106
BARBARA E. WARD
Purse-seining was a two-boat operation; the fokis' wages were calculated on the gross total takings of the pair of boats. Actual payment was, however, made by each boat master separately to the employees on his own junk out of the cash remaining after division with his partner and payment of other expenses. If for any reason a foki did not go to sea, then the proceeds for the period of his absence were not included in the total on which his share was calculated.
In general conversation and in answer to casual questioning, the share was always described as “4%” or “about 4%”. In fact, it was sometimes rather less than this, and I have examples ranging from 3.5% to 4%, the differences being explained to me in terms of competence and/or need. Thus, on Chung Fuk Hap's pair of purse-seiners in the first half of 1952, there were as many as 5 hired men and 1 hired woman. Three of the men received shares of 3.5% each, one received 3.8%, and one the full 4%. The three on 3.5% were all unmarried youths between 18 and 24 years of age. One of them was Fuk Hap's qualified coxswain-engineer nephew (brother's son). The 3.8% share went to a man a little older, and the 4% to a man nearly 40 years of age with two wives and several children, who was Fuk Hap's full brother and acting master of the second boat of the pair. The woman, who was the elderly mother of one of the 3.5% men, was given $15 a month and described as being “looked after” by Fuk Hap because she had nowhere else to live. On Ma Wing Toh's boats at the same period, there were 4 fokis, 2 on 4% and 2 on 3.8%. During the first six lunar months of 1953, Chung Fuk Hei's literate son, Fu Tak, kept full records of income and expenses, including all payments made to the 2 fokis his father employed at shares of 3.8% and 3.5% respectively; the amounts totalled $541.20 cts. and $373.95 cts.
Public opinion might react strongly to rumours of underpayment. Early in 1953, it was being said that Fuk Hap was treating one of his men unfairly by paying only 3.3%. The man concerned happened to be younger brother to the wife of one of Fuk Hap's own younger brothers, Fuk Shun, and, although it was the unfairness in general that aroused unfavourable comment, I do not know whether I should have heard so much about it had I...