ROBERTSON, Mrs. Janet (analysis of her evidence, p. 237), knits, 9793; for Mrs. Spence with her wool, 9794-5; is paid in goods and money—gets money when she wishes, but generally takes goods, 9797.
ROBERTSON, John, sen. (analysis of his evidence, p. 351), is a merchant at Lerwick, and tacksman of Lunna estate, 14,067; fish-curing establishment at Skerries, 14,068; has a store at Vidlin, 14,069; goods are dearer there than at Lerwick, only because of the cost of transit—they are always sold at the lowest possible prices, 14,072; men fishing at Skerries are bound to deliver their fish to the tacksman of Lunna, 14,075; but are free to go to the Faroe and Greenland fishing, 14,082; beach boys are paid weekly wages, 14,086; but are settled with annually, 14,088; are supplied with goods or cash, as they wish, 14,093-8; herring fishery a failure of late, 14,108; men have half the produce, and the other half goes to the expense of boats, etc., 14,112; remembers one or two instances of new employers taking over debt due by a man to a previous one, 14,138; does not know of any special arrangement to that effect, 14,139; and never entered into one himself, 14,140; purchases kelp, 14,143; pays 4s. 6d. in goods and 4s. in cash, 14,147; gatherers have accounts, 14,150; does not think the fish-curing business could be profitably carried on without combination with a store, 14,152; people require supplies from shop, and could not do without them, 14,153; the quality of fish would be deteriorated if men cured for themselves, 14,155. -(recalled, p.365). Price of meal at Lerwick, 14,570-6; does an extensive business in it, 14,577; meal in Shetland is generally of one quality, 14,579; only one quality sold, 14,585.
ROBERTSON, John, jun. (analysis of his evidence, p. 383), merchant and fish-curer, and has retail shop in Lerwick—has fishing station at Spiggie, 15,153; none of the tenants there are bound to fish for him, 15,154; men in neighbourhood could not cure their own fish, because there is no beach other than his, 15,159; does not understand how some dealers give more than the current price, 15,164; succeeded Robert Mouat, 15,178; Mouat did not call tenants together and order them to fish for him, but merely recommended them to do so, 15,180.
ROBERTSON, Laurence (analysis of his evidence, p. 348), fisherman at Skelberry, in Lunnasting, 13,933; bound to fish for tacksman, 13,934; deals at store, 13,946; runs an account, 13,950; is generally in debt at settlement, 13,951; gets advances of money, 13,956; men put on allowance when too far in debt, 13,967.
ROBERTSON, Thomas (analysis of his evidence, p. 209), fisherman, 8582; and tenant, of land, 8583; fishes for Mr. Adie, 8584; settles yearly, 8585; gets advances if wished, 8587; herring fishery, 8605-8; price fixed at beginning of season, 8608.
ROBERTSON, William (analysis of his evidence, p. 265), cashier and principal clerk to Mr. Joseph Leask, 10,847; gives an account of Mr. Leask's system of business, 10,850; Mr. Leask's tenants are not bound to fish, 10,858; either in home or Faroe fishings, 10,912; hold their land as yearly tenants, 10,913; denies that the truck system is more prevalent in Shetland than other parts of the kingdom, and that it 'makes its depressing effect felt in all the ramifications of the industrial and social life of the natives,' 10,924; that men and their wives and children are all severally indebted to the merchants, or that men generally are in debt, 10,925; the tenants have farms generally of about twelve acres, 10,925; some as many as twenty-three acres, and some again seven, and, besides, there are extensive commons, 10,926; free to the people, except in Yell, where they pay for grazing ponies and sheep, but not cattle, 10,927; whaling agents have a very small and inadequate profit, 10,933; and make very little profit by their stores, for the men are supplied as cheaply, if not cheaper than at other stores, and there are many bad debts when there is a bad voyage, 10,938; bad voyages are frequent in whale and seal fishing, 10,939; young men must have advances for outfit, 10,940; men indebted generally go to another merchant, 10,957; and in that case, seldom pay their debts, 10,959; it is principally young men who are indebted, 10,961; there is a great scarcity of men, vessels often have to go to the fishing without their full complement of hands, 10,961; agents occasionally settle men's debts to other merchants, 10,977; agents obliged to pay wages in full to men in presence of the shipping master, but men always come to the store immediately after and settle any account they may owe, 11,009; allotment notes not issued by Mr. Leask, 11,051; frequently supplies men's families with money and goods in their absence, 11,058; delays in settlement are often caused by the dilatoriness of the men, 11,073; there is only one price charged for goods, 11,111; men always paid in cash, and not expected to buy; but when they do, goods are given them as cheap or cheaper than they could obtain them elsewhere, 11,187; men are very honest, and if they owe money, invariably pay it after receiving their wages, 11,209; hosiery paid in goods, 11,227; is simply barter, and not truck, 11,229; all Mr. Leask's employees paid in cash, unless they prefer to take goods, 11,248; Mr. Leask is extensively engaged in the Faroe fishing, 11,268; describes agreement with men, 11,270; lines and hooks, and anything else required by men, supplied by themselves, 11,272; half of the fish, after deduction of cost of curing, goes to the owner, and the other half to the men, 11,286.
