946. How do you sell them? Is it at a roup or at a public market?-We sell our cattle where we can dispose of them to the best advantage-sometimes at the market at Lerwick, and at other times cattle-dealers come round and ask us for them. If we choose to give them to the dealers, we have every advantage in selling our cattle.
947. You are quite free to sell them where you like-Yes.
948. Have you any ponies in Burra?-Yes; a few of the men have some.
949. And you have also and poultry?-Yes.
950. You can dispose of them as you please?-Yes.
951. Is there any shop on the island?-No.
952. You have to go over to Scalloway or to Lerwick for all your goods?-Yes. We don't have liberty to have any shop on the islands.
953. Are Messrs. Hay sometimes largely in advance [Page 20] to the people on the island after a bad season?-Yes; I believe they are largely in advance in some seasons.
954. Then they will trust you for a year or two until a good season comes, and the balance is then paid off?-Yes; most commonly they do that.
955. You would not have had that advantage if you were all free to fish for anybody you liked?-We believe that, if we had our freedom, we would not require to have that advantage. We believe we would be so clear that we would be independent. Neither have we the advantage of having a shop there, and keeping the penny among ourselves.