CITY FISH MARKET.

Auckland Star, Volume XLVII, Issue 155, 30 June 1916, Page 2

CITY FISH MARKET.

AUCKLAND BY-LAWS ADOPTED MAYOR BACKS UP STATE CONTROL. A SYSTEM OF PROVED SUCCESS. i During the course of bis recent boli day in Australia. Mr. J. H. Gunsoa (Mayor of Auckland) made a special point of inquiring into the systems of State and municipal control of the fish , markets in Sydney and Melbourne. Judging from his report, issued to the Public - Services Committee and placed before j the ( ity Council last night, he was fully ■, convinced of the success in Australia of this system. He reports: The most in- , tercsting feature to my mind was the de- j velopment of the business under State . control (hi New South Wales), and despite the very severe criticism, also the difficulties which have had to be \ overcome, it can with confidence he said ( to be successful. Three trawlers are now j owned and engaged by the State; four j more vessels are in the course of completion, it being the intention of the Department controlling this interest to engage continuously seven trawlers. The consumption of fish as the outcome of this development has enormously in- I creased. The trawlers land their fish two or three times a week at the head of Woolloomooloo Hay, where the Harbour Trust have erected a large shed, which is used exclusively by the Department for the purpose of a receiving depot and distributing wholesale market. Cleaning is done there after landing. Practically no sales are made at this market, the fish being distributed from there to the various State shops throughout the city, which are patronised by the public to * the fullest extent of the supply. Apart t from the increased consumption of fish i the price has been lowered considerably, v The capital expenditure and the costs \ of establishing the business have been £ very heavy, but notwithstanding this I the manager of the Department (Mr. A Stead) anticipates being on the right c >ide at the end of tbe present year. The 1 State Ministers are so satisfied with the s results of the business to date that they t ire giving practically carte blanche to 1 the Department's officers. Private busi- ] losses have been helped and not injured, £ for the public are educated to lisli as an t irticle of regular diet, hence the general lemand. ( The Sydney municipality still controls i the fish market on the Haymarket site, t md a large quantity of fish passes s through it, but most of this is sold to < dealers in wholesale quantities. Con- i signments are received direct from line < fishermen and others, and are dealt with i much in the same way as we deal with < 3onsignments here, viz., sent in for sale c xnd return. i There is also a third market in Sydney 1 run by private interests. A large quan- 1 tity of fish passes through this. It is < subject almost entirely to private con- i trol. c Both at the State market and the municipal market concrete cleaning f troughs are used, and,l strongly recom- ( mend the installation of taese sfftrtji- c with, the wooden troughs "Which are now ( being made for use here being insanitary ( and, therefore, unsuitable for modern , use. This applies also to those in use j elsewhere in the city. f I had an opportunity with the chair- l man and committee of inspecting the pre- ( sent additions to the Auckland market. ] While I think that the same are on the f small side, yet the extension is quite on good lines, and the cleaning troughs, as j now recommended, if adopted, may be \ made and installed at once. In the , meantime I am of opinion that the jhairman and committee will do wisely , to develop the business along the lines at present being followed. I think the time is not far distant widen several A municipal shops in suitable parts of the , thickly populated city areas will require , to be opened, but this is not recom- ' t mended for immediate adoption. In Melbourne I had the opportunity of looking into the market-conditions, but , they are not equal to those obtaining in Sydney, although a large quantity of J fish is bandied and the method of receiving, cleaning, and delivery is much c the same. The superintendent of mar- * kets in Melbourne, an officer who con- J trols the whole of the market interests in that city, also supervises the fish mar- ' ket, which is run on a Bystem of stalls ( leased to dealers, who deal with their own supplies, purchased from fishermen, ex both rail and boat. In both Sydney and Melbourne the * necessity of developing the trade in tbe v interests of the community is fully arppre- ■ ciated, and there is very little doubt '\ that Melbourne will follow Sydney's ex- - ample in the matter of municipal or ' State control of this important orticle s of diet. ] Although th* question of market , buildings bas been before the Works Committee, yet on completion of the , markets there is no doubt they will, , inclusive of the fisih market, he undeif , the jurisdiction of the Public Services Committee. The markets in Sydney, as -well as in « Melbourne, are all ran on much the same ' principle as we propose to run the Auckland markets, namely, tenanting out to various occupants and letting tbe email reservations on the stall principle. Thi6 report by Mr. Gunson was before the Public Services Committee .when it Irafted the fish market bylaws, govern- « ng the sale of fish in Auckland, whidh. v .vere considered by tbe City Council last / light and adopted. The by-laws provide i or a manager, to act also as auctioneer; t 'or the inspection of all fish sold in the C uty; a scale of fees for inspection, for J •00l storage, for smoking, and 10 per s :ent. commission for selling; penalty for t iringing into the market fish unfit for g niman consumption; the licensing of all c iremises in the city used for cleaning, a moking, and curing fish; that such pre- n nisee (smoke-houses, etc., not shops) f hall be floored and constructed specially ir vith a view to cleanliness and tbe pre- s mention of contamination. The by-laws c ,tso relate to the good conduct of the j| ish market in other respects. That no 0 lepreeiation of tbe fish might arise [ hrough delay in handling it is provided c ;hat the market authorities be notified j mmediately on arrival of any boat c :arrying -fish for the market. a After discussion the by-laws were ], ldopted, and Mr. A. J. Entrica.n (chairnan of tbe Public Services Committee) „ expressed the committee's appreciation "T of the assistance Mr. Gunson's report i had given the committee in framing the + by-laws. " *