Fuel and oil ; -In Carmen (December 19^5) diesel fuel costs 

 19 centavos a liter (1.5 cents for 1.0567 quarts) and gasoline 80 

 centavos (about 6 cents) a liter. Oil is 875 pesos ($75) for a 200- 

 liter drum. Only lubricating oil manufactured in the United States 

 is used. Boat owners claimed that Mexican oil ruined the motors. 

 Only one brand of United States oil was in evidence. It is antici- 

 pated that locally produced oil will be improved. 



Handling and cartag e ; -Handling and cartage charges cover 

 delivery of ice and fuel. 



Food ; -In Carmen, the boat-ovmer pays a flat 5 pesos (UO 

 cents) a daj'' for food for each man or 25 pesos ($2) daily per boat. 

 In Tampico, the practice is to pay 30 pesos ($2.liO) daily per boat 

 regardless of whether there are four or five crew members. This 

 amounts to an additional compensation for the crevjs of the smaller 

 boats. 



Repairs and mai ntenance; -Repair and maintenance expenses 

 vary widely from boat to boat and from year to year, depending on the 

 age of the vessel and engine and the recency of major overhauls. The 

 figures shovm for this item in table 19 probably are below normal, 

 since 195U was not a profitable year. 



In Cai^en the insurance companies insist that the boats be 

 ha\iled and copper-painted at least once every k months. For a 55- 

 foot boat, haulouts cost 500 pesos ($iiO) and lay days 50 pesos ($1;) 

 each. The day of hauling out is not considered a lay day. 



Fishing gear : -On the average, a boat appears to use about 

 six new nets a year. VJhile a net lasts, it is continually undergoing 

 repair. A new net costs about $2iiO and lO-foot by iiO-inch doors 

 about $130 a pair. 



Towing cables last from 8 to 12 months. They are treated 

 with a patented cable-compound or with tar whenever they appear to 

 need treatment, which is usually every 2 or 3 months. 



Practically all webbing is novj made in Mexico. The cables 

 are imported either from the United States or from Germany. The 

 doors are manufactui^ed locally. 



99 



