2829. Has each of them an account in your ledger?-Yes; a small book which I keep for the purpose. [Produces book.] We generally settle for an article when they bring it in, but sometimes there may be a balance on one side or the other. 2830. Does this book show the amount of cash that is paid for the shawls brought in to you?-No. There are many transactions that are never entered here at all. 2831. But does the book show the amount of cash that is paid for shawls which are knitted to order with your own wool?-No; when I give out wool for the knitting of a shawl, no note of it appears in the book at all. 2832. What note do you take of it?-I merely take a memorandum on a piece of paper. 2833. Then you may have a lot of slips of that kind lying beside you?-No. I very likely burn them whenever the shawls are returned, and if I know the woman sufficiently well, I may give the wool to her without keeping any note of it of any kind. 2834. Do you trust to your memory for that?-Yes. I weigh the wool before it goes out. 2835. What proportion of the wages of these workers is paid by you in money?-I cannot say. 2836. Will there be a shilling in the pound paid money?-I cannot say, but I think there will be more than that. 2837. May there be 2s.?-I cannot say exactly. Perhaps if they come with a shawl for which they are to get 8s. or 10s., they may get 1s. or 2s. upon it, but if they did not ask it, they would not get it. 2838. The understanding is that you pay them goods?-Yes. 2839. Are you often asked to give some money?-Very seldom; but whenever they ask for money, they get it, or any other thing I have in the shop. 2840. Can you explain how women who knit for you support themselves if they only get soft goods and tea for their knitting?- There are very few of them who do not do other work. There may be a few who do nothing but knit, but the greater part of the girls and women who employ themselves at knitting have other work to do besides. Some of them sew slop shirts for the agents shops, and various other things. 2841. These are required for the men who go to the whale-fishing?-Yes. [Produces day-book.] The [Page 63] details of the goods sent south are all there. It is only the amount that is posted into the ledger. 2842. What would be the cost of producing this one dozen socks [showing]?-They were bought with barter for exactly the same value of goods as is charged for them there. I have also to be at the expense of dressing them and packing them, and then perhaps lying out of my money for twelve months. 2843. Then you dress them for nothing?-I must dress them for nothing. 2844. Is not that a loss to you?-Yes. 2845. And you must pay yourself for that out of the profit on the goods which you give for them?-Yes. 2846. Is that a common thing in your trade?-I believe it is. Of course there are some of the articles on which there is a profit.