THE FISH MARKET.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1774, 12 June 1913, Page 6

THE FISH MARKET.

GROWING IN FAVOUR. REPLY TO RECENT CRITICISM. EXTENSIONS POSSIBLE. Some days ago there appeared in '.The Dominion an interview with Mr. AV. Jtitchie concerning the municipal fish market. Mr. Ritchie, it. may bo remembered, found fault with several things about tlio control of the market. Immediately after (ho interview appeared Mr. B. Fletcher, .chairman of the Markets Committee or the City Council was asked to make a 'reply, and he did so yesterday. Before ho Kvould speak ho wished to make sure 01 certain, of his facts, hence the delay, i "Mr. Eitchio takes exception to tho mamo 'market,' as applied to our' establishment," said Mr. Fletcher. I dont *care whether it is called a market, or a Ighop. The object of tho city in setting hip the market was to supply tho P e ®P'° •with fresh fish at cheaper rates and tliatobject has been attained. He is also concerned about whether tho market is paying. Ho need not worry about that, bccauso although during the last six months wo havo lost about AMO, that is easily ac-. counted for by, the fact that we _ have had difficulty about getting fish owing to tho trawler F,nergy, from which we got most of our supplies, having been laid up. It is a significant fact that tho dealers in iish were anxious to suppress tho market, •and actually brought pressure to bear on [V wholesale dealer in Auckland to persuade him to discontinue sending fish to us. i "I received a letter a few days ago from > supplier at the French Pass, to tho effect that the fishermen thero would bo sending in fish in larger quantities in future. They had at first been chary about (sending to tho market, because they did Snot think it would last. AYo are getting Ifish from tho Pass now, and I'believe we thall get moro in the future. Under the : present conditions in the'fish business I admit that it may be, as Mr. Ritchie says, desirable that there should be wlioleealo dealers as well as retailers, but tvo want to modify those conditions. AVe want to bring the producer and tho consumer into moro direct communication." At the conclusion of liis statement Mr. Ritchie submitted certain questions. To these Mr. Fletcher isujiplied answers. "What quantity of fish is sent to tho idestructor from the market "—All fish waste, whether offal or unsaleable fish is classed at tho destructor as fish offal. The <lestructor figures show that the amount /destroyed for the fish market in tho last fthrec months was 1 ton 8 cwt., whereas on account of three big dealers the figures [were 39 tons, 31 tons, and 21 tons, tho total destroyed on account of all tho dealers ifceing 117 tons. - i "Does tho municipal market pay. for the Hestruction of fish at the destructor as private firms had to do ?" —Yes, we are debited with the cost of destruction at tho same rates as private firms.' AVe have blwavs paid for having this work done, i "AYhy is fish nt the market offered to private shopkeepers for nothing . 5f they will take it away?"—Thero was , lonly ono instance of this being done, and jit was at a timo when thero was a glut 'of iish on the market. We had two oi Hhree cases of good' fish, and wo offered Hhem to a dealer if he would take thorn 'away. They wero good enough for smok jing 1 , and our only desire was to save good iish from being wasted. In reply to the other question, Air. 'TSletcher said tho ratepayers wero sujjjilied with particulars as ft what the maif4:et was costing.

"I am quite' sure tho market is gaining in favour," said Mv. Fletcher, "and tno people are" getting fresh, fish and cheap 'iish from it. ' An extension of tho market may probably be made soon, by tho opening of another distributing dopot ifi some populous part of tho city. All our available supply we can readily disposu of. Most of the fish we havo had to send to the destructor arrived at the mil • kot in bad condition, and we would not offer it for ealu. It had been improper'ly packed, 'and failed to keep fresh in transit. lii six months our sales havo realised about ,£900; we havo made 15200 sales to individual customers, and we havo Bold about 40 tons of fish. Our only difficulty is to get a supply regular enough to retain and extend, the connection, we have already made, and if we can't got a. supply otherwise, we. must procure a trawler of our own. ■Wo propose dhoitly to instal a smoking plant, to absorb surplus supplies." Mr. Fletcher added in conclusion that the market would continue to be carried on, and he wa9 suro that in a very little time the city would also have municipal anarkets for vegetables and fruit.