870. How is his third set apart?-It is taken off the whole money
when it has been paid by the purchasers. Any party or parties who
buy the oil at auction, pay the money to the landlord, and he gets a
third, and pays the other two-thirds to the fishermen.
871. Is it paid to you at the time, or is it put into your general
account?-So far as I know, it is always paid at the time.
872. But that is not a common occurrence?-No. Perhaps it may
not occur in the same place for ten or twelve or twenty years, or
sometimes longer than that.
873. Does not the value of the oil go into the general accounts of
the men at the end of the year?-I have had a share in whales on
two occasions, and I believe that some of the fishermen who are in
debt to the landlord will allow their shares to go into the general
account. Those who are not in debt will get the money clear out.
874. You are not obliged to take that in goods?-I never knew of
that being done.
875. In speaking of the fishing, for which you settle with Messrs.
Hay in the beginning of the year, all your evidence has had regard
to what is called the home or summer fishing?-Yes.
876. It has not had reference to the Faroe fishing-Not so much,
so far as I know.
877. It is only with regard to the home fishing that you are bound
to fish for them?-It is only with regard to it that I can speak, for I
am not a Faroe fisherman.
878. Are the men in Burra free to ship for the Faroe fishing with
any master they like?-I expect they are; but there are some of the
men to be examined afterwards, who will be better witnesses on
that subject than I can be.
879. The fish you take in the summer fishing are ling, cod, and
haddocks?-Yes. There are plenty in the islands who fish herrings
also.
880. But that is a distinct thing altogether from the summer
fishing?-Yes.
881. The fishing you have been speaking to during all your
examination has been the fishing for ling and cod?-I have been
speaking of the whole home fishing of every kind, the herring
fishing as well.
882. What do you catch in what you call the home fishing?-Ling,
cod, and herrings.
883. And haddocks?-Yes; there are plenty of the men who catch
haddocks also.
884. You spoke of taking some fish to Scalloway: were not these
merely the small fish or haddocks?-Yes; the haddocks chiefly,
and small cod.
885. Is that done at a particular season of the year?-Yes.
886. That is, when Messrs. Hay have not men at Burra to receive
the large fish; or have they men there all the year round?-They
have them all the year round.
887. Then why is it generally the smaller fish that you take at
Scalloway?-I cannot give a particular statement why it is, except
that the men get their account cleared off at Scalloway with these
small fish. It is only haddocks that are taken there. The haddocks
have never been taken in at their fish-curing station at Burra, so far
as I know.
888. At what season of the year are these haddocks generally
caught?-In winter.
889. Do they smoke the haddocks in Burra?-No; they never did
that.
890. Their establishment there is only for curing the larger fish?-
Yes.
891. Then, in order to get your haddocks smoked and cured, you
must bring them to Scalloway, and deliver them at the store
there?-Yes.
892. And that is the reason why you bring some of your fish to
Scalloway?-It is.
893. Supposing you bring these fish there, is it still in your option
to let them enter your general account, instead of getting goods for
them at the time?-We can either take the value of them at the
time in goods, or we can have them entered in our general account.
894. Have you ever asked, when bringing fish to Scalloway, to get
the price of them in money?-Yes.
895. Have you asked for the whole price in money?-I don't
remember that I ever asked to get the whole of it in that way.