2548 AWARD OF THE FISHERY COMMISSION. 



before I left borne at $6. Forty barrels would not be a large amount 

 for such a vessel. Then there would be 10 barrels of salt clams, worth 

 $8 a barrel, making 880. That would not be a large quantity of clams 

 for such a vessel on a 4 months' trip. 



Q. It is a fair supply of bait ? A. Yes. The expenses per barrel and 

 for packing 400 barrels of mackerel, at $1.75 a barrel, would amount to 

 $700. That is the actual present charge this season for packing, as 

 made by all the firms. 



Q. It includes the price of the barrels ? A. Yes. The stock charges 

 would hence amount to 1,020, and the net stock would consequently be 

 $3,780, the crew's half amounting to $1,890; and this, divided among 16 

 hands, which number would be necessary on a vessel of that size, would 

 leave $118.12 for each man. 



Q. At what figure do you estimate the tonnage of the vessel ? A. 70, 

 new measurement. 



Q. Have you not got two more men than is usual ? A. No ; that is 

 about a fair average crew for a vessel of that description. 



Q. Is it economical and does it show good judgment to have 16 men 

 on such a vessel 1 A. That would be about all the men that could stand 

 alongside of each other and fish conveniently. 



Q. And such a vessel would accommodate that many ! A. Yes j 

 about. The charterer of the vessel would pay the expenses of the voy- 

 age ; and provisions and fuel, &c., for 16 men for 4 mouths would cost 40 

 cents a day per man, amounting in all to $700. We find by looking over 

 our accounts last season that this was the usual cost in this regard 

 40 cents a day for each man. Then there are 120 barrels of salt to cure 

 the mackerel; it is worth $1 a barrel, making $120. 



Q. Is that the actual price of Liverpool salt now ! A. Yes. 



Q. And that is the right quantity of salt for such a vessel ? A. I 

 consider so. A bait-mill would cost $15, and fishing gear $50. 



Q. How long does a bait-mill last ! A. Two years, I suppose. 



Q. Then out of that $15 you might save $7. 50? A. Yes; withrepairs 

 such a mill might last two years. 



Q. What is to be done with a bait-mill to keep it in order ? A. The 

 teeth get out very frequently, and the mill has to be taken apart and 

 teeth inserted. Besides, there are some little charges connected with 

 the clearing of the vessel, such as 8 cents per hogshead of salt for weigh- 

 ing-fees, &c., which amount to about $15. 



Q. You have given the price of salt in bond ? A. Yes ; we also find 

 in fitting out vessels that we have to buy some fresh provisions in the 

 bay, which cost from $50 to $100, and I have put down as the disburse- 

 ment for that purpose during the voyage $60. 



Q. That is in excess of the 40 cents a day already mentionel ? A. 

 Yes. 



Q. I suppose that in the course of a four months' trip the health of 

 the crew requires a supply of fresh vegetables, &c. ? A. They have to 

 have fresh vegetables, potatoes, &c., which they cannot always carry 

 with them on the voyage. I allow $250 a mouth for the charter of the 

 schooner, making for the four months $1,000. 



Q. Is $250 a mouth a fair price for the charter of such a schooner ? 

 A. That is about the usual price for a vessel of that size going to the 

 Banks. 



Q. What do you estimate such a vessel to be worth ? A. $7,000 or 

 $7,500. 



Q. Is that a high price for a Gloucester mackerel-fishing vessel of that 

 size f A. It is not. 



