THE LUSCIOUS OYSTER.

Auckland Star, Volume LII, Issue 129, 1 June 1921, Page 5

THE LUSCIOUS OYSTER.

OPENING OF SEASON. The coveted shell-fish, tlie oyster, became available to the public to-day when the season officially opened. The depot at the Municipal Fish Market was particularly busy, and in anticipation of a heavy demand from the restaurant keepers, fish dealers and others, a good supply had been accumulated. When business commenced S7l sacks were piled in the depot, but at noon a serious inroad into the stocks had been made J although further supplies will come to j hand several times weekly and the traffic should soon lie normal. This season tlie I beds Of Russell, Great Harrier and Wlian- ! gaparoa are the first to be picked, and lon the former there are about -20 men employed, 5 at the Barrier, and about 15 ut Whangaparoa. which beds have been closed for a season. Of the 871 bays 3SI came from Russell, 50 from the Harrier and -140 from Whangaparoa. Later on tlie' Hauraki Gulf beds. Waihnke and probably Coromandel and Poanui will be worked. The demand was an insistent one. and included 150 sacks which were railed away or sent to country orders- The oysters can bo bought at the depot in sacks, four-gallon lots, or in paper bag lots, and the staff, under Mr. Letcher, got little rest this morning. In tlie retail shops where the oysters were sold in bottles, the stall's could hardly open them expeditiously enough to keep time with t!ie demand. The quality was reported upon very favourably. This year there has been a slight increase in the Government depot prices. A sack has gone up from 20/ to 21/, inclusive of the sack, a smaller sack or kerosene tin holding four gallons costs 5/ (or 4/0 exclusive of the sack), while the paper-bag lots of about five dozen have risen from 1/3 to 1/0. The retail bottle prices were 2/6 and 3/6 a bottle. When the Government depot was originally opened, over a dozen years ago, "the oysters were sold at 11/ a'sack.