Each
vessel is manned by a diver, his attendant, and a crew of four men, who
in pairs take alternate shifts at the manual pump for supplying air to
the diver. The entire force of men take part in managing the vessel and
in caring for the catch. The vessel is provided with full equipment and
supplies of food, water, etc., to last two or three weeks, depending on
the distance of the fishing-grounds from the shore station, or the
frequency of trips made by a supply vessel.
Except
a number of owners and their representatives, there are now very few
white persons engaged in pearling in Australian waters. Even the
persons in charge of the vessels are largely natives of the Pacific
Islands. Owing to the hardships encountered and the small remuneration,
it is difficult to secure white labor; and aliens from Japan, the
Philippines, Java, Singapore, India and New Guinea, are employed.
The
divers are of many nationalities, principally Japanese and Malays, and
the former are said to be the most efficient. Previous to 1890, they
were mostly whites, and were paid at the rate of £40 per ton of shells
; but increased competition and the influx of cheaper labor caused a
considerable decrease in the rate of compensation, driving most of the
white men out of the employment. At present the Japanese almost
monopolize the business. Of the 367 divers licensed at Thursday Island
in 1905, 291 were Japanese, 32 were Filipinos, 21 were from Rotuma
Island, 16 were Malays, and 7 were of other nationalities; this shows
how completely the white man has been driven out of this skilled,
branch of labor.
The
oysters are so scattered that considerable walking is necessary to find
them. They usually lie with the shells partly open, and in grasping
them the fisherman must be careful not to insert a finger within the
open shell, or a very bad pinch will result. The progress of the vessel
must be adapted to that of the diver, and when a good clump of oysters
is found it may even be desirable to anchor. If the current and wind
are just right, the vessel may repeatedly drift over a bed, the diver
ascending and remaining on board while the vessel is retracing its
course to the windward side of the reef. On new grounds, the nature of
the bottom is determined by casting the lead properly tipped with soap
or tallow, and the prospects for oysters thus determined without
descending.
During
good weather and in eight or ten fathoms of water, a diver can work
almost continually, and need not return to the surface for two hours or
more ; but as the depth increases, the length of time he may remain at
the bottom in safety decreases almost in geometric ratio, and he comes
to the surface frequently for a "blow" with helmet removed. Evidence
secured by a departmental commission of the
