THE OYSTER TRADE.

Southland Times, Issue 16691, 21 March 1911, Page 6

THE OYSTER TRADE.

bluer merchants on the POSITION. A representative of the “Southland Times" yesterday conferred with the chiefs of the three firms engaged at U.luff in the oyster trade, namely Mr (1. R. Waddell (of the P. I tiff Fish and Oyster Company), Mr T, C. Urwin (of Messrs Urwin and Roderique). and Mr G. Preston (of Messrs Dixon and Preston), in respect to the reports of oysters reaching the northern cities in nnwholesome condition. The fact that many consignments had been rejected was freely admitted by itlie merchants, and they said that the prolonged Hot weather —unusual for the time of year—was solely responsible for what had occurred. They had, they staled, taken extra precautions to avoid the trouble. To ensure the oysters being fresh they had limited the catches to smaller quantities than usual, and, a.s tiie result of more frequent dredging than was customary, storing in the hods in the harbour bad been practically avoided, and the oysters had been consistently despatched to their various destinations in the shortest possible period after being discharged from the boats. They bad appealed in vain to the Railway Department to carry the oysters in insulated trucks, such as were used, for the frozen meat trade. If the Railway Department came to their assistance in dial way the oysters would not lie at the mercy of the weather and their difficulties would disappear. Under existing circumstances the trucks stood about in the sun, and tarpaulin co\ers, such as were frequently thrown over the trucks only augmented the heat of the goods below. On the Australian railways special ice trucks were provided for nil perishable goods;but their (the merchants') requests did not go to that length; they simply asked for insulated trucks, which were already in existence. If the oysters were properly handled in that way everything would be right in tiie Hot weather. The Melbourne shipments had been uniformly good, with the exception of one consignment a fortnight ago. The oysters were carried on the boats to Melbourne in tiie cooling chamber, and its heat was regulated to !5 degrees. The one shipment referred to as not having arrived in s; tisfactory order had suffered through tiie temperature of the cooling chamber being reduced to freezing point, and that had killed the oysters. Unfortunately cooling chamber space was not available on tiie boats running north i\nd resource in tiie summer had to be made to tiie trains

as the quicker mode of transit, AVith the advent of colder weather, however, ibe consignments would be made by the boats in the ordinary way.

Dealing with the complaints of Wellington fishmongers as published in the Wellington ’’Post” and copied into other papers, the merchants stated that they desired to correct the mis-statements made. In th first place it was a most absurd suggestion that had been put forward to the effect that “quantities of last year’s dredging arc being mixed with this season’s oysters.” '1..: was entirely contrary to fact. The law strictly prohibited any oysters being held in tiio close season, and a Government Inspector always carried out a careful examination to see that everything was in order at the close of the season.

Then again it bad been made to appear that the fishmongers bad been heavy losers through the oysters having been rejected. They (the merchants) wished to give an unqualified denial to that statement as in each and every case they had allowed for the “reject” bags. The allowance they had made in that way was a serious matter for them, and it meant that up to the present not a penny profit had been made by them on the industry. Another financial point, which had been misrepresented, was in regard to the charge for the oysters. The present charge of 19/- per sack at Wellington had been compared with what was said to he a former cost of 12/6 per s;\ck. As a mailer of fact, however, the charge previous to this season was 17'- per sack either by rail or boat. This year the terms liau been altered to 19/- by rail and 13/- by steamer. The oysters for- the greater part of the season (namely after the setting in of cold weather) would be sent forward by boat and consequently the .Wellington tradesmen would be rather gainers than losers under the new arrangement. Apart from that, however, the retail prices had been raised In Wellington. The trade rales at Dunedin and Christchurch remained the same as last year, viz., 13/- and 16/- per sack respectively. In regard to the suggestion put forward that the Government should take over the southern oyster beds, the merchants’ only comment was that the result would certainly bo an increased charge similar to that effected when the Government took the place of private companies for dealings in the Auckland rock oytsers. The position between Auckland and the southern oyster beds was, it was pointed out, at the same time very different, as the Auckland oysters were found on Crown property, whereas the southern oysters were obtained from the free and open sea over which tlie Government could not claim a monopoly. In conclusion, the merchants remarked that it was entirely to their interests that everything possible should be done to put thoroughly good oysters on the market, ami, with the coming of cooler weather, they had every confidence that the bivalves would once again give entire satisfaction to all par-ties. They paid a good deal to the Railway Department, and it was within the Department’s power even now to bring about an improvement.