of the Fishery Board for Scotland. xli 



other than their own in the course of the year. In Scotland, the 

 Aberdeenshire ports, Orkney, and Shetland, and in England, Yarmouth 

 and Lowestoft, are the centres which absorb the majority of these 

 women, while a few also go to Ireland. 



They are practically always engaged and paid by the curer for 

 whom they work, and, while the terms of engagement vary in 

 different districts, and in the same district, the different systems in 

 vogue are all variants of one general method. The systems most 

 commonly adopted are as follow : — 



1. When engaged in their native district, they receive from 10s. 



to £1 arles on engagement each, 8d. per barrel per crew of 

 three women for gutting and packing, and 3d. per hour for 

 filling up. 



2. When engaged for other Scottish districts, from £1 to £3 



arles per woman, from 6s. to 10s. per week fixed wages, 8d. 

 per barrel per crew of three, and 3d. per hour for filling up. 



3. When in England, a nominal sum of Is. arles, 8s. per week 



fixed wage, other rates as before. 



4. In a few cases no arles and no fixed wages are paid (mainly 



in the case of casual workers on the West Coast), and the 

 crew of three women receive Is. per barrel for gutting and 

 packing, and from 3d. to 4d. per hour for filling up. 



In practically every case in which gutters are engaged for other 

 districts, either in England, Scotland, or Ireland, the curer pays the 

 passage money both going and returning. In a large number of 

 cases lodging, light, and fuel are provided also, and the amount of 

 arles paid, and also the weekly wage, vary according as this is the 

 case or not. 



Some idea of the earnings gained by those employed may be 

 gleaned when it is stated that in a busy season the Scottish gutters 

 will earn in wages and arles no less than from £90,000 to £100,000. 



In addition to the gutters and packers, there were 741 curers and 

 2514 coopers employed directly in the industry in 1911, and there 

 were 7311 British persons and 6288 foreigners employed in importing 

 curing material and wood for barrels, and exporting cured fish chiefly 

 to Europe. The Scottish curer, however, is not content to confine his 

 attentions to the Scottish fishery, but must also take a prominent 

 part in the conduct of the English and Irish herring fisheries, and to 

 him very largely is due the marked development which has taken 

 place of recent years in the fisheries of those countries. Indeed, the 

 Scottish curer may be said to be ubiquitous, as he is sure to be in 

 evidence wherever an attempt is being made to exploit and foster a 

 herring fishery. 



The employment of steam and motor power in the propulsion of 

 herring fishing vessels has effected a great deal of improvement in the 

 condition of the fish landed, with the result that fish landed by these 

 vessels, being the first to arrive, fetch better prices than those landed 

 by sailing vessels. 



An early start was again made with the summer fishing, but the 

 results were most unsatisfactory, the fish taken being immature and 

 therefore unkeepable. 



