AWARD OP THE FISHERY COMMISSION. 2599 



is entered on the owner's ledger; this is a trip-book, showing the set- 

 tlement of the voyages with the crew. 



Q. You have read from that statement that so many codfish of differ- 

 ent kinds produced the gross amount of $2,718; but there is no deduc- 

 tion made from that which I notice. A. There is $301.22. 



Q. For provisions? A. That $1,208.67 is credited on the owner's 

 ledger, and the schooner has her share of the voyage. 



Q. And out of that comes the provisions ? A. The debtor side of the 

 ledger shows the cost of provisions and outfit. 

 By Hon. Mr. Kellogg : 



Q. I see that you divide that by 12 and 14 ? A. There were on board 

 boys who paid only one quarter of a man's share of the expenses. 



Q. You have there charges for scraping and tarring, splitting wood, 

 &c. Why are these charged to the crew ? A. Because in former times 

 the crew did all that work themselves. 



Q. They came aboard the vessel and worked to fit her? A. Yes. 



Q. They hoisted in and hoisted out, tarred the rigging, split the wood, 

 and all that, themselves? A. Yes. 



Q. They have dropped that on the understanding that they have to 

 pay for it 1 A. Yes. 



Q. That has been the usage ? A. Yes. 



Q. Well understood ? A. Yes. 



Q. Before you leave that, I want to ask you in reference to an item 

 there, "damaged codfish." A. 13,150 pounds of damaged cod, at 1 

 cent, $135.10. 



Q. Why should there be this damaged codfish? What is the cause 

 of it? A. Well, I have my own opinion of the cause. 



Q. What do you believe to be the cause ? A. I believe the cause is 

 going in so much for fresh bait. 



Q. How should that damage the codfish ? A. My opinion is that the 

 sailers salted it with the idea that they would not go in so much, and 

 didn't put so much salt on it. When she went into port so much, going 

 into the warm water ic heated. 



Q. So that if a vessel i ntends to go into harbor there ought to be a 

 little different proportion ? A. Certainly. 



Q. That is coming out of the cold water on the Banks ? A. Yes. 

 By Sir Alexander Gait : 



Q. Before yon leave this schooner, I would like to see what the result 

 of that trip was to the vessel . I mean how much it cost the owners to 

 provision her, and how much they paid out of that $1,208.67 that went 

 to the vessel's share. A. I have made up a profit and loss account. 

 Of course, I had no such thing as a ledger to work from, but I had the 

 trip-books, and I made up an account of Mr. Steele's trips in the bay, 

 from the time they commenced in 1858 to 1876, for seventeen years. 



Q. What I wanted was, without going into the particulars of these 

 voyages, to know what the actual -cash result was. A. It is pretty 

 hard to reckon that. 



Q. Of course, if you can say nothing more about it you need not dwell 

 upon it. A. I cannot, because the manner of keeping the books does 

 not show the particular voyages of any one vessel. The charges against 

 the schooner are all entered on the debtor side and the result of the 

 voyage on the creditor side. 

 By Mr. Dana : 



Q. Does not the book of original entries show what the charges in 

 the ledger are made up of? A. I have what the outfit of a mackerel 

 catcher cost. 



