PRICE OF FISH

Evening Post, Volume CIII, Issue 55, 7 March 1922, Page 8

PRICE OF FISH

IS IT UNREASONABLE?

REPLIES '"Tp A COMPLAINT.

The oft-discussed question of the price' of fish is raised once again by a correspondent who signs himself "Retrenched." His letter.to the editor is as follows: —

'■ "How long 1 are, the public to be compelled to pay the present high prices for fish?/ la it because there is no London parity that war prices' are still being charged? Just fancy having to pay more for fish than for meat. Fish holds the unenviable distinction 1, as far as Wellington is concerned, of. being almost the only- article the/ price of which has not been reduced since the war ended. Can. you say if the Board of Trade is still functioning to protect the public from exploitation,' for if so it seems time that the price, of fish was 1 inquired into? We are told ( that the reductions in wage 3 which are taking place will not mean any decline in their purchasing power, but it certainly does mean so in the case of fish. A pound of the jfinest full-cream" bulk factory butter can "be purchased foils Id, but Is 3d per lb is still demanded for smoked cod and Is per lb for flat fish, bones, skin, scales, aDd'. trimmings all weighed iii. When one thinks of the: many processes 'Which have to be gone, 'through in the raising 'of a pound of butter from farm to consumer and compare, this.with.fish, which is raised and fed by a bounteous Creator at no expense to man, it gives rise to serious thought; and makes. one wonder whether . fish is always to remain the luxury it atVpresent is. ', We' are told that the ocean teems with fish; is it beyond the wit of man to, devise some means whereby it can be made available to the public at reason--able and not luxury prices? What has the Welfare League to say about the matter?'.' , , . ' . • , \ ;

A representative of The Post, made/ inquiries among local fiah merchants, N and; the first merchant interviewed stated that the aa-gument iised by "Retrenched" was xmrtasonable. Butter had fallen in price, because thei'e was an over-supply j there nerer'had been: an over-supply of fish. Local ■merchants;'V who. formerly dealt directly,with'the fishermen, /wera now compelled to buy all fish at auction. The auctioneering firm fixed a minimum price—a price 'which', it was.said, gave, the fiahermeii 1 a' bare living The/ auction price was i nearly always- above: ,the minimum, and the retail price was fixed at a figure which' barely,paid. over-, head expenses. The firms found.it more profitable to sell fish at the wholesale price of, ; say, sixpence, than at the retail oyer-the-count^r-price of tenpence.

; ; The manager-of another ; company, which runs trawlers', and engages in the wholesale and retail business, stated' that ho* business man would :write such a, letter as that received.by The Post: No man, he said; was'in a position, to judge whether the price of fish was reasonable or not, unless 1 he made a thorough in-, vcstigation. Wages had not' reduced one 1 penny since the war, and only one commodity—-brown paper—used !by his firm, showed a reduction in price. The monthly' wages of the men engaged on one tnvwler totalled £245,' and the men were found. The coal bill ran to between. £140. i; arid; £180!;; per:- niouth.. Those.' accounts; were, produced. ..In addition; there were heavy','overheaij charges in tanning a trawler. However, it was the; overhead charges/in connection/with. the retail shops': which, kepi up the price of fish.. The public'demanded that'the shop should be situated 'in the main •3treet;"'wher© the rents were' high... "If we went into a. by-stVeet we would riot he patronised," he said.-; In addition, the 5 fish had, to be., scaled, trimmed', arid .filleted; and wrapped in brown paper. The public was so fastidious that' there was scarcely any profit .in. the retail business. The waste was a very big item; Until she supply approached.; the demand, the price of fish would riot be rediiced. It ,'was. all. very well to say,that the sea teemed with 'fish, butoften the,trawlers wentout and returned with nothing.:

It was' ascertained thit, the defunct Prices"Jnyestigation Committee hadi often inquired' into, the .price -of 'fish, and had been perfectly' Satisfied that there was nothing in the way of profiteering. The position'had not altered, since, tho .committee made the last, inquiry. ' , , ;

Inquiry; as to the part the Board: of Trade does, of can;; play in regard to the regulation; of prices of fish shows that at various times ifr has interested itself in the matter,'and its services are still available if anyone cares to set the machinery-* in operation—quite a simple matter.l Any person who considers; that a sale'indicates ."profiteering" can make a complaint to, the Board, of Trade, giving the particulars." The Boaridi is not required to take action.on Ha own initiative. It is stated, howevei", that past investigations into the sale, of fish, have shown'that the' cases are oomplicatedi ;and difficultj 'pwing; to the cohthraally varying cbnoitions of' supply, and demand. ■ ' : i •;. ' . ■ .'

According to the New Zealand Herald, marketable, fish are in great abundance at present at' Auckland, the season: being favoTirafele for the influx of. fish-.to; the Hauraki ■6ulf.':-The..suppHes coming in [to, the. Auckland imarket aireflsirger tjian. they.hay.c. .been 1, in any previous': corresponding period; for the past:fiy«- years, and the fish are reported to.bo further inside'the Gulf' than usual. '■' .Trawlers are operating principally between; Kawau and Tiri Islands and Cape Colville. The hot weathea, while it brings aiji' increase in tile' supplies of fish, is acoompaflied by a diminished, demand. Consequently, Vetailvand wholesale price.vare particularly low. Smoked fish is selling retail at 6d'per Ib, and fresK fish, principally schnapper, at 3id per Ib.