SUPPLIES OF FISH.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LI, Issue 15513, 21 January 1914, Page 7

SUPPLIES OF FISH.

PRESENT HIGH PRICES.

FISHERMEN'S COMPLAINT.

RESTRICTED CATCHES.

The problem of providing an adequate supply of fish at a fair price, which was recently referred to by the Mayor of Auckland (Mr. C. J. Parr) is not, in the opinion of many of the men who catch the fish, likely to be solved so long as the present system of marketing is continued. The matter was mentioned yesterday to a number of fishermen, and they were emphatic in their protests against the present system, which they said was one of restricted purchase by the wholesale fish

merchants of Auckland. They said they could catch a great many more fish than the merchants would take, particularly at this time of the year, when the fish were in shoals. It was necessary for them to maintain the present prices so long as the" merchants refused to take the whole of * catch. So far as the fishermen wore concerned, taking month by month, the price paid to them did not ; How them to make much more than a bare living wage.

It was stated that there was a fixed scale of rates, and the men weie paid accordingly. The fish for this purpose were j divided into " four sizes " fours," '."eights," "twelves," and !" sixteens," the idea being to arrive at a common price for a dozen. For instance, for a dozen "fours," the largest schnapper caught, the sum of 9s was paid. This meant that in. order to bring the other classes into line 24 "eights," 36 "twelves," and 48 "sixteens" each made up a "dozen," for which ■9s was paid. The fishermen pointed out that the wholesale merchants paid 9s for 48 " sixteens," and as these were retailed for 6d each, the apparent margin between) the fisherman who got 9s and the consumer who paid 24s was 15s. The same rate of profit, it was stated, was made on all classes of fish. The fishermen claimed that they should not be restricted, nor yet asked to accept a smaller rate than that which they were getting at the present time. They said they could pL.ce very much larger quantities of fish on the market if the wholesale merchants would take the whole catch, and also send boats with cold storage out to the fishing grounds. At present it was impossible to send fish from fishing grounds at a distance from Auckland on account of the fact that no provision was made for keeping the fish fresh in transit. The fishermen also complained that they risked their lives, suffered personal discomfort, and paid away large sums for boats and maintenance, and yet only received 9s per " dozen," as compared with the 24s per dozen paid by the public-.