PROTECTION OF DEEP SEA FISHERIES. 441 



the effect that he will keep the vessel staunch, tight, and 

 properly found, and that he will provide a certain quantity 

 of fishing gear of good quality, small boat, and any other 

 matters necessary. Respectable owners would not object to 

 this, and it would sometimes be the means of protecting crews 

 from shipping to a vessel belonging to a speculative owner, 

 who has perhaps purchased an old vessel cheap, and some 

 old gear, and intends to make it a case of sink or swim 

 from a financial point of view. If things go badly, and 

 from bad weather or other causes the gear is spoilt or lost, 

 the crew have to suffer through the bad speculation, in 

 which they stood to suffer more loss but not to reap 

 greater benefit than other boats. 



In clause 4 it is agreed that " any embezzlement or 

 wilful or negligent destruction of any part of the ship's 

 cargo or stores, shall be made good to the owner out of 

 the wages of the person guilty of same." This is not right. 

 The embezzlement, &c., should not be made good to the 

 " owner " only ; it should be owner and crew where the vessel 

 sails on the share system, for in the majority of cases, and 

 on the share system the crew have an equal interest in the 

 cargo and fishing stores with the owner. This calls to mind 

 a question which has been many times discussed, which 

 is, how to put a stop to the system, very prevalent at some 

 ports, of the crew taking away large quantities of fish every 

 time they arrive in harbour, either on strings or in bags. 

 Notices have been issued by owners threatening prosecution 

 in such cases, but without effect. It is not that a man is 

 grudged a few fish to take home to his family, but it is the 

 abuse of it which ought to be checked. A man with a 

 home and family will take home a fair quantity of fish ; 

 another of the crew (possibly one of the casuals before 

 alluded to) who has no home, thinks, Well, I don't 



