In the last Report of the Board of Supervision of the Poor, there is
a 'Special Report by the General Superintendent of the Northern
District (Mr. Peterkin) as to the Administration of the Poor-Law in
Shetland.' The concluding part of this Report describes fully and
correctly the facts as to shop dealings with paupers; and as it was
communicated to me before I went to Shetland, I did not consider
it necessary to spend much time in making further inquiries in
regard to a subject already so carefully investigated. In one of the
parishes, where the poor-law is practically administered, as Mr.
Peterkin says, by these merchants and fish-curers, the inspector of
poor was examined; and his evidence shows, I think, that the
recent action of the Board of Supervision in this matter has been
as effective as could be expected in a country where it is difficult
or impossible to find either members of boards or inspectors
altogether free from interest in 'shops.' An example of the state of
things described by Mr. Peterkin is afforded by the evidence of
Gilbert Scollay, who is employed by the parishes of Delting and
Lunnasting to keep paupers. He is indebted to Mr. Adie, chairman
of the Parochial Board of Delting; he signed an order entitling Mr.
Adie to draw all the money payable to him by the parish for the
support of a lunatic in his charge; and he got part of his supplies
from Mr. Adie's shop, and part from Mr. Robertson's shop at
Vidlin, in Lunnasting, in consequence of his having in his keeping
another pauper from that parish.
[Appendix, p. 65; J. Bruce, 7638, L.F.U. Garriock, 12,503; G.
Jamieson, 15,407, 15,418, 15,468; G. Scollay, 8387, 8389, 8418,
8419, 8427; Poor-Law Directory for 1871.]