THE PRICE OF FISH

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 91, 11 January 1919, Page 8

T HE PRICE OF FISH

LOCAL INCREASES STILL STAND WAR CONDITIONS MAY DISAPPEAR SOON / Increases made last year in the local retail price of fish aro still standing. Pisli has been fairly plentiful on the Wellington market the prices have remained high. The increase' made by tho fishermen and passed ou to the public by the .retailors have produced acurious anomaly. Trout, - brought -by coach and rail' from Lako ' Taupo,' is being sold in" Wellington cheaper than sea fish caught in Cook Strait, and landed.- from tlio ( boats at the-'Wellington wharves. ' ■ '"' > The trout is supplied by the Government to tlio Wellington dealers at 3Jd. a lb. fresh, and sd. a lb. smoked, on condition that the retail price shall not exceed lid. a lb. and Bd. a lb, respectively. This fish is netted in Lako. Taupo, carried by motor lorry from. T'okaanui to Waimarino, and Bent ou by rail to Wellington. Tho number of fish netted at tho lake last 6eason was 17,947, weighing' 2i tons. } This .'tiuantity; of ooilrse, does not go. far towards supplying tho people oi .Wellington. But tho fact remains that tho trout provides a profit for both Government and ivtailer, and that it is sold to the consumer' at the samo ]>ricß as groper, and v at a lower 1 price than hake or cod;

There is some -ground for hoyo that tho retail price of sea fish will fall in Wellington within the next twelve months. A reporter who made Rome inquiries on this was informed that the war had had much, to do-with' the increase of prices, and. that fish would* be ' cheaper when materials became less costly and labour, more plentiful; It is admitted, in the meantime; that some at least of the fishermen engaged in supplying the Wellington market are doing very well indeed. The weekly earnings of a boat have lieen as high as MO within recent months, and even when allowance las been made for the high prices of petrol, cordage, etc., this return gives a very handsome margin for. tho men engaged in the industry. In its last report the Board of Trade mentioned that it had kept in closo touch with tho \ fishing industry at Dunedin, Port Chalmers, Napier, Welling-ton,.-and Auckland. "The development of this important industry," said the*board, "is, greatly retarded by' difficulties in connection with supplies of 'materials,' duo to ,\vnr conditions. The enterprise shown at Auckland has resulted invthat city being supplied with fish at prices which aire considerably cheaper, generally speaking, that in any other part of the Dominion. The prices of- fish in Auckland have i increased •' of latter months, owing mainly to tho increased cost of almost all the equipment used in connection with the trawling v industry, and,, in addition, to the increase granted in wages to the ■ workers employed in tho calling, and to the fact that ono of tlio trawlers belonging to the municipal authorities is being used in defence work. In' Wellington, Christchurch, and Dunedin prices have fluctuated considerably, owing mainly to, the" abnormal weather'experienced affecting supplies, the • withdrawal of the largest trawler employed in New Zealand waters for defence purposes, and, for a time, the fact that those, fishermen using motorboats were handicapped owing to shortago of petrol supplies.. In this last con-, r.ection the board was able to. render material assistanco by ensuring' regular supplies to fishermen at a reasonable price. . , "Tho board would emphasise the .fact that the provision of cheap fish to' the consumers of Now Zealand generally, is dependent upon a large expenditure of capital for the purchase of' suitable equipment, trawlers, and for the provision of cool storage and'miniated transport; and during the wan- period it is hopeless to expect that the necessary capital to nrovide this equipment can lie. | secured. , Indeed, it is onlv by .very | strenuous endeavour that tho supplies of wire , rope, neis, etc., have, been se-cured-from abroad..

. "With a view to Assisting,the' industry Hie board sought for information from' nhropd ■concwninjr nets known as 'purscseinos.' This not onpears to lie extensively uspd in Canada for catching both surfacoaiid deep-sea fish, and its introduction in New Zealand would lMidouhtpdlv ho followed by inr.rPa.seiV supplies, Information conwrninir these nets iv/is received from the Canadian Government, which showed Hint ''puwn-seines' were largply used, in the Canadian fisheries, particularly on, the Pacific Const in connection with the salmon and her' ring fisheries. The net was reported to lie an unusually etvnable fishing-engine for the capture of fisli that: school at or near the surface. Although the cost of such lints at ; the present time is abnormally liiqli\ information lias been received tlmt'one', of the leedini* fishii'7 firms in New Zealand has already made arrangements to seen,re a complete net. for use in our waters."

Tf is expected that the trawlers used during the war by the naval a"thoritie.s ill niine-swpeninir operations will bo released shortly for their normal wojlr. The "pui'SP-seine" has still to bo tried out thoroughly, in Jf?w Zealand waters, but experts anticipat" that it will justify itself. In any ease, the number of fishermen engaged'-"! snnnlying the New Zealand market is likely to increase dur-' ing (lift next, year or two.