The evening times., 1900-09-20
A SEA FOOD TRUST.
Local and Ess@sern Dealers Regard
the Scheme IN Impractical.


\ despatch this morning from Mime
apolis, Minng2 Stated that an orsaniza
ton has been formed to control all the
sea food in this country. This new
trust is to be incorporated under the
laws of New Jersey. 1t is said to he
backed by New York Minneapolis, ard
Berlin capitalists. The name OF the
concern is to bd the National Sea Food
Company Howard H. searles ard H.
5. Searles are now in Minneapolis in the
interest of the new company.
j. j. Hogan, one of the largest dealers
IN sea foods in this city, when asked
II he had heard of the combine to con-
t"oi sea food, said to a Times reporter
this morning that it was news to him.
In his opinion, such combination vas
impracticable- The field to cover was
too extensive. This proposed trust, he
said, would require millions of dollars
tG get anything like control of the sea
food market. In my opinion" said
he, the story is the work of some en-
terprlslng newspaper man in the North
west. Sea food is one of the articles of
necessity that, in my judgment, viii
never be controlled by a trust"
Edward Weser, one of the leading whole
sale dealers in sea foods, said he had seen
something in the papers about proposed
National Sea Food Company, the object of
which was to corner the market on crabs,
Holsters, oysters, etc. but to his way of
thinking such q scheme was not feasible
because everybody had the right to fish for
crabs and HOLSTERS and dredge for oysters.
I believe there is nothing in it" said Mr.
Weser-
This is what Eugene S. BIackford, OF Full
ton Market, New York, is quoted in an
other despteh saying on the subject:
l know nothing of such an organization.
1 do not think it possible, however, to con-
troll the market for sea food in general.
because it Is too large No single organi
Zatlon could ever hope to control the entire
output OF the whole seaboard of the Uni
ted States. If this National Sea Food Com
pany had limited itself TO one or two kinds
OF fish its enterprise might not seem so
impractical, because it is frequently pos
slble 20 control the catch of single kind
OF hsh- This has already been done in the
case of halfbut. for example.
The great difficulty that this COM
fany will have to contend with is the
extent OF the field it has apparently pro-
posed 10 cover The fish trade is diff
ferent from other trades, in that its
stock is so extremely perishable. Fish
cannot be 'cornered You cannot nut
fish on your shelf and wac until people
are willing TO pay your price, but you
must sell. and sell at once The element
means of such an organization as the
Sea Food Company to attain its ED
is thus impossible. Indeed, / fail to see
how the company hopes TO proceed.
There is at present al organizat tion
which controls the fresh fish catch of
the Great Lakes, and though the AREA
there is limited, and the market laIGa
the dealers are already tired OF their
combination, which has been far from
hoWlIng success. The Howard Ii
Searles and H S SearIes mentioned in
the despa lches are not known in Fulton
Market"
Gen. Alfred Booth, of the 4. Booth
Company, of Baltimore. said last nf2ht
that, as far as he knew. no offer had
been made TO Baltimore packers to go
into such a combination as the one Out
lined in the despatch.
THE oyster business of the Chcsa-
peaise Bay and its tributaries" said he
'is not one that could be controlled by
combination II is not d business that
requires great capital to engage IN. Any
one who takes cut a license can Gredge
for oysters. as they are public property
Even If the. large packing houses were
combined there is nothing to deter 9th
eTs from starting. The only way such
q c0mbina tion could be made effec tive
would be by owning the beds. and. of
course, this IS impossible. Our concern
never considered going after a control
OF the oyster business, although We are
tae largest handlers.
The lobster is largely a New England
business, and know Of no attempt made
10 get control OF il As TO the soft
shell crab, II is interesting 20 note that
a Maryland town. CrisfeId is he great
est shipper of this product in the coun.
try, and any attempt to control tn 5
business would have TO begin there"