74 ON THE LABRADOR COAST. 



direction of a head man, called a " planter," who provides 

 all the supplies necessary for the voyage. His hands are 

 generally sharers in the speculation, and are remunerated 

 by one-sixteenth or one-twelfth of the haul made by the 

 seine-net which is used in the early part of the season 

 and by one-half of the catch, when the hook and line are 

 employed. The planter provides boats, nets, hooks, lines, 

 bait, salt, and provisions, and also defrays the expense of 

 smoking the fish. He gets all the oil, which is con- 

 sidered to pay for the salt, and eleven-twelfths, or there- 

 abouts, of the haul, and one-half of the catch in the boats. 

 He also receives from each fisherman 20s. to 60s. as 

 berth-money. On the other hand, he pays the wages of 

 the boys and girls ; and it seems evident, when his ex- 

 penses and risks are taken into the account, that he does 

 not fare so well as his men. 



These details we borrow from an interesting article in 

 the Scotsman; and the writer, who is apparently well 

 informed, adds that the sharemen often make consider- 

 able wages, as much as .73 in some seasons, and sel- 

 dom less than 35. The men engaged to split and salt 

 the fish receive from .18 to 27, and their foreman if 

 the post is not taken by the planter himself from 28 

 to 40. The old men and boys are paid from 12 to 

 18, and the girls from 4 to 10 ; the period of service 

 extending from early in June until the 31st of October. 



The Labrador cod-fish is not equal in quality to that 

 caught in the Newfoundland waters. It does not cure 

 so hard, and is less nutritious; hence its price is from 

 2s. 6d. to 5s. per cwt. under that of the Newfoundland cod. 



Many of the fishermen of Trinity, Bonavista, and Notre 

 Dame bays, carry on the Newfoundland shore-fishing 



