AWARD OP THE FISHERY COMMISSION. 2903 



Q. And the retail price for that quantity is still the same ? A. Yes. 



Q. I suppose if I buy a salt codfish to make fish-balls for iny family 

 it will stay at the same price to me for a good many years, notwith- 

 standing extreme fluctuations in the market? A. It will hardly vary. 



Q. The retailer may make or lose money? A. The jobber generally 

 gets the difference. 



Q. The man selling me cannot raise the price on me much, unless 

 there is a long-continued advance? A. It would not make much differ- 

 ence on two pounds of fish whether there was an advance of one or two 

 dollars per barrel. 



Q. Then if the price goes down what is the effect to the retailer? A. 

 He does not make as much money. 



Q. Mr. Davies, I think I understood you say that you had vessels 

 which went fishing for halibut and cod indiscriminately catching them 

 promiscuously. Explain. A. I meant that we have 20 vessels which 

 go fishing for halibut exclusively ; those are what we call fresh-halibut 

 vessels. We have vessels which go to the Georges for salt codfish, and 

 the bulk of those in pursuing their salt-fish voyages will get 10, 8, 5, 6, 

 3, or 100 or 200 pounds of halibut, and they bring them home fresh. 



Q. No great part of the vessels going to the Georges fish for halibut 

 as well as cod '? A. A very small part. I have vessels which have not 

 got a single halibut. 



Q. When you spoke of paying $250 a month for chartering a vessel, 

 you spoke of her being all fitted out. Did you mean fitted out with 

 hooks and lines and seines ? A. No ; I had reference to the vessel only. 



Q. You did not include outfit ? A. No. 



By Mr. Davies : 



Q. Did I understand you to say that this statement of a voyage is 

 copied from the record in your books of an actual voyage ? A. Yes. 



Q. Have you a similar account opened for each schooner in your 

 books? A. Yes. 



Q. That represents the charges against the trip; not only the marine 

 slip, but painting, .calking, and supplying it with anchors? A. Yes, 

 against that voyage ; we want those things. 



Q. You don't presume to say that those are properly chargeable against 

 the quantity of mackerel taken on that trip ? A. Yes ; they are charges 

 that come out of the trip, that are incidental to that trip. They ought 

 to be larger. 



Q. Why ? A. Because the vessel had been in the winter to New- 

 foundland, in the spring to the West Indies, and was ready to go on a 

 fishing voyage. 



Q. Among the items, $102 is charged for duck ? A. That would pro- 

 bably be for a stay-sail. 



Q. And fairly chargeable against one trip ? A. Certainly, the vessel 

 would have to have it. 



Q. There is sail-making, $194 ? A. Yes. 



Q. A spar-making bill, $8. Do you think these charges fairly represent 

 the charges against a vessel for the trip? A. They vary somewhat. 

 Those are actual charges made against the vessel on that trip. 



Q. Would not the account be made up at the end of the year? A. 

 The account is made up for the voyage. There might be in the sail- 

 maker's bill some charges which ought to go in the spring trip, and 

 some expenses paid in another year should be charged against this trip. 

 They vary a little always. 



Q. Then it does not represent truly the charges that ought to be 



