The accounts between merchants and fishermen are settled in a
sufficiently loose manner. In many cases no pass-book is kept.
Sometimes it has been refused by the shopkeeper on account of
the trouble; sometimes it is the fisherman who could not be
'fashed' with it; sometimes it has been used for a time and given
up because of the customer's irregularity in bringing it. There is
undoubtedly much carelessness among the men with regard to
their accounts. They get what they want without much trouble.
The merchant or landlord helps them through bad times; and they
do not always minutely scrutinize the items charged against them.
They have a considerable, and probably not misplaced, confidence
in the honesty of the shopkeeper, so far as the quantities of their
'out-takes' are concerned. Some men indeed keep private notes of
their out-takes, which they compare with the shop ledger when
read over to them; but most trust to their memory to check their
accounts, and sometimes they are in a hurry to get home, and the
ceremony of reading over the account is omitted altogether. The
shopkeeper of course does not insist on doing so: in some places,
indeed, it is read over only if expressly asked. William Blance,
who fishes to the firm of T.M. Adie, is a specimen of the more
careless class of men:
'... There are somethings which you have got which are not put in
here?-Yes; I have gone to the shop when I did not have my book,
and I have got what I asked.'
'6086. What goods you got in that way when you did not have your
pass-book were all put down in Mr. Adie's book, and you
remembered about them when you came to settle?-Sometimes,
and sometimes not.'
'6087. If you did not remember them, did you trust to the honesty
of the shopkeepers?-Yes.'
'6088. Is your account read over to you at settling time?-Yes, if I
ask it to be done.'
'6089. Do you generally ask it?-Sometimes I do not, if I am in a
hurry to get home.'
'6090. Then you have perfect confidence in their honesty?-I
always think it would do more harm to them than to me if they
were not honest ....'
'6119. Do you get your meal at Voe?-Yes; most that we use
comes from there.'
'6120. I see it is not entered in your pass-book?-No; because the
meal has generally been sent in my absence, and I carry the book
about with me.'
'6121. How is it sent?-I have got some of it sent from Aberdeen
to Ollaberry direct.'
'6122. How much of it was there of it at a time?-I don't
remember ....'
'6127. What did you pay for that meal?-I cannot say.'
'6128. Is it settled for yet?-My account is squared up.'
'6130. Do you know what you paid for it before?-I don't
remember.'
'6131. When was your account squared up?-Fourteen days ago.'
'6132. It was not squared up in your pass-book then?- No, I had it
with me; but I wanted to get home soon, and I did not ask Mr.
Adie to look over the pass-book.'
'6133. You saw there was a balance against you then?-Yes.'
'6134. Did you not ask the price of the meal you had got?-No.'
'6135. Did you not hear it mentioned?-No.'
[J. Hay, 5370; L. Mail, 690; J. Leask, 1348; G. Colvin, 1340; W.
Irvine, 3668, 3778; W. Goudie, 4333; G. Goudie, 5402; P.M.
Sandison, 5169; G. Blance, 5574; P. Peterson, 6790; T. Robertson,
8619; G. Garriock, 8828; J.L. Pole, 9359; J. Laurenson, 9827; G.
Tulloch, 11,441; L.F.U. Garriock, 12,295; G. Irvine, 13,176,
13,267; W. Robertson, 13,791; R. Simpson, 13,990; Wm. Blance,
6085, 6119.]
The effect of the prevailing indebtedness plainly is to make the
men careless about prices:
'8698. What is the price of meal at Mossbank just now?-I cannot
say rightly.'
'8699. When did you know last? Have you made your settlement
this year?-Yes.'
'8700. Don't you know what you were charged for meal then?-
No.'
'8701. Do you ask the price of your meal as you buy it?-
Sometimes; but we must take it, whatever it is, because we have
no money to purchase it with elsewhere.'
'8702. Whose fault is that?-I don't know.'
'8703. Is it the merchant's fault?-I cannot say that it is.'
[C. Nicholson, 8698.]