10 INFORMATIOX RELATING TO CO-OPERATION AND ASSOCIATION 



be suitable for sale under the brand or brands authorized by the society. 

 Due provision must be made, before paying for fish, for all working expenses, 

 interest on and reduction of loan capital, depreciation of property, the crea- 

 tion of an adequate reserve fund and other charges incidental to the busi- 

 ness of the soiety. In case of failure duly to accept fish the society must pay 

 one pound by way of damages to the injured member ; and a member 

 who without the committee's written consent disposes of his fish except to 

 the society must similarly pay one pound to the society, unless the latter 

 prefer to penalize him by excluding him from the right to deliver fish for a 

 certain time. The society and its members are respectively absolved from 

 obligation to obey the Binding Rule if the work of the society cease owing 

 to accident, labour or trade disputes, or another cause over which they 

 have no control. 



D. The First Two Years of Business. — The society began to trade at 

 Kilmur\rey in September 1915 when it comprised one hundred members, 

 owning fifteen curraghs. 



The crew of a curragh consists of a skipper and three men. Each car- 

 ries nets to a length of about 400 yards, made up of six joined pieces, 35 

 fathoms long. The curraghs can easily undertake the autumn mackerel 

 fishing which lasts from September to January and is inshore fishing. They 

 set-their nets about three miles from the shore. In the morning, if the catch 

 is heavy, they may have to make more than one journey, bringing in two 

 or three pieces of their nets at a time. From September 1915 to January 

 1916 the society sent to the outside market only cured mackerel ; for the 

 steamer which connects Inishmore with the mainland calls at Kilronan, 

 which is five miles from Kilmur\^ey, and calls there only twice a week. 



The spring mackerel fishing takes place in April, May and June, and 

 it is deep sea fishing. It is undertaken by boats larger than the curraghs, 

 locally called " nobbies ". They go out some miles from the shore at night 

 and return in the morning with their catch. In 1916 the society was able 

 to take part in the spring mackerel fishing because it was joined by five nob- 

 bies from Kilronan. Its headquarters were moved to the pier at Kilro- 

 nan, Kilmurvey becoming a mere branch. Throughout this season and the 

 following spring and aiitumn seasons its activity developed. 



The system of payment for fish has been adapted to the fact that where- 

 as the organization is based on the principle of one man one share, the so- 

 ciety actually trades not with individual men but with crews. Each nob- 

 bje has a crew of seven men, including the skipper who borrows from the 

 Congested Districts Board money to buy his boat and gear. When the 

 boat arrives in the morning with its catch the fish are counted in long 

 hundreds (one long hundred = 126) and the manager of the society gives 

 the skipper a docket to show how many have been received^ The fish are 

 then either cured or shipped in boxes containing one long hundred each. 

 Payments are made about once a fortnight or at such other convenient 

 intervals as the committee from time to time appoints. The skipper pre- 

 sents his docket and is paid the full current price of the fish, calculated by 

 long hundreds. He keeps one half of the sum in order to pay back to the 



