The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1900-09-22
CANNED SALMON OUTLOOK.
Season Will Close in About Four
or Five Weeks.
SHORTAGE WILL BE HEAVY.
Philip r. Kelly Speaks of Products
and Trade Indications-The Esti-
mated Decrease From Last Years
Pack IL 100000 Cases-German
Government Orders for Army
I'm China-Resume Of Conditions.

Puget sound canneries are preparing 10
wind up the season of 1900 in the next
four or five weeks. The pack in all
grades In this section. 1t Is believed. will
be about 10000 cases short of what II
was in 1899. and in all territories wherein
salmon packing is done about 10000
cases short of last year.
That Is the estimate made by Philip
F. Kelly, one of the largest salmon oper-
ators In this section Mr.. Kelly has just
returned from an extended trip TO New
York. where he has been on matters
connected with the fish industry.
ut Is little too early to make an
accurate estimate OF the 1900 pack" he
said In an interview yesterday. The
sockeye run Is over and We have UP about
10000 cases OF this grade on Puget
sound, as against ST., 600 cases q year ago.
This shows that we have on hand less
than 80 per cent of our last years pack.
The run OF spring salmon. also a high
grade FISH, is included with the sock
eye. The canneries are now engaged on
cohoes, which are running at this time
about the same as a year ago. There
Will be no humpback run this season. as
here last season The chums are begin
ming to show up and this pack will fol-
low the cohoes. In about thirty days.
however the season will be over and the
best estimate is that we will have in
all grades. in all territories, about 200o,-
600 cases. against 100000 cases a year
ago.
THE foreign demand for Puget sound
salmon Is abnormal. due principally to
the fact that the shortage on the Fraser
river and British Columbia points IL even
sound. The British Columbia sockeye
pack this year Is made up OF Fraser
river, 10000 cases: Skeena river, 10000
cases: Rivers inlet, 1000 cases; Manu-
IN r,or z pas sos. tot nj nf N aapl
against 72s9S3 cases year ago. or a
shortage Of s92,9s3 cases.
The German government has this year
put salmon on its ration list and al
ready has made several large shipments
to Its Quartermaster depots In China
This Is the first time salmon has been
as an army ration. Last year the United
States shipped 60000 cases for the use of
our army in the Philippines.
'The market conditions at the. present
time are very fine. but 1t is hardly to be
expected that there will be any change
In the prevailing list or at least not until
after the conditions now dominating have
rather have an adequate supply of FISH
and IA lower list than short supply and
q high list.
usual increased demand for salmon this
year. OF course, for the past six or
seven years there has been a gradual In
crease The surplus that was carried on
up. n Il true, however, that consumption
is growing faster than production"
In an Interview In the New York Com
mercial. given while In New York. Mr..
Kelly outlines the fish situation on Puget
sound as follows:
Arranging for Help.
ITO secure sufficient and experienced
force the contractor must arrange In adj
vance with the Chinese contractor for 20
many men at certain price per case.
whatever the ruling price may be. and
guarantee the packing of so many thou.
sand cases, irrespective o. the run OF
cordina TO the number OF men required to
put up such pack. and which the packer
IL compelled 10 pay under any conditions
1.-THE crews are there at all times await
ing run. and are not dependent upon
"A run OF flsh for their wages. have
known Gamers to pay as high as $1,000
OF fish. and think this year some OF the
Gamers will pay much more than this sum
TO satisfy their unfulnlled contracts.
An even greater ,s uncertainty q COS, cost
as tho Ash are caught In what are known
"a traps The word conveys no adequate
idea OF its extent. the trap being net
contrivance set on q string OF pilfng run
ming about two thousand feet In length OF
is a system Of leads that ends in what Is
known a pot all OF which IL covered
with webbing. and costs complete from,
s5.6cs to t7.ano according TO tho labor en-
tailed IN putting IN the same. and must
be renewed every season.
Number of Traps Needed.
mo up-to-date cannery can safely oper-
ate with less than ten "a fifteen traps; TO
operate this number ~ traps each cannefy
must be equipped with a marine depart
ment Of from three 70 eight fishing yes
sells. one 90 FIVE pile drivers, thirty TO
forty fishing eeowr. webbing. piles, an
chors, chains In short. a complete ship
ehandiery must be maintained. for the
be employed and supplied with food and
other necessariee.
some OF the steamers employed cost
from 10000 20 10000 each. the operating
expenses running as high az 500 per day
for the larger boats. Pile drivers equip
ped with electric dynamos and steam
hammers are also employed, ranging in
rense must be provided for before can
merry IL IN condition 10 operate. and a
great deal OF this expense Is borne an
nually.
as a matter Of fact. pige, sound pack
era would much prefer a fatty large-siEed
pack with low prices than such a short
are al has occurred this year, which has
necessiisted what are considered ~ some
to BE- excessively high prices. bat which.
80 a matter OF Tact. vii show every can
merry engaged In the industry heavy
losA
Delay In Making Prices.
sc,Yiticisras have also been made regard
sng the delay IN making prices, hut when
Il 4 taken into consideration that rnAthS
OF costly preparation are absolutely
sentiai Tor really less than thirty iays'
arhiug =, Is not 70 Ne wondered AZ that
the PACKERS sheuld desire So have some
idea ~ what their pack will be Before
committing themselves ne 20 the figures
at which they are willing 70 sell their
.roducf
AN az the districts from witch sacksye
salmon have been secured IN the pg4st are
NOT generally known 70 the trade as a
very large percentage Of thH Pack has
haea supplied 70 ENgiish markets. which
have always taken the entire product %
tha Fraser SSeenA ard Mas rivers Rsv-
ers Inlet. Lowe inlet spd Manu- harhor
The PACKS % these localities respectively
during the seasons q lN~ and 800 were
a. follows;
The total pack an Puget sound during
tho seasons above mentioned. namely.
iSsa ard 1910 were sr.T sor tAa former
and aS9ra fer ,he latter WhlCh would
mako the total shortage ~ sorkeves Tor
this season amount 70 abont eS1.ss1 cases.