The sun., 1919-10-05
DUMP FISH INTO SEA
AS N. Y. PRICES SOAR
Boatmen at Block Island. Only
120 Miles Away, Forced to
Waste Good Food.
2 CENTS A POUND SET
Fisherman, If He Sold, Would
Owe Money to Buyer After
Shipment.
, CENTS A POUND SET

BLOCK ISLAND, Oct 4.--If a dealer at
Fulton Market were to take fish by
the tail or the head or the middle and
throw It into South street and repeat
the performance twenty or thirty times
In a minute. and were to keep 1t up for
fifteen or more minutes without even an
attempt at a rest. there would be some
thing doing. Two riots would result.
one In South street. the other in Fulton
Market Each riot would be volcanic,
tempestuous and vociferoua
In the market the riot would be on
a comparatively small scale, with the
dealer on one side and all the other deal
ers pitted against him. After a brief
but violent struggle the fish throwing
dealer would be overthrown and shackled
as more or less dangerous maniac.
His confreres would decide. without a
dissenting vote, that he had lost his
mind.
Within the memory of the oldest en-
ployee of the market no dealer has been
known to throw a perfectly good and
salable fish into South street or any
other thoroughfare. Dealers had been
known to sell fish that had known better
days to charge prices that should have
entailed a long term in jail, or to sell
bonita or bluehsh for Spanish mackerel.
Such achievements might have called for
a lifted eyebrow here and there. but
would not have caused audible comment,
at least not in the market
The market, with exceptions, would
have said to ITSELF TITS all in days
would be accepted as positive proof of
sudden violent and dangerous insanity.
Result of south Street Riot.
The riot in South street in such
case would be of such magnitude as to
render necessary the calling out of the
police reserves. South street is a busy
thoroughfsre. Thousands of trucks and
other vehicles pass through 1t In a day.
Long lines of huge wagons wait at the
ferry entrances or pour through them at
a hurried pace. Traffic is often 50 great
that blocks are frequent
The drivers are big and husky fell
lows. and in q block their language is
so explosive as to surprise even the at
mosphere. II a few hundred of these
Titans were to see q Fulton Market
dealer throwing shining fish into the
street each of them would spring from
his truck, pick up a ish, smell it, and
finding It good, would begin to load up
Word would fly through the downtown
district that fish was to be had for the
taking In South street
All the messenger boys below Wall
street would fly to the spot Not even
members of the Stock Exchange would
be able to withstand the temptation, and
South street in trice would be jammed
with a wild eyed multitude. every
mothers son in it determined to get FISH
for nothing or perish in the effort.
Thousands OF freshly caught fish are
thrown away at Block Island each sea-
son. and there is even at Block Island
| more than one season in a year.
Does the act create a riot there? It
does not. II does not cause surprise or
COMMENSURATE is, among the islanders.
To a New Yorker there Is something
horrifyins about the performance. To
| the islander 1t Ia simply monotonous.
Ever since he can remember he has seen
fish thrown away. He expects to see
them thrown away to the end OF the
| chapter. He is one of the throwers, or
has been.
All Block Islanders are fishermen.
They may have other occupations, In
fact. have them. but also they are fisher
men. There are two principal indus
tries here. fishing and farming. Several
other industries may be styled the BIZ
products Of the twain.
Intensive Workers Scarce.
Neither the farming nor the fishing is
done in an intensive way. In fact II is
doubtful II the meaning of the word be
known to more than one islander. and
he oultivates a truck garden as a "hired
man" There Is one marked difference
between the farmers and the flshermen.
The farmers do not harvest sufficient to
feed the island, while the harvest of the
fishermen. II 1t were used for the pur-
pose, would feed not only the island but
large section of Manhattan.
The name Hoover may be known on
Block Island, but II creates no excite
ment 1t endears itself to nobody.
Neither Is It received with execratlons.
1t may be known here that he implored
or ordered all citizens of the United
States to be stingy with themselves and
lavish toward Europe. but the islanders
do not discuss the matter unless among
themselves and after dark.
| II sugar be scarce and high they
blame 1t on the sugar sharks who dwell
on the mainland. II the price OF flour
jumps to staggering figures they attrib-
ute the outrage to the flour sharks who
dlshgure the mainland. They can live
''in clover" on fyh and potatoes, for they
catch fish and grow potatoes In over
| abundance.
But New York does not catch FISH OF
grow potatoes, and when a New Yorker
who knows hotel and restaurant prices
also the prices paid by house dwellers
| for fish, sees fnny beauties thrown
away in thousands he turns away from
the spectacle for fear OF accidents.
why the Price Differences.
Why is fish so high and at times SC
scarce in New York and so cheap and
abundant here? Block Island is about
the size Of Manhattan and is only one
of many fishing stations on our Atlantic
coast. Its fishermen are a daring
sturdy lot. Their work Is full of toi
and risk. They are weatherwise ol
course, and a sea or sky that looks dan.
gerous TO q landsman often means good
fishing to them.
They like to get a fair price for theiI
fish, but a low price, II 1t gives even Q
very small profit, is accepted without q
groan. They have much of the philoso,
pher In them, also something of tn,
fatalst, and whether the price OF fist
is high or low their expression OF calm
contentment remains unruffled.
To throw away perfectly good FISH
would be an impossible feat for lands
man. II would be just as easy for hin
10 contemplate murder as to throw away