2276 AWARD OF THE FISHERY COMMISSION. 



Q. What is your business ? A.. The owning and running of fishing- 

 vessels ; taking care of their products is part of my business, perhaps 

 the larger part, and other business connected with it. 



Q. How long have you been engaged in your business? A. I com- 

 menced in 1841, as a boy 12 years of age, with my father. I was with 

 him until 1848. He died in 1848, and I then continued the business. 

 On January 1, 1849, I commenced business on my own account, 19 years 

 of age. 



Q. You have continued ever since? A. Yes. 



Q. What species of fishing have you been engaged in? A. Princi- 

 pally codfish. But I have had some vessels for mackerel and halibut 

 and all departments. 



Q. What fleet of vessels do you employ yourself? A. The average 

 is about 12, sometimes 13 and 14, perhaps down to ten. I have had as 

 high as 14, and have now 13. 



Q. Can you give me any idea of the character of your business for 

 any past number of years? Could you, within a number of years, give 

 ine an accurate statement of the vessels and their results ? A. I haven't 

 any figures to give you the results of the work in any department ex- 

 cept mackerel. 



Q. How far back is that? A. I have from my books the figures to 

 give the results of the fishing iu British waters for 19 years. 



Q. You can use any memorandum you have prepared from your books, 

 explaining to the Commission how you have prepared it, and I will hand 

 it to counsel on the other side. How many vessels have you employed 

 in the bay in these 19 j-ears? A. They vary from 1 to 8. The highest 

 number since 1866 has been 8 and the lowest 1. 



Q. Give me the number of vessels you have employed from year to 

 year in that branch since 1866. A. In 1866 I had 7 ; in 1867, 7 ; in 

 1868,8; in 1869,3; iu 1870,2; in 1871,3; iu 1872,5; in 1873,9; in 

 1874. 7; in 1875, 5; in 1876, 1 ; and in 1877, 1. 



Q. What has been the result of that nineteen years' fishing? State 

 the amount, if you can, for each year. A. Might I explain that some of 

 those vessels have made two trips and some one? I have the number 

 of trips. 



Q. How many trips did you make, and how many barrels of mack- 

 erel? A. 170 trips my vessels made; that is, beginning with 1857 and 

 ending with 1876. 



By Mr. Davies : 



Q. Can you give us the number of vessels from year to year, from 

 1857 down ? A. I cannot answer that further back than 1866. 



By Mr. Trescot : 



Q. You say your vessels made 170 trips in nineteen years. What 

 number of barrels did they take ? A. 30,349. 



Q. What was the average number for those trips, running over the 

 nineteen years ? A. 183 barrels ; that is, packed barrels. 



Q. What was the average value of your mackerel during that time ? 

 A. The average value was $11.57 for 200 pounds of fish, exclusive of 

 packing. 



Q. What was the average value of the trips? Give me a rough esti- 

 mate of the result of those trips, the average. Taking the average trips 

 of that number of barrels at that average price, what was the result to 

 you ? A. I make the result as no profit, so far as pursuing the business 

 is concerned. I consider the gross stock, the barrels of mackerel at that 

 price, taking the charge for bait, and dividing as we divide the proceeds, 



