DEAR FISH.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 715, 14 January 1910, Page 3

DEAR FISH.

■: KING TACTICS ALLEGED. ■■ (By Telegraph.—Special Correspondent.)'. ! ' Auckland, January 13. Some twelve months' ago,' it will be' remembered, .the.: Minister . for. Marine' (Hon. J. A.,. Millar) .'suggested, 'to" the, I 'civici. authorities in: the four, large cities 'of the Dominion that municipal fish markets should be established, with, a view tt> giving the 'publica . regular > supply. of cheap fish: Tho proposal .met with some: support, but.nothing was -done ,to bring about such municipal 'contra! of the fish market, and. the. fishermen; of Auckland are inow,- it .is understood, moving : to se-cure-better conditions for themselves;andfor. the public. A meeting under the. auspices i of. the Auckland ..Fishermen's Union was l recently .held, lan'd'r while the ing conditions, as far as the men! are concerned ' have '.been somewhat improved, the position is considered to: be still far' .from .satisfactory. ' \ ' 1 "The Auckland. fish trade is in the hands.of a,'declared Mr\B. Man-, ning, secretary.-.of the .luiion,. when speaking to'.a./'Star" representative, this' morn:ing, "and it ;is ithe -public- which' suffers. The' supply is controlled by . four, ; or '.men : who shut' 1 out "the • smaller retailers 'and "regulate .pricesto'■ suit' themselves.. The fishermen get a penny per pound fqr jtheir; fish,'and it is sold to the public for f 3d.,' '4d., and' even 6d., per .lb. That ; fish-, .■in'. Auckland should;, lie <an expensive .luxury, "instead of the very cheapest article - 'of"" diet, 'is simply deplorable.': The' fisherman suffers, and" the public,. suffers. i.Take' justVone:.instanceof.the.:way 'in,' which the consumer has:to"pay...Hapuka js - caught and sold-by . the fislierme.il. a • I'penny ,per: lb—that is all the ring'will : gite Win.-; The consumer Was to, pay, any;-: thing between: 4dl and 8d v per lb. for it/' 'That is not right A penny per lb." should, give' the- retailer': a';fair' return,,' arid',if. /cheap, fish was obtainable ..and..all, the small-retailers outside the .riiig-.were allowed; to maintain 'a regular 'supply,: this ' commodity would ,'be found in aveiy home/ and. tho fishermen.of Auckland .would, bo .constantly employed instead of working, 'according to demand as, at present. . The Sositio'n is a serious one,"- continued Mr., tanning.:- "There are .-frilly 100. fishing-boats-and quite 200 men employed in the , fishing industry here. If . the -supply, of .fish were, cheap: and regular, the demand would be sufficient to keep these men and , their- boatsvcontinuallyemployed.;; :-. -"The simplest remedy,.of course, would be a' co-operati.ve system, but the time • seems hardly ripe .for. that.,.. There . are. . certain things, however, .which the, public have a right to expect; and .cheap fish, .is'one.of' them." :. ;