THE WHITEBAIT SEASON.

Shannon News, 22 October 1929, Page 1

THE WHITEBAIT SEASON.

MORE SCARCE THAN EVER. At one time it used to be a by-word that in a good season on the West Coast whitebait could be taken from the rivers in shovels full, and that they could be bought on the" spot for as little as 5s a can. That is not the case to-day, for the recent earthquake has apparently diminished the supply, as during the present Avhiteb'ait season the supplies from West port have been very small compared with previous years. Ten benzine or.kerosene tins arrived from Westport on Monday afternoon for the Wellington market, but 75s a fin was the highest bid A\'hcn put up for auction, the bidders being mainly those men who hawk them round the city. This bid Avas not accepted, the auctioneer saying that 90s Avas the price, so the would-be buyers Avewt away disappointed. They arc in short supply, and there is a big enough demand in the hotels and restaurants to lake all that are coming to hand at the moment. A few Avhitebait are obtained from the Hutt River, and also from Otaki, but in such small quantities (a few pints) that they do not affect the market.

Early in the season thoy fetched as much as £9 in the open market, but tlie average price since then has been about 24, although on one or two occasions when they have been plentiful they have been as low as £2. Most of the Wellington supplies luia'o this season been coming from the Waikato, for iM'ixton supplies haA'e boon 'below the asual quantities this season. .Supplies have also come from Nelson, Napier, I'araparaumn, and Waikanae. Now Ihn'.t there is a direct railway connection with Chrisl church, most of the West port catch goes to Canterbury..

The retail price usually runs round about 2s (id to 3s Gd for'what is popularly supposed to be a. pint, but inquiry I'OA-ealed thai they .re retailed by Avhat are called pots, not pints. Most "people are aware of the manner in which whitebait are forwarded . in kerosene tins, which are suppose,:! to hold eight gallons. They may ho?d eight gallons of petrol, but they certainly do not hold eight gallons of whitebait.' Judging by the tins which were offered the quantity would be more like seven gallons, for there was easily room for another four pints in each tin. If tho buyers pay £4 a tin for limn and retail them at 2s Gd or 3s (id a pet, it needs a simple sum to prove that they could not retail them profitably at thoso prices if sold in pints. '