Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1914-01-31
SEEKING TO CHECK
FISH TRUSTS GREED


Continued from First Page.)
being able to have it on his table
twice a day, unless he can cut out
everything else.
Realizing that there would be no
reduction in the price OF fish during
Lent, several of Elizabeth's business
men appealed to The Star for a chance
to have the conditions in that city
set forth among these articles, and
the result was a representative went
there yesterday and looked into the
matter and found things no better
than in any of the cities that have
been visited on this errand. In fact
in one instance there was found a
condition where the dealer evidently
thought that fourteen ounces made a
pound and the result was that when
three-pound fish was cleaned of its
entrails, head, tail and scales it had
dwindled Just two-thirds in weight,
sc that all that was ready for the
table was about a pound of fish, which
originally cost The Star reporter sixty
cents pound.
One of the citizens of that city
who was interested in the campaign
against the fish trust was a physi-
clan who had never given the cost of
I1e 11Sn bought IOT HIS ldDIt d liiO-
ment's thought until he had read sew
eral articles in this paper, and wish
ing to convince himself of the truth
of the statements, purchased blue
fish that weighed exactly three
pounds. Being recognized by the
dealer he was allowed a trade dis
count of two cents a pound, notwith-
standing the fact that he had to. pay
the full price.
He handed a five-dollar bill to the
dealer and "a cents was deducted from
it, showing the cost of the fish to be
Is cents a pound. On receiving the
assurance that the fish was fresh
from Fulton Market he walked
toward the fish cleaner at the stand
and asked that the bluefish be
wrapped. as he was having some use
for the refuse at home. and the clerk
remarked that the entrails made ex-
cellent fertilizer for ported plants and
was far cheaper than the made stuff.
Taking the fish to his laboratory,
the physician, who Is a prominent
angler, carefully cut it OPEN and be-
hold, he had almost two fish instead
of one, and a considerable part of an
undigested menhaden was found in
its stomach. This and the entire
entrails were removed, and with the
lluS ana Ihil p4tiSCd piA a NSi
delicate scale, where it was found
to weigh a trifle over pound.
The fact startled the physician, who
Immediately sent for a maid and
asked that the fish be fried and then
brought to him. There wasn't time
left to learn the result, as some in
formation was needed to finish out
the story. so return visit to the
fish dealer revealed the fact that the
fish was bought along with many
others to make up barrel, and when
it was placed on his stand it cost him
just twelve cents a pound, or, in
other words, he made eighteen cents
from the sale to the physician, the
fish trust made eighteen cents, and
the railroads and carriage got a few
pennies, while the fisherman who
caught the fish got what was left.
This shows that the doctor was the
only one in the crowd to be buncoed,
and he is now satisfied that fish is
the most expensive food article on
the market today. Fifty-four cents
a pound for cold storage fish Is great
err than the finest of capon; it is even
dearer by one-third than the finest
of mushrooms and 1t is twice as
costly as the finest of rib roast in
the city of Elizabeth.
That this Is a very poor outlook
for the people of that city to face
with the Lenten season coming on
there can be no question, but they
have the consolation, if they can get
any consolation out of the fact, that
they are not alone, as the residents
of every city in the State is in the
same fix.
Despite any attempts to intimidate
the writer's of the Star, the campaign
will be kept up to secure government
control of the migratory fish and
State regulation of the same, SO that
all of the benefits derived from the
sale of 34,000,000 pounds caught an
nually will go to the people of the
State of New Jersey and not into the
hands of the fish trust.