6383. Do you and your daughters agree to keep the same account?-Yes; the account is generally in my name.
6384. Who does your husband work for?-He has been at the fishing, and he has been doing land-work for different people. He was working last summer to an Orkney man, who was over here at the building of the church.
6385. Does he work at farm-work, or how?-He just works at day-work, or lime-work, or anything he can get.
6386. Is he a stone-mason?-He is just a day labourer; he is not a mason.
6387. Do you keep an account at the shop at Hillswick for all your provisions and all the soft goods you want?-I have no account there just now.
6388. But you say that you are paid for your kelp by being settled with in an account?-Yes; we are paid off then for what is due to us, and there is no other account kept until the following year.
6389. You say you have never asked to be paid in money: is it all the same to you whether you are paid in money or in goods?-It is all the same.
6390. Do you swear that it is all the same to you?-It has been the custom to pay in goods, and there is no other place we could go to where we could get the money, besides if we got the money, we would just give it back into the shop that was handiest.
6391. Did you tell any person that you were afraid to come here today?-No, I was not afraid to come.
6392. Did you get any advice from any person about speaking the truth when you came here?-No.
6393. Are you sure about that?-I came to speak the truth when I swore to do it.
6394. But before you came, did you say anything to any one about being afraid to come, and were you advised to speak the truth?-I know to speak the truth.
6395. But did you say anything to any person about being afraid to come here?-I cannot recollect. I said to Mr. Sutherland that I wondered there were no other women asked to come besides me because there are plenty in the place. Mr. Sutherland asked me if I got money for anything; and I said I never did, and that I never asked it either for knitting or for kelp. I told him that if I had asked it I did not know what might have been done; but I never did ask it, and Mr. Anderson knows himself that I never asked money for knitting. But when I was asked to come here, I was nowise afraid to come and tell the truth.
6396. Did you say to any one that you did not like to come, for fear of the merchant?-No, I did not say I was afraid for the merchant.
6397. What did you say about the merchant?-I said I did not know why other people should not come as well as me, and that I wondered why no other women were summoned but myself.
6398. Did Mr. Sutherland advise you to speak the truth when you come, and not be afraid?-I spoke to Mr. Sutherland, and told him I did not know where I had to come.
6399. Did Mr. Anderson speak to you about coming here this morning? Did you see him to-day?-Yes, I saw him, and I spoke to him here.
6400. What did he say to you?-Mr. Anderson told me to bring my pa.s.s-book, whatever state it was in; but it has not been used for some years.
6401. Was that it pa.s.s-book for the kelp?-Yes, it was it pa.s.s-book for the goods that were used for the family.
6402. Had you a pa.s.s-book some years ago?-Yes; it is in the house.
6403. But you don"t enter your purchases in that pa.s.s-book now?-No.
6404. Do you generally buy what you want at Mr. Anderson"s shop?-Yes.
6405. What do you buy there?-Meal or tea, or whatever I am needing.
6406. How do you pay for that? Do you pay in money?- Sometimes in money and sometimes in knitted things or in work which my husband does.
6407. Does your husband work for Mr. Anderson?-Sometimes.
6408. When he works a day"s work to him, does he get his money for it, or is it put down in the account?-It is put down in the account.
6409. But you said you had no account?-Well, I have no account.
6410. Has your husband an account?-Yes; when I said I had no account, I meant that I had no account for kelp and hosiery, but there is an account in my husband"s name.
6411. And when he works for Mr. Anderson, his day"s work is put down in the account?-Yes.
6412. What does he work at?-Stone-work, or any other kind of house-building.
6413. Is that account settled in money or goods?-In goods. I don"t believe he has ready money to get; he is due something.
6414. Is he generally due something?-Yes; he has been due something for a while.
6415. Is it generally for Mr. Anderson that he works?-Only sometimes.
6416. When he works for other people, is he paid in money?- Yes; when he works for Mr. Sutherland, or any man who has no shop, he gets ready money.
6417. But if he works for any one who has a shop, is he paid in goods?-He does not work for any one who has a shop, except Mr.
Anderson.
6418. And he is not paid in money for that because he is due Mr.
Anderson an account?-His work is put into the account, and he gets what he needs for the house.
6419. How many years has he been in that position?-I cannot say; I have not been settling for him.
6420. Has he been working in this neighbourhood for a number of years?-Yes; we came here from Lerwick about 1858.
6421. When did you begin to get into debt?-I cannot say, because my husband was at the fishing then.
6422 Is it long since he got into debt?-It is some years; but I cannot say how many, because I have not been settling his account.
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6423. Is his account settled every year?-Yes.
6424. At what time?-About Martinmas or the 1st November, just at the time when the fishermen are settled with.
6425. Do you know that there is generally a balance against your husband at the end of the year?-Yes.
6426. How much will that balance be?-I cannot say.
6427. Although there is that balance, you can still get what you want from the shop in the way of provisions or clothing?-Yes; when he is working for Mr. Anderson.
6428. Is he at liberty to work for any person here who will give him the highest wage?-Yes.
6429. There is no interference with him in respect to that?-No.
6430. Then it was your husband"s pa.s.s-book that Mr. Anderson referred to when you came here today?-Yes; I told him I did not have it, but he said I should have brought it.