94
BARBARA E. WARD
man was the capable, reliable son of an energetic, rather "bossy" mother; the father was uncommonly bashful and diffident; though highly skilled as a long-liner and in the making of fish traps. He told me himself that he had wanted his son to relieve him of what he personally regarded as the ordeal of managing the business side of their fishing enterprise as soon as possible. His statement was backed by local gossip; it was said on all sides that Ma Tai Tak really was a peculiarly fearful man, his son, Shui Shing, on the other hand, was quite remarkably strong in character." The solution was generally acknowledged to be unusual but appropriate.
Table 4 summarises the situation as regards boats' master-ships among the small long-liners in 1953 and 1970:
Table 4
Small long-liners: boats' masters by family type, relationship and age, 1953 and 1970: Kau Sai.
20-29 30-39 40-49 50-59 Over 60 Total 20-29 30-39 40-49 50-59 Over 60 (1) Nuclear families (a) father as master 1 0 0 0 0 (b) Son as master 0 2 3 1 2 8 1 0 0 0 0 (2) Stem families (a) senior father as master 4 (b) married son as master (3) Undivided brothers 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 2 0 0 1 5 2 1 5 2* [This table, printed here as given in the manuscript, is obviously incomplete.]