The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1917-10-26
JAPANESE SUGGEST
means 0FlLOWER|NG
HIGH COST OF FISH
Fishermen Point 10 Causes That
Make For Greater Expenses
and Offer Remedies
NO ONE REMEDy WOULD
CURE, SEVERAL NEEDED
Public Meeting VIII Be Held BY
Food Commission TO Gener-
ally Discuss Matters b

TO open up the present private bait pre-
serves to an eomers
II win not relieve the situation nor
result in any substantial increase in the
fish supply to open up another fish
market. f@ l,H
But IL would result in more fish at
J, lower price IL these two things were
done, and in addition If the food com
mission would promulgate and enforce
a ruling that every fishing craft which
comes into the harbor must market its
catch within twenty,four hours.
Artificial Scarcity Created
Such is the opinion of a number OF
Japanese Fishermen, both independent
sampan men and employees of the big
companies, who were interviewed yes
terday. According to these men, there
are frequent occasions when an artific
ial scarcity of fish is created through
the holding back Of the catches Of the
deep-sea sampans for days at n time.
Another contention of a number of
the japanese interviewed yesterday Is
that minimum price is set on the aku
catch, below which no fish seller is al
lowed to bid. Whatever may be the
supply of aku brought to the auction
dollars aud half basket, approx
mately two cents pound. The retailer
must nay two cents or over. When the
market demands are satisfied, all the
remaining aku is taken by the cannery
at a flat rate Of two cents, irrespectivc
of what may have been bid over that
price at the auction, .a
VIII Hold Public Meeting ....
A public meeting to consider the fish
situation has been decided upon by the
=. food commission and date win be an
nounced shortly. At this meeting
every phase of the situation will be
gone into. All possible data will be
secured to determine if anything can
be done to lower the price of fish TO
the consumer by increasing the supply.
Investigation will also be made into
the frequent allegation that there is a
"'fish trust" or any concerted action
on the part of the fish companies to re
strict the fish catches in any way in
order to maintain high prices. r. 4
In this connection, the views ex
pressed by several Japanese fishermen
yesterday to The Advertiser viii prcb,
-" r"rnire due consideration. There,
seems to be an agreement among thos !
.a ryIewed that there is a working ar
rangement between the largest of the
fishing companies to hold up prices
and restrict the supply offered the re
tailers. 1t was also stated on the
waterfront yesterday by sampan men
that any retailer who would take ad.
vantage Of big supply brought in by
the smaller sampans, which cannot
store their fish, to buy below q defin-
itely fixed minimum, set by the larger
companies, would have most une0m'
Portable time of il in period of actual
fish scarcity.
Opinions OF Fishermen
The following is a composite inter.
view, obtained from a number Of fish
ermen, who agreed on the essentials.
"If there were another fish market
operating in competition to the present
market, which is controlled by the
three fishing companies, and ali were
entitled to the use of the bait grounds,
the present price of fish would remain
unchanged and the situation would be
little relieved, II any. But if there
were another market, the nehu grounds
open to all and the large deep-sea fish.
ing s0mpans controlled by the three
companies compelled by law to unload \
their catch and place il on the market
for consumption within twenty-four
hours after arrival in port, the public
and the fishermen would be materially |
benefited. g.
"Only recently five of the larger !
sampans controlled by these companies
came into port. One WAS unloadel and
the fish sent to the market. a
small portion of the catch of the sec. |
Ond was removed from the holds. The !
other three were not touched. Three
or four baskets of the second load were
taken to the market and sold for |
twelve dollars a basket at auction.
Price Not High Enough -
E"This price was not considered sufil
GENTLY high, so the matches were closed,
and, with the three remaining boats
the sampan was tied up to await mar |
ket shortage and the attendant higher |
price. Thus an artificial scarcity was ,
created to force prices up. I
"There are probably twenty-five |
sgmpans which are termed twenty-four /
hour vessels, never staying out longer |
than one day. When these boats return !
they are forced to sell their catch i'm. 7
mediately, for their craft are not |
equipped WIN ice. WELLS lntlT Cdtch l
averages about three baskets for the
twenty,four hours they are out, all of !
which is taken, to the market upon ar
rival and sold at auction. ~'
"Of the three and half boatloads
Of fish which were tied up recently |
awaiting decrease in the supply, one
was sent from Honolulu to Kahului,
following word that prices at the Maui
port were high.
"The large sampans have often kept
their catch in the ice wells for as long
as four days, waiting for better mar
ket, Il procedure which is certainly not
any help to the quality of the fish
when it is finally sold.
Fish Market Management
"The management Of the fish mar
Ret is practically in the hands of
Charles Chillingworth and NJ. Yama.
shire and these men act as dictators
to the vendors who occupy stalls. The
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