The cod fishing in smacks, chiefly on the banks near the Faroe
Islands, has become an important branch of commerce in
Shetland, In 1871 it employed 63 smacks, whose total tonnage
was 2809 tons. They carried 816 men.' The produce of the
fishing 1871, an unsuccessful year, was 370,597 fish, weighing
14,337 cwt. dry. In addition to these vessels belonging to Shetland
owners, five curers in Shetland purchased at a fixed price the fish
of 21 English smacks (tonnage, 680; men, 210), being 200,042
fish, weighing 5097 cwt. dry. The whole cure from the Shetland
Faroe fishing was thus 19,434 cwt. In 1867 the Shetland smacks,
61 in number, weighing 2326 tons, and carrying 699 men, brought
home 399,148 fish, or 14,031 cwt. In that year 24 English smacks
(tonnage, 960; men, 222) sold to curers in Shetland 175,125 fish,
or 6280 cwt.; making the total cure in Shetland in that year 21,301
cwt.
In the Faroe fishery the smacks always belong to the curer or
merchant. A written contract is made with the men, generally in
December. They agree to join the vessel on a day fixed, or to be
fixed, in March, and to prosecute the fishing until the middle of
August, on the coasts of Faroe, or other places in the North Sea,
exerting themselves to make a successful fishing. If any person
fails in the performance of his duty, his fee is to be reduced. The
owners become bound to cure the fish, which the men split and
salt on board as soon as caught. The owners sell the fish, when
cured, for the benefit of all concerned. From the proceeds are
deducted the expense of curing and of bait, together with a
commission of five per cent. in some cases, for management and
sale, allowances to master and mate, and score money, <i.e.> 6d. or
9d. per score of sizeable fish, to be divided among the crew
according to the number caught by each man. The net proceeds
after these deductions are equally divided between the owners and
the crew, the crew accepting their half in full of wages and
provisions, except 1 lb. of biscuit <per diem> provided by the
owners. The share to be taken by each man, whether a full share
or a half share, 2-3, 7-12 share, or whatever it may be, is written
opposite the signature of each man. The men are bound, if the
master or owners see fit, to leave Faroe for Iceland before the 30th
August 'to endeavour for a late voyage' to go and fish for wages
and victuals on a scale annexed to the agreement. These
stipulations, with some others for the protection of the vessel, are
usually in the agreement; but one owner uses a much shorter form,
which will be found in the Evidence.
[L.F.U. Garriock, 12,414; T.M.Adie, 5726; J. Walker, 15,941,
15,957; W. Pole, 5956; W. Robertson, 13,603.]
The vessel is fitted out ready for sea by the owners; salt and curing
materials are put on board at the joint expense; but the men
provide themselves with lines and hooks, and all provisions except
bread. These they always buy at the owner's shop, and they
are entered in their private accounts. It is unnecessary to analyze
the evidence as to the custom of dealing with the merchant-owner
for provisions, etc. for the family, which is exactly similar to the
custom already described as prevailing among the ling fishermen.
Some of that evidence has already been noticed, and the chief
passages are noted on the margin. Some of the evidence led me to
think that the proportion of out-takes to earnings is less in the
Faroe fishing than the ling fishing, and this theory was confirmed
by several obvious considerations. The men are often young men
without families or with small families, and they sometimes live
at such distances from the merchant's shop as to make it
inconvenient to resort thither constantly. Moreover, in years of
average success, the earnings of the Faroe fishing are larger than
those of the ling fishing, and the men therefore are generally more
independent. It follows from the nature of the employment, that
they are also upon the whole a more active and energetic class of
men than those exclusively engaged in the ling fishery.
[C. Sinclair, 1157; J. Johnston, 12,232; W.B.M. Harrison, 15,720;
P. Garriock, 15,212; M. Johnston, 7868; J. Pottinger, 13,592; W.
Blance, 6099; P. Blance, 8521, (supra p. 15) W. Pole, 5956.]
It appears, notwithstanding, both from the statements of witnesses
and the returns, that a very considerable proportion, not less than
in the ling fishery, of the earnings of Faroe fishermen is paid in
'out-takes.' Mr. Lewis Garriock, one of the leading merchants,
says:
'The fishermen's proportion is paid to each of them in cash,
under deduction of any provisions and articles of clothing for
themselves, and provisions, etc., supplied to their families during
the season, so far as they have supplied themselves from us; but
they are under no obligation to take such advance from us, and
can, if they choose, buy their articles from any shopkeeper, either
for cash (which many of them have spare) or on credit. A few of
the men can do without advances, having spare money; but the
fishing could not be carried on if we were not to supply them,
especially as regards the lads in their first and second year.'
'In years when the fishing is not remunerative advances merchants
making these lose heavily in bad debts.'
'I have gone carefully over the accounts with the crews of two
smacks, and produce an abstract of the men's accounts, which
shows that, as respects one of them in 1870, we accounted to them
for £427,19s. 2d., of which they had from us for lines, hooks, and
provisions on board, £71, 7s. 9d.; clothing, and supplies of meal,
etc., to their families, £114, 14s. 5d.; and in cash, £239, 17s. The
other crew, in 1870, had, in lines, hooks, and provisions, £81, 7s.
11d.; goods, £129, 0s. 8d.; and in cash, £374, 13s. 6d. The same
crew, in 1871, in lines, provisions, etc., £63, 3s. 4d.; goods, £67,
7s.; cash, £198, 9s. 7d. Looking at the last two years, as regards
our fishermen in smacks, it appears they have had considerably
more than half their gross shares paid them in cash .'
'We would, as merchants, greatly prefer a cash system, payment
being made upon the fish being delivered, the same as we do to
English smacks fishing-for us at a contract price-and we derive
about one-third of our cure from this source. But I believe were
such a mode attempted, it would lead to fixed wages, and would
end in loss to both men and owners and a great falling off in this
branch of the fishery.'
I have already mentioned that some attempts have been made to
hold tenants or their sons bound to engage in their landlords' or
tacksmen's smacks for this fishing; but it rather appears that these
attempts have not always been successful. [See pp. 7, 15]
The men have not come forward to complain of this. The only
grievance which some of them have stated is, that they do not see
the bills of sale, and that they are therefore not satisfied that they
are fairly treated in settling.
[M. Johnston, 7868; P. Blance, 8531; J. Pottinger, 13, 658.]