92
BARBARA E. WARD
In Kau Sai in 1953 all the eligible men over 50 and all but two of the eligible men over 40 were masters or ex-masters of boats. One exception in the forties' age group was a sub-normal adult on a purse-seiner of whom more will be heard a little later, the other was the brother of the master in a somewhat unusual undivided small long-liner family. Excluding these two men, the total number over 40 eligible for mastership was 37, but as the total number of boats for which full data on age were recorded was 59 it follows that at least 22 masters had to be under 40. Owing to the retirement of several older men, the actual number was 27, of whom 4 were only in their twenties. In other words, any eligible man over 40 had an almost 100% chance of being a boat's master, and even for those aged 30 and upwards the chances were more than 50:50. I shall suggest in a later chapter that this objective situation, born of the demographic facts, may have had an important bearing on the subjective expectations of the younger men and the relationship between the generations.
50
It is clear from Table 3 that there were quite important differences between the different kinds of fishermen in respect of the age, and, to some extent as we shall see, the familial status of their masters. The figures for hand liners and others are far too small to allow of any general conclusions, and in any case handlining and trapping in Kau Sai tended to be marginal forms of making a living, followed only by families who were too handicapped to do anything requiring more capital, more hands and physical strength or more skill. The long-liners, on the other hand, were not only more numerous (in 1953) but most of them had also experienced long-term economic viability. Among them the age pattern for mastership followed a clear normal curve, with its top in the forties (Table 3 Row 6). This age distribution is consistent with the fact that the majority of the long-liners' crews comprised nuclear families. In all but one of which "father" was indeed "captain". In all the four stem families recorded, too, the master was the senior father.53
It will be remembered that in 1953 Kau Sai's one medium long-liner housed a 3 generation extended family, in this resembling local purse-seiners rather than small liners. There, too, the master was the senior father (grandfather), a man in his
92
BARBARA E, WARD
In Kau Sai in 1953 all the eligible men over 50 and all but two of the eligible men over 40 were masters or ex-masters of boats. One exception in the forties' age group was a sub-normal adult on a purse-seiner of whom more will be heard a little later, the other was the brother of the master in a somewhat unusual undivided small long-liner family. Excluding these two men, the total number over 40 eligible for mastership was 37, but as the total number of boats for which full data on age were recorded was 59 it follows that at least 22 masters had to be under 40. Owing to the retirement of several older men, the actual number was 27, of whom 4 were only in their twenties. In other words, any eligible man over 40 had an almost 100% chance of being a boats' master, and even for those aged 30 and upwards the chances were more than 50:50. I shall suggest in a later chapter that this objective situation, born of the demographic facts, may have had an important bearing on the subjective expectations of the younger men and the relationship between the generations."
50
It is clear from Table 3 that there were quite important differences between the different kinds of fishermen in respect of the age, and, to some extent as we shall see, the familial status of their masters. The figures for hand liners and others are far too small to allow of any general conclusions, and in any case handlining and trapping in Kau Sai tended to be marginal forms of making a living, followed only by families who were too handicapped to do anything requiring more capital, more hands and physical strength or more skill. The long-liners, on the other hand, were not only more numerous (in 1953) but most of them had also experienced long-term economic viability. Among them the age pattern for mastership followed a clear normal curve, with its top in the forties (Table 3 Row 6). This age distribution is consistent with the fact that the majority of the long-liners crews comprised nuclear families. In all but one of which "father" was indeed "captain". In all the four stem families recorded, too, the master was the senior father.53
It will be remembered that in 1953 Kau Sai's one medium long-liner housed a 3 generation extended family, in this resembling local purse-seiners rather than small liners. There, too, the master was the senior father (grandfather), a man in his
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