The daily morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1883-1899, 1896-12-29
WHAT is THE MATTER WITH COL
uMBIA RIVER SALMON?

UMblA klN ER SALMON
The shipping and Commercial List
says: Under the direction Of Fish
Commissioner Brice large number OF
Pacific coast salmon are TO be planted
''in Eastern waters. A FISH car contain
ing 100000 eggs is on the way east,
-and the eggs viii be planted in the
-Kennebec. Penobscot. Merrimac, Hud-
-son, Delaware and Susduehanna rivers.
Already 5000 yearlings have been turn
led loose in the Penobscot and its trib-
"utaries. The commission is gratihed
with the result of its work on the Paci-
''fie coast this year. More than $1,000, coo
legs have been hatched, three times
'as many as were hatched in any pre-
''vious year. OF these 2s,OO0,0o0 were
matched at the new station at Battle
creek. a tributary Of the Sacramento
river in California. The commissioner
secured site which belonged to the
California commission. and since has
built an additional hatchery at the
same place. 1t is now regarded as
zone OF the best stations in the United
States
II used TO be the custom Of the aver
age Columbia river canneryman TO
scorn all suggestions as to the import
ance of advertising his salmon. The
locality from which it comes" he was
wont TO say. lis a sufficient recommen-
dation for my goods ''The superior
excellency OF Chinook salmon is admit
ted throughout the world, and doesn't
need any other advertisement" II 1t
were timidly intimated that the mighty
producers Of such an Incompatible
commodity ought to organize for the
protection and preservation Of their
lawful monopoly. and that little ia
dicious advertising might result in an
increase in their sales and perhaps en-
able them TO get a better price for
their salmon. the packers reply was
apt to be that he already had an estab-
Iished trade for all he could pack, and
that the price received for his goods
was greater than that received for any
outside variety Of salmon.
Thus It went on for years. The prices
obtained for chinook salmon were larger
than those paid for any other salmon,
and the demand continued good. II was
a free-for-all race on the Columbia, and
the cannerymen WED one with another
as to who should put up the largest
pack To do this they often INDUCED in
unfair and even questionable practices
against each other. and with the false
labelling OF outside salmon, and the
scramble which always ensued TO quick
Iy unload extraordinary packs-some-
times put up on borrowed capital-dur-
ing seasons when there was an abnor-
NAL run Of salmon, the quality and rep
utation Of the famous chinook became
greatly deprecated, and the price stead
lily went down in the market
During all this time the packers Of
outside fish were thoroughly advertising
their goods. They were forming COM
pact organizations to everywhere ex-
tend and control their operations. The
services Of the government were en-
listed In the investigation and pu5lica-
tion of reports concerning their salmon,
and the establishment Of propagation
stations. Every feature and phase Of
the salmon business was made the sub
Ject Of study by their hired experts, and
the market was constantly subjected to
the closest scrutiny and the most scien-
tific manipulation. 1t is unpleasant to
dwell upon the consequences.
The Alaska, Fraser River, and Call
fornia packers soon crowded their pro-
duct into every market Statistics show
that in spite Of the hard times there
has been a remarkable increase in the
general consumption of canned salmon,
but it is lamentable fact that the de-
mand for Columbia river has been
growing less each year Nine-tenths of
the consumers Of salmon know Of no
difference in the grade of salmon, and
where any distinction is observed in
buying, it is more often than other
wise in favor of the Alaska salmon
With a protracted and bitter strike on
their hands last season, caused by a
demoralized market and their conse-
quent inability TO compete with outside
packers in the price paid for raw ma
terial, Columbia river cannerymen put
up 100000 cases less than the previous
season, and yet today it is said fully
50, 900 cases of this limited pack is still
on their hands and veritable drug on
the market-except at ALASKA prices
1t is to be assumed that the United
States government wants none but the
best quality Of sslmon for transplant
ing in Eastern 'gaters, and the item