952. You have to go over to Scalloway or to Lerwick for all your
goods?-Yes. We don't have liberty to have any shop on the
islands.
953. Are Messrs. Hay sometimes largely in advance [Page 20] to
the people on the island after a bad season?-Yes; I believe they
are largely in advance in some seasons.
954. Then they will trust you for a year or two until a good season
comes, and the balance is then paid off?-Yes; most commonly
they do that.
955. You would not have had that advantage if you were all free to
fish for anybody you liked?-We believe that, if we had our
freedom, we would not require to have that advantage. We believe
we would be so clear that we would be independent. Neither have
we the advantage of having a shop there, and keeping the penny
among ourselves.
956. Do you think the goods you get at Messrs. Hay's shop are
expensive as compared with the prices you would pay for them
elsewhere?-I never thought that, and I never thought them worse
than we could get elsewhere.
957. But as to the price, do you think they charge more for their
goods than other people?-No; I have nothing to say against that.
958. Or as to the quality?-Both as to the quality and the price I
was always satisfied as I would have been with any other body's.
959. You don't suppose they charge a higher price in consequence
of the long credit they give?-No.
960. You get your goods from January onwards, and they are not
settled for until the following January?-That is so.
961. But then there is credit on both sides; so that I suppose there
need be no higher price on that account?-That is the case, so far
as I am aware.
962. Is there anything else you wish to say?-You have not asked
what may be the difference on a hundredweight of fish, if we had
the advantage of selling them for ourselves, as against what we get
for them under the present system. I believe the difference would
be between 2s. and 3s. per cwt.
963. Do you think your profit would be 2s. or 3s. more per cwt. if
the fish was sold by you?-Yes; if we were free agents to act for
ourselves.
964. But in the case of a man who was curing on a large scale, has
he not an advantage in the way of curing cheaper than a single
fisherman would have?-We cannot think he would. We know
what we could, cure them for ourselves: that is a matter within our
own knowledge. The merchants tell us they cure, at a dearer rate,
but we cannot enter into their accounts. If it costs them so much
to cure the fish, then they must cure them much dearer than we
know they could be cured for by ourselves.
965. Is it from your experience in Havera, as compared with your
experience in Burra, that you believe you would be 2s. or 3s. per
cwt. better off by curing the fish for yourselves?-That is from my
experience in Havera, and also from my experience in Burra.
966. But you have had no experience of selling your own fish
cured for at least thirteen years?-Not cured; but I have had a little
experience in half-cured fish since that time.
967. Have you sold fish half-cured?-Yes; I have sold a little this
year.