ROBERTSON, William (recalled, p. 338). Hands in form of agreement for Faroe fishing, 13,603; men generally join about the middle of March, 13,604; shows workbook, 13,607; men never bound to go to Faroe fishing, 13,625; there is only one price for goods at store, 13,635; thinks price should not be fixed at the beginning of season, 13,646; does not think small dealers can command a higher, if so high a price for their fish, 13,655; unless by selling in small parcels to retail dealers, 13,658; denies that Mr. Leask ever forced the men on his property to fish for Mr. Williamson, 13,668; rents are commonly paid by merchant, 13,681; and retained at settlement, 13,682; denies that the truck system prevails in Shetland to an extent unknown in other parts of the kingdom, 13,697; the population of Shetland is 30,000 persons, 13,698; three-fourths of these are fishermen, seamen, and their families, 13,699; nearly every man has an account with the merchant he fishes for—does not consider this can be called truck, 13,701; thinks men have no reason to complain, 13,707; for it is an advantage, 13,708; fish merchant is only paid annually for his fish, and cannot be expected to settle otherwise than yearly with men, 13,710; men frequently have large sums of money in bank, 13,726; in Greenland whale fishing experienced men are preferred, as agents do not like the risk of supplying outfits to young hands, 13,737; men are not bound to take outfit from agents, 13,755; weekly or fortnightly settlements would be impossible, 13,789; Shetland men are not improvident or extravagant, 13,807; and, as a rule are not in debt, 13,808.
ROBERTSON, William (analysis of his evidence, p. 420), is in the employment of Hay & Co., Lerwick, 16,529; gives in statement as to the mode of dealing with men engaged for the seal and whale fishing, 16,530; to the following effect: 'I have been in Hay & Co.'s employment for upwards of twenty-eight years, during which time I have had chief management of their ship-agency business, and particularly that part of it connected with the whale fishery. The masters of the ships invariably choose the men who form their crews, and fix their wages without any regard to the employer. When engaged, men can get their first month's advance in cash, and if they wished allotment notes. Without farther credit from the agent, however, young hands could not get an outfit, and now the Board of Trade regulations have very greatly lessened the number of young men going to Greenland. The necessity of payment at the Custom-house causes much extra trouble to the agents, and they endeavoured at one time to get a higher commission. They did not, however, and have continued in the agency with much reluctance. Since 1867, men have always been paid first month's advance in cash at shipping office, and the balance at the end of the voyage, whenever they choose to ask it, quite irrespective of advances to them for clothing; these, however, the men, as a rule, came forward and settled promptly.' Men are seldom in debt, 16,531; if indebted, they go to another agent; their accounts are occasionally transferred to the new agent, 16,566; agents expect men to deal with them, but only because they have always done so; there is no compulsion, 16,586; there is great difficulty and trouble in getting men to attend at a settlement, 16,605.
RUSSELL, Euphemia (analysis of her evidence, p. 284), lives at Blackness, Scalloway, 11,562; supports herself by knitting and out-door work, 11,564; would devote her time entirely to knitting if she could get money in payment, 11,565; when requiring money has to take out-door work, 11,567; never got money from [Page 452] dealers, 11,570; has exchanged tea for meal, 11,578; can only get wool for money, 11,579.
SANDISON, Alexander (analysis of his evidence, p. 169), formerly fisherman, now too old to fish, 7049; fished for Mr. Anderson, 7051; was not actually bound when indebted to re-engage with merchant, 7054; but thought it fair to do so, 7077; price fixed at the beginning of season would be a doubtful benefit, 7059; eggs paid in goods, 7074; fishermen much better off now than formerly, 7083; whale fishing, 7088-7099.