13,983. Were you bound to fish for Mr. Robertson?-I was.
13,984. Do you think you could have got a better price for your fish if you had been free?-Perhaps we might; but we could not ask for it, because we were bound.
13,985. If you were free, would you attempt to cure your own fish, or to sell them to another curer?-I might.
13,986. Do you think you would make anything by curing your own fish?-I think I would.
13,987. Would you be able to give some idle time to it when you could not go to sea?-If we were curing our own fish, two or three boats would join together, and employ a man and a boy for the purpose, and then the men would have all their time to go to sea.
13,988. Would you have a factor of your own?-Yes, if we had our freedom.
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13,989. Have you often thought about that?-We would have thought about it if we had had our freedom; but we were bound, and we could not do it.
13,990. Have you got your pass-book?-I have had no pass-book for some time. There was one year when I had a pass-hook for some time, but it was not made up regularly, and it was given up. Then the whole account was put into the ledger, and Mr. Sutherland went over it with me at settlement; but the last year Mr. Sutherland was busy, and we did not get it done. This year, however, Mr. Robertson has given me a copy of the account for the two years' transactions. I only got it to-day before I came down here, but I cannot understand it very well. [Produces two passbooks.]
13,991. Did you get the copy of your account after you got the summons to come here?-No. The girl came with it just about the same time that the summons came. She had been over at the shop, and she brought the summons with her.