The San Francisco call., 1910-05-15
Fisherman's Wharf No Longer
Place Where Independent
Peddlers Go for Supplies
Catches Are Plentiful, but COm-
bine Sees That Market
Price Stays Up
Supply and Demand" Have
Nothing to Do With Cost
of Fish

There are times when the price of
FISH is high under natural conditions,
Captain Anders c. Johnson, a grand
jury witness, explained yesterday. At
the same time he exposed the falla-
cious use Of this fact made by the trust
during the senate investigation.
When fish were sold at high prices
before the formation OF the trust ii was
because of its scarcity in the market
through bad weather or other natural
causes. During the winter months even
the trusts are compelled at times to
lay UP their boats and draw on the
supply received from other ports and in
cold storage. IN the natural market
the price Of fish drops when plentiful.
But the trust never lets the price come
down TO its natural level in such cases
except so far as affects its own pur-
chases from the bay fishermen.
Johnson says there is no natural rea-
son why dsh should be higher since the
IRE than before. He has been Is years
ia the trawling business and during
the latter half Of this period worked
for the trust commanding all its tugs
FISH ARE PLENTIFUL
Sand dabs and soles, which the trust
mOnopolizes through its tugs have
been FAR more plentiful since the fire
than before, says Johnson. All It takes
10 get them is TO drag a net outside the
heads, and the size Of this net has been
enlarged and the method of handling
improved since the fire There is no
cost of production attached to fish.
They may be had for the transporta-
tion.
Fish trawling by steamer was begun
20 years ago, when single tug would
go TO sea, dragging a small net from
tugs proceed in pairs, the net between
them. one OF them hauls in the nets
and carries the catch 10 the wharf
Soles are generally more plentiful
than sand dabs. Sometimes the nets
are heavy with both. often the entire
drag may be ft for marketing At
other times half of il may be under
sized or of such worthless varieties as
the catfish which are all head, or dog
hsh. small and degraded kind of
shark
PUZZLE EASILY SOLVED
While there is really no scarcity of
fish in the sea. their runs are often
puZzling This is probably due to
changing their feeding grounds and
accounts for the shift from day to day
In the movements OF soles and sand
dabs. which, however, seldom call for
more than a second trial OF the net.
scarce since the FIRE, although the cod
was once drug on the market The
tugs then brought in all the market
would take, but shoVeled back the ex-
cess catch, just as is done today Even
when thrown out alive the tom cod
soon perishes. for air gets into the
gills and keeps its head above water
Johnson has seen these fish thrown
oFer in such quantities as to leave a
track behind the tug as far as he could
see.
The amount of fish returned by q
tug depends on the hsh boss, although
it may naturally fall short on excep-
Ional days. Generally it runs from
200 10 800 boxes, or from six to nine
tons.
FREE MARKET GONE
johnson has, in past years, run a tug
for himself and marketed his own
catch His story Of this experience is
as follows:
In the days before the trust was
formed fish used TO be marketed at the
wharf. Every one was free TO buy.
The fshmen played no favorites Deal
ers bid up the price of FISH, just as one
would at an auction. If the catch was
small they would. bid sharply against
each other. If large, the fshmen would
accept what they could get.
tlshermen's wharf was a free mar
ket in those days. Peddlers went there
with their pushcarts and one horse
wagons. Women frequented the wharf
Every lshman was free 10 sell and he
did il.
In free market times scales were
never used in small purchases. The
nshman handed out what he thought
htted the price. Enough fish for an
average family could then be got for
25 cents, or perhaps for so cents if
scarce Fish was then the common
food Of the poor
Since the formation OF the trust the
free market feature has passed away
Peddlers. who used to handle a large
part of the catch, are afraid to buy
Greet from the men because they would
md their supply OF soles, sand dahs
and imported fish cut off at the whole
sale markets. They fear the blacklist.
The fishers used TO drag for soles in
the bay. but gave this up because they
could not sell them to the trust. which
catches its own.
chinese pay the best prices for fish
since they demand the best They can't
buy direct from the fishers, who fear
10 md their sales 10 the trust cut off
Besides his long experience on the
trust tugs, johnson worked for the in
dependent fish trawling company dur
ing its short life. Immediately after
the company failed last July he re-
turned to work for the Western. After
II days he took another job and has not
since been fishing.
CATCH DIVIDED
Johnson says that after his return
TO the Western this company and Pal
adini sent out their boats on alternate
days. dividing their catch Charles
Wmtlock and other witnesses testify
that during its fight with the independ-
ents the trusts tugs were out together
every day and placed no limit on their
catch.