Pesos Dollars 



Captain 13' to 30 1.20 to 2.iiO 



Engineer 10 to 20 .80 to 1.60 



Reraaining crexj 10 to l5 .80 to 1.20 



At Tampico, the boat owners contract annually with the fish- 

 ing cooperative for a fixed price per ton. The 1955 price was 1,700 

 pesos ($136) a metric ton of headless shrinip. From this amount the 

 cooperative pays the severance tax of 220 pesos ($17.60) a metric ton. 



The 1.70 pesos a kilogram paid to the cooperative is distrib- 

 uted as follows: 60 centavos among crew at end of each trip; 65 centavos 

 among certain members of crew at end of each month; 22 centavos for 

 severance tax; and 23 centavos for operating expenses of the cooperative. 



The sum of 60 centavos paid at the end of each trip is dis- 

 tributed equally among the crew — 15 centavos each if there are h crew 

 members, 12 centavos each if there are 5. In addition to the 12 or 

 15 centavos per kilogram of catch, the hands get only their food. Of 

 the 65 centavos paid at the end of each month, the captain gets IjO 

 centavos, the engineer 20, and the cook 5. In addition, the boat 

 owners pay their better captains a bonus which may run as high as 1 

 peso a kilogram. The 23 centavos withheld for cooperative operating 

 expenses covers medical expenses for the members . If any funds remain 

 at the end of the year, they are distributed among the members. 



The fleet averages about 7,700 pounds per boat per month. 

 On the basis of this catch the average monthly wage of the crew is 

 as follows: 



For cre w of It For crew of 5 

 Pesos Dolla rs Pesos Dollars 



Hands 525 l2 li20 33-60 



Cook 700 56 ^9^ i47.60 



Engineer 1,225 98 1,120 89.60 



Captain 1,975 158 1,870 lli9.60 



These figures do not include the bonus paid the better 

 captains; for the best of the captains this bonus may run to more 

 than $300. 



Ice ;-In Ciudad del Carmen, ice costs (December 1955) 85 

 pesos a short ton (2,000 pounds) at the plant, and delivery charges 

 are betwee- 5 and 8 pesos a ton. A rule of thumb in Carmen is to 

 calculate that 1 ton of ice will be used per fishing day. The boats 

 average about 20 fishing days a month. 



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