The evening times., 1898-09-24
A FISHING TRUST.
Packers Combine TO Control the Out
put of the Great Lakes. aE

Baltimore, Sept. 2-All the details have
been worked out for the consolidation of
the principal fisheries of the great lakes,
and this combination is now an accom-
plished fact. Baltimore is Interested in
the deal, the A Booth Packing Com
pany, of this city, is included in the con-
solidation, and Gen. A. L. Booth, of the
company, is vice president OF the new
combination.
Forty-three fish and oyster concerns
have gone into the deal, and these repre-
sent the control of the fisheries on the
great lakes. Thousands of men are en-
ployed by these concerns. which have
their own steamers on the lakes and op-
crate on a large scale. The value of the
business which they handle runs into
many millions, and is one of the most i'm
portant industries of the West A corpo-
ration has been chartered under the laws
of Illinois which has absorbed the yari-
Gus concerns. This is known as A. Booth
& Co., and the paid-in capital is $780,
600. Mr.. w. Vernon Booth. of Chicago is
president of the new company; Gen. 3. e.
Booth, of Baltimore, vice president: W.
G. Robbins of Buffalo, n. Y, treasurer,
and e. D. Carter of Erie, Pa, secretary.
The general offices are in Chicago, with
branch offices in New York and Boston.
Most of the concerns which have gone
into the amalgamation have branches in
various parts of the country, and the A
Booth Packing Company, which is the
Baltimore end of the combination, has
twenty-four branches alone. AS at pres
ent constituted the combination does not
include the Eastern fisheries, being con-
fined to the Great Lakes. but it Is possible
that it may eventually take in the salt
water fisheries of the Atlantic coat.
lit.
American capital. There was scheme to
form a trust of the fisheries inaugural
ed by English capitalists, and options
were secured upon most of the leading
companies in this business on the Great
Lakes. The English interests, however,
failed to get the required capital abroad.
and the deal fell through. The .Messrs
Booth then stepped in and offered to take
the properties and consolidate them,
agreeing to supply the needed capital.
This proposition was accepted, and after
the books of the various concerns were
examined the deal was consummated
The A. Booth Packing Company of
Baltimore, is the only oyster packing con-
Germ in the deal. This company also
packs vegetables. Gen. A. E. Booth
the head of this concern, said yesterday
that the only effect effect of the deal upon
MS company was tnat II would extend Its
business, and its present factories offered
facilities for doing this. He added that
the combination did not mean an ad-
vance in prices, but that more uniform
business methods would be observed.
For some time the competition between
the various concerns has been very keen.
and the business has been affected by the
actions of spectators. With the busi-
ness now dominated by one concern the
markets will be steadier and the losses
from an over-supply will be avoided.
An important feature of the policy that
is to be pursued will be to stop the catch
of the smaller sizes of fish. With a CEN
tralized management this is possible and
it is also contemplated TO go into the
propagation of fish on the Great Lakes.
Owing to the destruction of the young fish
by loose methods the supply has been de-
Ginning from year to year until the SUBJ
ject has become a serious one. Much has
been done by the American Fish Commits
sion to remedy the trouble but the chief
cause.-the heavy catch of young fish
could not be reached without the cooper
alton of the many concerns in the busi-
ness. The fish are shipped from the Great
Lakes by tons to all parts of America
They are caught in great nets, and after
being assorted are put through a freezing
plant and frozen into blocks These are
put in cold storage and sent to market to
meet the demand. In the winter when
the Great Lakes are closed there is a
sufficient stock from the summer catch to
keep the market supplied.