AWARD OF THE FISHERY COMMISSION. 2277 



one-half among the crew, and one-half to the owners. The one-half to- 

 the crew, where the vessel averaged fourteen h.imls. and taking tho 

 average time, ten weeks, on the trip, or two and a halt months, make tho 

 wages of each man per month $27.64. The owner's half of the voyage 

 is $968. Against that, pay insurance, commission to master, provisions, 

 oil, fuel, salt to cure that quantity of fish, and fishing gear, the vessel's 

 running expenses, depreciation of vessel, and interest on investment, 

 and those items amount to $1,090, which makes an average loss of 

 $128. 



Q. I would infer from this that in the nineteen yeaisof mackerel-fish 

 ing, so far as the mackerel-fishing itself is concerned, you have lost f 

 A. There is a loss directly. . 



Q. It seems that in the nineteen years you have been sending vessels, 

 and they have made as you say 170 trips, you have lost on the average 

 $128 a trip. Now, bow can you explain that you continued such a busi- 

 ness as that ? A. It may be partly explained in this way. These 

 items that make up this cost are where the fitter owns the vessel and 

 runs it. There are certain items here that we consider vessel charges 

 directly and certain that are expenses of the voyage. There are certain 

 items that are directly charges against the* vessel. Insurance $1.25, 

 running expenses $200, depreciation $100, interest or investment $175 ; 

 in all $500. Thus those would be offset. If I being in the business, 

 should charter a vessel, I would pay a certain price as charterer. In 

 which case these items would be against the owner of the vessel. The 

 charter of a vessel of the average tonnage we used would be $2 per 

 month per ton. That would be a low charter. We may say that would 

 be an average charter. It is as low as ever they are chartered. The 

 average tonnage is 90, carpenter's measurement, which, at that rate, 

 t would make it $180 a month for a vessel. Take two and a half months, 

 'and the time occupied in fitting would be three months, and that would 

 make the whole amount for the season $540, that would be for the use 

 of the vessel for this voyage. These items and charges I make amount 

 to $500, so these are within the amount that would be paid for the 

 charter for a vessel to pursue the same voyage. 



Q. But what I want to ask you is this: It is evident that your mack- 

 erel-fishing is not profitable according to your statement. How is it 

 that with so little profit, or rather with so much loss, you find it neces- 

 sary to keep up the mackerel fishery ? A. There have been seasons, as 

 will be seen, and as we all know, when there has been some profit in the 

 mackerel business. While we were in the war the prices were very 

 high. Those seasons there was a profit in the whole business, mackerel 

 as well as codfish jointly. But for the series of years, taking the nine- 

 teen years together, it brings that result. We haven't been aware until 

 we figured that the business stood just in that position. This is a part 

 of our business a small part. The business is largely codfish business. 

 There are three or four mouths of mackerel fishing during the warm 

 months. We pursue cod fishing six or eight months, and this business 

 comes in after the men are tired catching codfish, and they go mackerel- 

 ing. It is an easy business and they have got used to going in the bay 

 fishing with lines. Some years we have good seasons and others poor, 

 but taking the aggregate that is the result. 



Q. You could not afford to pursue the mackerel fishing by n 

 you use it simply as supplementary to your other business, to keepyoi 

 crews together and your vessels employed ? A. We have to keep ot 

 vessels employed all the year in order to hold the men together, 

 are fishermen^ and have no other business, and we have to keep there 



