FRIDAY, JANUARY 27, 1899.

Evening Post, Volume LVII, Issue 22, 27 January 1899, Page 4

FRIDAY, JANUARY 27, 1899.

i THE FISH SUPPLY AND A FISH MARKET. « ' ' Until quite recently it was a reproach to this city that while the sea that is almost at our doors abounds 'in fish of the finest quality and in all seasons, it could only be procured at prices that caused it to rank almost as a luxury in the dietary scale of a modest household. Either from lack of enterprise *or organisation on the part of the fishermen * or a successful cornering of the trade on the part of the . middlemen, the price of fish to the great majority of consumers was almost pro hibitory. Then some steam trawlers got to work off Napier, and found close at hand a seemingly inexhaustible harvest of the sea, and the daily takes of choice iish being immediately railed hither and sold by auction to peripatetic vendors, the price of fish dropped nearly fifty per cent, and this most wholesome article of food was placed within reach of every household in the city. Tn another column Avill bo found a" article descriptive of the fish supply to Wellington, and in it a warning note that this newly conferred boon of cheap fish may presently be taken away, and as ixi that event the mass of the people would be deprived of a cheap, wholesome, and nu tvitious article of food, we propose to offe" some suggestions by which producers— if a fisherman can be called a producer — and consumers may come nearer to each other with mutually satisfactory results. In regard to the fish supply from Napier, what is about to happen if we are correctly informed is this : — The distributors or middlemen engaged in the trade having purchased or secured the control of all the steam trawlers excepting two engaged in the industry, say to the owners of these — " We intend to put up the price of fish in order to pay big profits on the capital of our company, which is £10.000. You must do one of two things ; either come into the company, or bind yourselves hot to undersell it as you must do if you continue to have your fish auctioned in Wellington. If you agree you will get the benefits of the increased prices we intend to charge ; if you refuse our terms, we shall sink as much of our capital as may be necessary to undersell you until 1 you are driven out of the business." This,

Aye believe, pretti y accurate *y describes the present position, and if so, the boon of cheap fish, unless the consumer makes a counter-move, will soon be ended. How can such a move be made '/ The answer is by the formation of a co-operative company of consumers. If a constant supply of cheap lish is thoroughly appreciated by the people of this city, and they wish it maintained, there should be no real difficulty in raising in £1 shares the small capital necessary to guarantee the trawlers still Avilling to maintain the cheap supply against loss. The owners of the vessels would come into such a company as the holders of paid-up preference shares equal to the agreed on value of their vessels, plant, and business, and the ordinary shareholders, the Wellington consumers, would, for a contributory liability of £1 per share, be secured against the operation of any "corner" to put up the price of fish. Then, as to the purely local supply, drawn from the Port Nicholson and the adjoining coast, that might be regulated to the best advantage of both the fishermen and the public by the establishment of a fish market. We do not mean a palatial structure, the cost of which would scare the ratepayers, but a modest yet sightly building, that could be erected for, say, £500. A suitable site, in a main artery of traffic, with. both,, water and street frontage is to be found adjoining the Navals' boatshed. A neat and sightly structure that would answer all purposes for some time to come might be there erected at a cost that should pay good interest on the investment, besides being a public benefit. The fishermen could there bring their boats each morning, and auction their fish, or sell them to the dealers, or retail them from the market, as they thought fit, paying of course a prescribed scale of fees for the accommodation provided. The effect would be that an industrious and hard-woxjeing .set of, men would get fair value for their toil, and consumers would be certain of a continuous supply of fresh fish, without the risk of its being cut short or raised to an artificial price by the operations of a " corner " monopoly. We hope the City Fathers will find time to consider this question as one worthy municipal attention.