When he delivers his fish, the fisherman does not receive
payment for it, nor does he know what price it will bring. The
arrangement or understanding is, that the price is to be at the
current rate at the end of the season. The season ends, so far as the
fishing is concerned, at or about August 12; but the sales are not
made until September and October, when the process of curing
is completed. The settlement of the price does not take place
till November, December, or January; and in the case of one
merchant, it appears to have been more than once delayed to a
considerably later period. When a number of crews deliver their
fish to the same merchant, especially if he has a number of stations
at different parts of the islands, his settlements are considerably
protracted. Each crew, as I have said, has got supplies at the
fishing station; it has also got fishing materials, and it may have to
pay the hire, or instalments of the price, of its boat. These are all
debited to the crew in a ledger account, kept in the name of the
skipper and crew, thus -'John Simpson & Co., Stenness.' The
sums due for these items being deducted from the total amount of
the boat's fishing, the balance is divided into shares, which are
carried to the private accounts of the several fishermen; for in
almost every case the fisherman and his family obtain, during the
year, 'supplies' of goods from the shop of the fish-curer. In the
great majority of cases there are no passbooks for such accounts.
The private account is read over to the fisherman by the fishcurer,
or by his shopkeeper, where he does not personally manage that
department of his business; and the fisherman being satisfied as to
its correctness, or, as it often happens, trusting to the honesty of
the merchant, it is settled, any balance due to the fisherman being
paid in cash, any balance against him being carried to his debit in a
new account. [See below - SETTLEMENTS AND PASS-BOOKS] THE