Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1913-12-30
NATION CAN HALT
FISH DESTRUCTION
Continues from FIRST P.se.,


cotted BY the fish trust representa-
tives OF New York, and IL is tree
mendous club to hold over their
heads, as the New York market, sup
plying 100000 people. is not to be
lost track of.
But the question is raised among
those who have made q study of the
situation why the representatives Of
the fish trust are not made a sub
sldiary OF the people instead Of the
absolute bosses In this matter? AS
long as they can get away with the
methods now In vogue they will do
SO. The headquarters of the octopus
Is in New York city, but the State OF
New York will not permit them to
place pound nets or any other kind
of fish trap along its coast for the
purpose OF a'-ing food for personal
Use Or for market purposes. still they
have complete control Of New Jersey
fisheries and use this control against
the best wishes and pocketbooks OF
the public of this State.
No better example of this Is needed
for illustration than was in evidence
in the markets of this city last week.
Sea trout was quoted. at IS cents q
pound, striped bass st 25 cents
pound, bluefish at 20 cents pound
civ cCn O1oC at ~ COtlNb u pOullus
With the exception of sea trout, all
OF the others are from the cold stor-
age plants and were purchased by the
trust at an average price of "a cents
a pound right here in New Jersey. The
fish were taken to New York and
there the cost of transportation was
added and the fish trusts profit
added TO that before q pound Of 1t
could be purchased by New jersey
dealers. The latter paid the cost OF
transportation back to New Jersey
and the middleman's profit, and then
added his own share Of the proceeds
to it, and by that time 1t was ready
for the public at just eight times the
cost of the fish to the trust.
That this will continue until such
times as the Legislature Of the State
of New Jersey takes action in the
form OF memorial TO Congress. ask
ing that the migratory fishes be
taken under the control of the Fed
eral government. goes without saying
and that the, fish trust will oppose
any such movement Is also an as
sured fact. Up to date they have
received but cold comfort in their
attempts to learn the feelings of The
members of Congress In the matter
and 1t was this quiet investigation
that learned Representative Taylor
to ask Secretary Houston, of the De-
partment of Agriculture. his OPP nlon
of people who destroy food fish to
boost the prices.
Representative Taylor can get all
the evidence he requires on this sub
ject right here in New Jersey, as IL
has been the custom Of newspapers
along the coast to report the Dump
ing of tons Of food fish out of the
cold storage plants onto the farms
of the surrounding country and not so
very long ago the health authorities
objected to 1t because of the odor
from the decomposed mass.
One of the scientific members OF the
Department of Agriculture made a
statement not more than TWO years
ago that IL the food fish of the coun-
try were not protected from the will
full waste of the dealers we would
find this great gift of the Father de-
stroyed beyond redemption. He fur
Their said that If the fisheries OF New
Jersey were iudiciously handled they
would multiply tremendously and
that the income from the sale of
them would more than pay the run
ming expenses of the State. He placed
the New Jersey fisheries close to the
top of the list as fish producing. but
lowest as to the income, as at that
tiIit5 titt . vas AlOt CbChA q p0htAJ "A
cense fee attached to the fishing.
His statement as to the vast
amount of fish destroyed by the nets,
unwillingly. Of course, surprised his
listeners at hearing before le"is-
lative committee at Trenton. but
when ne stated that 1t was only a
small percentage Of the fish destroyed
at the orders of the fish trust. or
mlddlemen, as he termed them. 1t as
tonished even the members of the
committee who had been pumped full
of information directly opposite to
that given by the representative of
the government.
At that tine, when pushed for q So
Tut on of the important question. he
said that nothing but Federal control
world solve It as then the regulations
imposed would be enforced and not
| laughed at It Is for this very con-
troll that The Star is working and one
of the objects In view will be the in
PRODUCTION of such memorial imme-
diately on the converting. of the Legle-
| latura I'm 1914