FISH SUPPLIES

Evening Post, Volume XCIII, Issue 101, 28 April 1917, Page 9

FISH SUPPLIES

QUEENSLAND STATE METHOD

DEALING WITH WHOLE BUSINESS. ■ .■' ■ Wellington has not mode a success of its municipal fish enterprise. The failure is attributed by some people to the. fact that methods for obtaning the fish in the first place were not' properly organised.- It is interesting to note the methods which are now being adopted by the Queensland Government in pre-. paration for the launching of a State fish-supply scheme. The Government proposes at a later date to have trawlers at work, but first it is arranging machinery for handling and distributing the catches of fishermen. It has erected a receiving depot through ' which the fish will pass, being cleaned and packed for transportation in insulated vans to a ( large cold store in Brisbane., Describing the depot which has been completed, j the Brisbane Daily Telegraph, states : j The building is right in the water, and is so planned as to allow of! fishing boats lying alongside at all tides and discharging their cargoes direct into the cleaningrroom or smokehouse, as. may be required; The trawlers, when obtained, will not use Wynnjim,, but will come straight up the river. The building is carried on a reinforced concrete platform, supported on concrete piles, the superstructure being bf wood with tiled roof, the. floors throughout being finished with "ironite." ' .

It is important' that the depot be not confused with the Central Store, preparations for the erection of which are now in. hand near the Victoria Bridge. The Wyhnum establishment is merely a go-between, really a modernisation of the wasteful and uneconomic system hitherto employed. In the .past, as is well known, a boat would return with anything from a quarter to a ton of fish, and it was then no uncommon sight to see them'turned out on the mud in a most distasteful . manner, "while dozens of buyers crowded round. The fish would be taken to the station, and, after waiting for the afternoon train would be brought to Brisbane, some of them at times proclaiming loudly. the. necessity for a funeral. That abomination will no longer obtain. The fishermen will now be able to take out with them in their boats the crushed ice, thas enabling them to stay out an indefinite time; they will "Bring in their catch an 3 hand it over direct to the depot from their boat. UP-TO-DATE FACILITIES. The haul is transferred direct from the fishing boat in baskets into the cleaning-room, which contains four reinforced concrete fish-cleaning troughs, discharging into a fish trap, which collects all the waste, thus preventing any pollution of the creek; after being cleaned the fish are conveyed into a cold store with ah airlock opening out on to a concrete delivering' platform, a minimum of handling thus being obtained. 1 ''.'.-' ■. . ■'.' ,'■ Tie capacity of the depot is lour tons of fish, compared with 50 tons in the central store. . In addition to that another four tons can be placed in \the motor van for conveying the■ fish to the station, though the primary object of the van is not for storage, but if or, delivery. The van is insulated, and, its normal capacity is. two tons,. but this can' be doubled,if, "necessary." -','. .-■>' i' »"'-.'■'>■. The motor is rather a clumsy-look-ing affair that should be rather expensive to run. The tires alone cost £150, but they are guaranteed. ; to do 10,000 miles. The whole machine cost £1090. The construction .of a railway siding was at first proposed, but trouble .arose with the local body over details, so' the motor van was substituted. A SELF-CONTAINED ESTABLISH- ; ,: :.• ■,; ,', MENT/. ■; ■ ■'; ', ) ; . ■' The .total cost of' 'tihe . establishment is ■! £7113, the building running into £4423, the plant £1600., .and the motor the rest.. Ice is made on the premises, and when fish are scarce .Or Weather 'conditions not favourable the plant can be utilised making up a stock of ice, which is thus available' to cope with any sudden'glut of fish, such as. occurs during the mullet season, at the minimum qfcost.'' . ■ . .'■■'• '■■"■'.' An ice store ihas been provided for the storage of ice, with ice chute for loading fish vans or fishing boats for preservation of fish during fishing operations. Four butchers' cold lockers have been, provided for the nee of the local butchers.

Salt water has been laid on from a 6000. gallon elevated tank' 30ft hig<h, connected with fish-cleaning troughs, and also for use in washing down. Fresh water for ice making has also been provided 'for by the erection of two 4000 gallon and one 2000 gallon tanks.- r