The so-called
Roaldsbrakki (Roald’s-barrack) was a temporary dwelling of female
labourers, the office building of the Norwegian fishing outfit and an
equipment storage. Two Norwegian brothers, Olav and Elias Roald from
Aalesund in Norway, owned the fishing outfit and operated a herring
processing factory there for 20 years. It was the best and largest of
its kind in the country at the time with good piers. In 1916, it
produced 30.000 barrels of pickled herring, and other factories in
their possession produced 10.000 barrels.
After 1931, the
company Isafiord Ltd continued the operation until 1968.
Half of the barrack stood on poles in the sea and the ground
floor was a part of the pickling and storage space. On the
first floor, the clerks were busy calculating the
workers weekly wages amidst the stores of spices and fishing
gear. On the third floor, the female labourers shared the
rooms, 8 in each, a common kitchenette and a room for drying
the working clothes. In the loft fishing gear and spices
were stored. During the summer season, almost 50 people were
accommodated in the barrack, and 50-80 young women worked in
the factory. The work was often hard and the hours were long
when the fishing vessels brought their catch in
continuously, because it had to be processed immediately as
it could not be preserved fresh. Sometimes the workers did
not even have time to eat properly.
Most of the
workers worked outdoors and praised the good weather, but suffered the
cold in-between. The women worked according to a bonus system at the
pickling. The more they pickled, the more they earned. They often
earned more than the male workers did when the raw materials were in
abundance. People of all classes of society from all parts of the
country, especially students, flocked to the fishing outfits during
the fishing seasons, and stood side by side working. This was the best
way to earn quick money and they did not mind the hardships and long
hours. Sometimes the fishing seasons failed and the labourers went
back home worse of financially than before. |