WELLINGTON FISH SUPPLY.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LVII, Issue 17556, 23 August 1920, Page 4

WELLINGTON FISH SUPPLY.

WEATHER DEPLETES MARKET. [BY TELEGRAPH.— OWN OOSBBSPOSnSKT.]

WELLINGTON, Saturday. At one time—say, up till that period at which the increased cost of living caused the consumer to reduce bis household orders according to his proportionately reduced earnings—one of the staple foods of the people was fish, says a Wellington paper. To-day, however, this important and nutritive article of diet has come to be regarded as more or less of a luxury, and is indulged in by poorer families in much the same manner as the festive turkey or the fatted goose. Since the comparatively easy times of existence before the war, the price of fish has almost trebled, and the demand has fallen heavily m consequence. In fine weather the supply of fish to the local markets is still much the same as before the war, the city being dependent upon the fishing fleet at Island Bay. In unpropitious weather, however, the fishermen are unable to venture out to the fishing beds, and if the elements prevail for any length of time the community becomes dependent upon supplies from other centres or upon frozen and smoseu stocks. Such a position exists i at the present time. e worst month of the year as far as the Wellington fisherman is concerned is usually July, when little fresh fish is found upon the market; in August the retailer expects to have his stands repleted owing to better weather conditions. This year, however, the position has been reversed. The boisterousnesa of July has been reserved for August, and little more than frozen stocks are to be had, while the retailer also contemplates a bad September to follow. r A leading fishmonger informed a reporter that the demand for fish was now much smaller than five years ago, and his business was not paying as well as before the war. In those days, when the demand was keen and the price as low as 4d per pound, the sale of fish was handsomely lucrative. The demand nowadays was principally for cod and fillets. Questioned as to his opinion concerning municipal fish markets, the informant said that the scheme would work satisfactorily only if the whole industry were taken over by the city and prices regulated. The trade might be organised on something the same lines as the present municipal mflk scheme though the fixation of prides, which would have to be based according to the supply and the season, would present more difficulty. Fish prices would fluctuate more than the prices of butter-fat The fishermen would' have to be bound over to supply solely to the markets, from which the retailers could secure their supplies. - '