The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1917-09-14
WHO'S GUILTY? IS
QUESTION IN FISH
PRICE INQUIRY
Everybody Seems To Be To
Blame But Nobody Can Be
!. -. Called Chief CuIprIt
COMMITTEE HAS NO
. ". q TME TO THINK OF II
Consumer Is the Goat and Per-
haps It's His Own Fault For
Buying RecklessIy

The price Of fish in the Honolulu
markets is not likely to take any sud.
den drop to reasonable basis, accord.
ing 10 all reports that could be gather.
ed ON the subject Yesterday. Appar.
emily everybody is to blame for the
high prices but nobody can be pointed
out as the chief eulprit, ON whom the
reform work shonld start.
~ Haven 4 had time TO think of fsh
since the last fish committee meeting
TWO weeks age said =. u. Blake YES.
terday afternoon. Blake IL acting chair
man Of the committee during the alb.
senee on the mainland OF c.. q. Bockus.
when Bockus CONES back we ought
to be able to make some ARRANGEMENTS
whereby the price of fsh can be lower.
ell He will probably be full of sue.
gestiOns, as / am sure he is spending
all this spare time hanging round the
fish markets on the Coast.
Until then the only thing I know
Of that can help tho situation Is the
plan to sell fish by the pound instead
Of by the basket at auction MS has al.
ways been done in the Honolulu market.
Iexpect TO get an opinion from Charles
Hemenway within a day or two rs 10
the legality Of requiring the auctioneers
and dealers to sell by the pound. If
there are no legal difficulties we win
have this regulation put in force at
once, 49, tN1.G
Price An Outrage
81" The present price of fish Is nm out.
rage. IL seems 10 me il may be re-
duced IL the poundage system is put
into effect and the wholesale prices Of
fish for the day posted where all can
see them. Dealers win hardly have the
nerve TO charge thirty cents pound
for fish which they have bought for
ten, NOR is it likely the public will stand
for It,. a.. X &iE,F. ~ n u n
~ The fish companies, which finance
the Japanese fishing fleet and nue.
tioneer the catch in the early morning
market; are not to blame for the high
cost of fish. All they receive Is ten
per cent of the sums received in the
auction. 1T is only during the past
year that any of the fish companies
have made any money.
'tAs for the reason why fish Il so
high in Honolulu today, nobody can
say. II should not be on account Of
scarcity Of bait, for there is plenty
of aku in cold storage, and aku Is the
bait for the deep sea fish on which
the market depends. II is not because
Of middlemen, for there are no middle
men in the local market. The catch
passes directly from the fisherman 10
the retail dealer during the auction,
thus eliminating amy middleman :
profits, ajlS utTEsss,H. FS2 st,t
ag''lt is not the fault Of the fish com.
Panies, all Of whose profits are in tho
small percentage which they receive Of
the auction price. The big jump in
price comes after the fish are in the
hands of the retail dealers. y
Blame It On Consumer
1t seems to be apparent that nobody
Is to blame for the high cost of fish
but the consumer. The fisherman and
the auotioneer can lift lily white hands
Of innocence, and II the retailer puts
the price up the consumer is to blame
for buying fish at that price and there.
by encouraging him in his nefario1s
way. . I y
The project Of a fish exchange sim
liar to that in successful operation in
California, both in San Francisco and
Los Angeles, has been suggested 10 the
fish committee, and will be taken under
consideration by them. The committee
will try 20 hase some progress 10 re.
port TO the Food commission before
the meeting early next week.