PROTECTION OF DEEP SEA FISHERIES. 359 



first time, looking pale, and thin, and hungry, come back in 

 the course of a few weeks, looking fat, strong, and healthy, 

 in many cases hardly a vestige of their former selves 

 remaining. The out-door apprentice is bound differently. 

 The master agrees in this case to teach him the business 

 of a fisherman and seaman, to provide sufficient meat, 

 drink, lodging, medicine, medical and surgical assistance 

 during the time that he is at sea only, and pay him for 

 each consecutive week of the first year and every year of 

 his apprenticeship a certain sum of money, which increases 

 in amount every year as a rule. Out of this the apprentice 

 has to provide himself with all sea bedding and wearing 

 apparel when at sea, and when ashore with everything. This 

 law of apprenticeships worked very well till the unfortunate 

 passing of the Merchant Seamen Payment of Wages Act, 

 1880, which completely overrode all apprenticeship inden- 

 tures which had been or were subsequently made. By this 

 Act the boys were freed from their masters, and desertion 

 became the order of the day. It is a well-known fact that 

 boys of this class need, when commencing life, to be trained 

 and put under some kind of restraint ; if left to themselves 

 they are very liable to get into difficulties which they do 

 not see till it is too late to retrace their steps. As a rule 

 the best masters of smacks and fishermen are those who 

 have served a full apprenticeship. Hundreds of instances 

 could be given where boys, who would have turned out 

 steady, sober and useful fishermen, and a value and credit 

 to their calling and country, have become, through being 

 freed from any restraint, useless, drunken vagabonds, 

 tramping from port to port, shipping to vessels in 

 harbour simply for a night's lodging and a good meal 

 or two, with no intention of ever going to sea to do any 

 work, but deserting when the vessel was ready for sea and 



