["The Pearl Fisheries", The Mercury (Hobart, Tas.), Monday 27 June 1910, page 5]
THE PEARL FISHERIES.
THE INDUSTRY IN AUSTRALIA.
AN INTERESTING INTERVIEW.
Mr. Stirling Taylor, who for several years has been actively associated with tho pearl fisheries of West Australia, is at present in Hobart on a holiday and on Saturday he afforded a "Mercury" representative some interesting information in regard to the industry.
"Yes," said Mr. Taylor in reply to questions, "a fairly numerous fleet is engaged in the pearl fisheries. The number of boats from Broome is 245. Other centres are Thursday Island, where the fleet is about half the size of that of Broome, and Port Darwin, where there are 25 boats. Each boat carries a crew of about seven, mostly Japanese or Malays. The population of Broome is about 600 whites, and between 2,000 and 3,000 coloured people. That is the permanent population. The population afloat is about 19,000, as one boat in eight is a schooner, and carries eight hands. Then, as to the value of the industry. The boats will average about four tons of shells per year. At present prices they are worth £200 per ton. The prices, however, vary a good deal. A few years ago the shells were worth only £90. The reason was that the demand fell off, and we believed that there was a little bit of squeeze on the part of the buyers, and more or less of a combine for the time being. We can generally expect that the cost of a boat will be between £500 and £600 per year. We get our crews from Singapore, and they are brought down on a three years' agreement. We have to enter into a bond with the Federal Government, and we are guaranteed by the guarantee companies doing business in Australia, to the extent of £100 for each man, that we will deport the coloured men when call upon to do so. The crew are paid at the rate of 30s. per month per man, and found. The divers are paid £3 per month and £25 for each ton of shell they raise. The cost of keeping a man is about £15. We employ the coolie, not because he is cheap, because really he is not, but because he is better fitted for the drudgery than that white man. The drudgery consists of managing and turning a pump handle to supply air to the divers all day long. He turns this in the hold of the boats, and has nothing to look at but the inside of the vessel. No white man could tolerate that for practically ten months of the year, the only spell they have being for a period of about six weeks, when the boats run into the creeks for water and firewood."
How about the health of the coloured crews?
"Well, like all rice eaters, the world over, they are subject to the great scourge, beri-beri, and we have to supply them with medical comforts. This brings me to a subject which I notice is being discussed in the columns of "The Mercury," with a view of extending your fruit export trade to the East, and that is the efficacy of apples in combating the disease. We have found this so, and as soon as a man is down with beri-beri, we diet him on apples (usually Tasmanian tinned apples) and vegetables.
"You want to know the depths at which operations are carried on? Well the Japanese are the most successful divers, and the depths at which they work range from about five to thirty fathoms--that is, 30ft. to 180ft. The quantity of shells raised in the season varies from 2 1/2 to 7 tons per boat. Starting at daylight the divers work on pretty well all day until sunset. In the shallow water they can remain under half a day, but in deep water the stay is a matter of minutes only. They have to descend slowly, so as to take the pressure gradually, and they must also come up slowly, as a rapid ascent is liable to cause rupture of the blood vessels and instant paralysis, which might cause immediate death. it is a curious fact that though a man may be partially paralysed or have a stiffened limb, and be unable to move about without difficulty, under the water he would be able to move about with perfect freedom.
"The value of the shell raised last year (1,200 tons) was £240,000. It is impossible to gauge accurately the value of the pearls, as many of the pearlers do not care to speak of their finds, but it is between £100,000 and £200,000 yearly. The pearl is generally found loose in the shell, sometimes it is embedded in the body of the oyster, and occasionally stuck to the shell in the form of a blister. The small and misshapen pearls, generally known as barak, are plentiful, and are not valuable. They are sold by the carat. The large and shapely pearls are not often met with, though dozens of them worth £1,000 each are found every year. One of the most valuable pearls found recently weighed 97 grains. It was pear shaped, and sold for £5,000.
How are the pearls disposed of?
"Jewish buyers come from London each year. They, of course, will not pay a cent more than they need, but they are very honourable traders. While they sometimes make large profits they also make considerable losses. On the whole they pay very fair prices, much better than can be obtained in London.
"Yes, the whole business is a gamble, especially when it comes to pearl blisters. I will give you an instance. A pearler sold one of these blisters for £50. The purchaser cut it, and found a pearl with a few spots on one side. This is regarded as a defect. As it was that pearl was worth £500 as a gamble. If the spots would come off its value, possibly, would be three times that. The purchaser alluded to tried to sell the blister to another dealer, tho bargain being that purchaser No. 2 was to give £1,250 for it if the spots would come off. A skilful cleaner did the trick, and the pearl was ultimately sold for £2,000.
