1 66 NORTH SEA FISHERS AND FIGHTERS 



large employers of labour in the steam-fishing industry, 

 and there are certainly many skippers and hands who 

 would be glad to know exactly what their weekly income 

 is to be, irrespective of the results of their hauls. Em- 

 ployers and employed have their federations, and in time 

 the system of remuneration will doubtless be settled on 

 a mutually satisfactory basis. There have been serious 

 troubles in connection with the wages of North Sea 

 fishermen, the greatest of all being the strike at Grimsby 

 in 1901, when hundreds of vessels were unemployed for 

 three months and there was much suffering amongst the 

 men, women, and children who were dependent on the 

 fishing industry. The strike was a startling revelation 

 to many people of the vast interests which were at stake 

 in the North Sea fisheries interests which have grown 

 rapidly and enormously ever since that period, only ten 

 years ago. The lock-out of the fishermen was a local 

 and national calamity ; but such a dispute would in 

 these days be infinitely more serious. After many 

 scenes of disorder in the town, both sides agreed to 

 arbitration, and the dispute was settled, for the time at 

 any rate, by Sir Edward Fry. The arbitrator fixed the 

 following rates of pay : 



Poundage after deducting 

 Weekly the expense of 



wages. the voyage. 



Chief engineer . . . 345. 3 Jd. 



Second engineer . * .275. 2^d. 



Third hand . . . . 203. 2jd. 



Deck-hands, cook, trimmer . i8s. ijd. 



This basis of remuneration makes it possible for 

 North Sea fishers to share in any extraordinary luck 

 there may be upon the banks ; but a fair average of 



