I have every prospect of doing so.10,779. You carry on that winter fis.h.i.+ng with a small boat?-Yes, with a small four-oared boat which I work with my two boys.10,780. You think you make a great deal more in the winter and spring than any of your neighbours?-Yes, I have always done that, because I devote my time to it exclusively.10,781. In fact you are more industrious and courageous?-I think I have been that.10,782. Do you think it would be possible for a man here to live by fis.h.i.+ng all the year round?-I am living by it myself.10,783. Have you not a piece of ground?-I have a small piece of ground, but it can do very little for me, because I am paying about 12 of rent and rates. I have to buy all my livelihood in the course of the year from my fis.h.i.+ng.10,784. You do not depend much upon your ground?-No.10,785. Not so much as most of the tenants round about you?-I do not.10,786. Is that because the rent you pay is higher than is paid by others?-I have a better house than others, and that makes the land higher.10,787. Do you think that if you had large boats here, such as they have on the east coast, the fis.h.i.+ng might be carried on all the winter?-Not the Faroe fis.h.i.+ng, or the fis.h.i.+ng which is carried on in the summer time. The deep-sea fis.h.i.+ng could not be carried on in winter, because there is such a heavy current.10,788. Do you think that even with the large boats, in which you have a shelter for two or three of the men, it would not be possible to carry on that fis.h.i.+ng?-With the large boats we could hardly work the lines in the way we work them now.10,789. Have you thought of trying that?-I have, and I am thinking of trying it now.10,790. You are going to make an experiment about it this season?-Yes; I am thinking about trying it now with a large boat, such as are used along the Scotch coast. If I had a boat like theirs, I think I could fish all March and all April and May.10,791. Do you know whether anything of that kind has been tried before in Shetland?-There has been no attempt made in a boat like that.10,792. But you believe there may be a fair chance of doing a good business with it?-I should think there is.10,793. Do you think you could not go out to the haaf with a boat like that in winter as you do in summer?-We would trust more to her if she were decked over.
10,755. And you continued to fish for them?-Yes.10,756. Have you got further into debt during late years, or have you cleared any of your debt off?-I have got a little out of debt, because I had some cattle to spare, and I had a bigger fis.h.i.+ng; but at the time when I had nothing with which to support my family they supported us and paid my rent too.10,757. On whose property do you live?-On Major Cameron's property.10,758. Then you paid your rent to him?-I paid my rent to him until Spence & Co. took me into their service.[Page 263]10,759. Who did you fish for formerly?-Captain Cameron kept the fis.h.i.+ng when he was alive, and I fished for him, and at other times I just fished for the man that I got the best bargain from.10,760. But at one time Captain Cameron held you bound to fish for himself?-Yes.10,761. You now take your supplies from Spence & Co?-Yes; and I could not be better supplied than I have been by them.10,762. You don't deal anywhere else?-No, except for any small thing which I require; and if I have a penny or so I go into any shop and buy.10,763. Do you get any cash in the course of the year?-I get it when I ask for it.10,764. How much have you asked for?-I never could ask for much because I was in debt, and I am in debt yet; but when I asked for a little, I got it at any time.10,765. I suppose you have some money pa.s.sing through your hands at times?-It is not very much. I went south some years ago and I had no money, and I wrote to those people to supply my family while was south, and they gave them what they required.10,766. Is that all you wish to say?-Yes.Baltasound, Unst, January 19, 1872, ALEXANDER SANDISON, recalled.10,767. Do you wish to say anything further?-Yes. The reason why the big shops have no change is, that they are daily paying for produce and advances to their fishermen, and change is very much wanted. I have often had to issue small checks for want of change promising to pay them when I got the change.10,768. Is there any other person here who wishes to give evidence or to make any statement? [No answer] Then I adjourn the sitting here until further notice.UYEASOUND: SAt.u.r.dAY, JANUARY 20, 1872 CHARLES WILLIAMSON, examined.10,769. You are a fisherman at Cullivoe in North Yell?-Yes.10,770. How long have you lived there?-I have lived for four years at Gutcher.10,771. Where were you before?-At Mid Yell.10,772. Have you been a fisherman in Yell all your life?-No; I have been south at sea half the time, and at the whale fis.h.i.+ng.10,773. Do you do much in the winter fis.h.i.+ng?-A good deal.10,774. You do a good deal more at that than your neighbours?- Yes, a good deal.10,775. How much will you make for a winter and spring fis.h.i.+ng, before the regular haaf fis.h.i.+ng begins?-Last winter I made about 12, and in the spring 6.10,776. Have you made a good fis.h.i.+ng of it this winter season, so far as it is gone?-Yes, very good.10,777. Do you sell your fish as you land them?-No, I salt them as I land them.10,778. Will you make as good a fis.h.i.+ng of it this season as you did last season?-I hope I shall. I have every prospect of doing so.10,779. You carry on that winter fis.h.i.+ng with a small boat?-Yes, with a small four-oared boat which I work with my two boys.10,780. You think you make a great deal more in the winter and spring than any of your neighbours?-Yes, I have always done that, because I devote my time to it exclusively.10,781. In fact you are more industrious and courageous?-I think I have been that.10,782. Do you think it would be possible for a man here to live by fis.h.i.+ng all the year round?-I am living by it myself.10,783. Have you not a piece of ground?-I have a small piece of ground, but it can do very little for me, because I am paying about 12 of rent and rates. I have to buy all my livelihood in the course of the year from my fis.h.i.+ng.10,784. You do not depend much upon your ground?-No.10,785. Not so much as most of the tenants round about you?-I do not.10,786. Is that because the rent you pay is higher than is paid by others?-I have a better house than others, and that makes the land higher.10,787. Do you think that if you had large boats here, such as they have on the east coast, the fis.h.i.+ng might be carried on all the winter?-Not the Faroe fis.h.i.+ng, or the fis.h.i.+ng which is carried on in the summer time. The deep-sea fis.h.i.+ng could not be carried on in winter, because there is such a heavy current.10,788. Do you think that even with the large boats, in which you have a shelter for two or three of the men, it would not be possible to carry on that fis.h.i.+ng?-With the large boats we could hardly work the lines in the way we work them now.10,789. Have you thought of trying that?-I have, and I am thinking of trying it now.10,790. You are going to make an experiment about it this season?-Yes; I am thinking about trying it now with a large boat, such as are used along the Scotch coast. If I had a boat like theirs, I think I could fish all March and all April and May.10,791. Do you know whether anything of that kind has been tried before in Shetland?-There has been no attempt made in a boat like that.10,792. But you believe there may be a fair chance of doing a good business with it?-I should think there is.10,793. Do you think you could not go out to the haaf with a boat like that in winter as you do in summer?-We would trust more to her if she were decked over.
