OYSTER PICKING

Waikato Times, Volume 128, Issue 21361, 4 March 1941, Page 7

OYSTER PICKING

DEMANDS OF MEN PROTEST BY RETAILERS (By Telcgrrapli.—Press Association) DUNEDIN, Monday Anticipating the granting of demands by the men working the oyster iieet, all Dunedin fish retailers at a meeting this morning unanimously agreed not to accept oysters under the new system. The fleet is asking that a sack shall consist of 60 dozen oysters but Dunedin retailers are adamant that they won’t accept any sack other than one weighing 190 pound.’. Dissatisfied with the service in the past and fearing an influx of small oysters from ground handy to the Bluff, they have stipulated also' that oysters must be clean, free from grit and fair to average in quality. Complaints of small oysters have led the Marine Department to enforce the regulations raising the size permitted to be taken from 1 two inches to 2 1-8 inches. It is pointed out, however, that v.-ith 60 dozen to a sack, large oysters may fill it, but with small oysters, big enough however to be permissable, it would not be half full. Appeasing the Public In retailing small oysters from the standard size sacks the man behind the counter has been able to appease the public by selling more than a dozen. He could not do this if he had to buy by quantity instead of weigh t. The retailer pointed out that if the men’s demands were acceded to, a system of grading for size would follow. This would increase the additional costly handling that a 60dozen sack already ’ means and the oysters, judging by the experience of egg retailers, would be stale by the time they reached the public. The full text of the men’s demands it is understood here, means roughly a 20 per cent rise, involving at the very least, 10 per cent additional cost to the consumer. Wholesalers at the Bluff are as strongly against the proposals as the retailers.