Fish, Oh!

Fair Play, Volume I, Issue 8, 23 December 1893, Page 13

Fish, Oh!

It is a widely admitted fact - that the average New Zealander eats, as a rule, just about twice as much animal food as is requisite and good for him, and in ninety-nine cases out of a hundred, when the colonial dyspeptic consults his medical adviser, the man of prescriptions and pills tells him to eat less meat — “Go in for more fish and fruit, my dear sir, far better for you than so much meat in this climate of ours.” That in the warmer months of the year a diet composed mainly of fish and fruit must be very much better, more especially for those whose occupations are of a sedentary character, is obvious to anyone who studies physiology, but, unfortunately, it is not so easy to obtain the fish, the use of which is so strongly recommended. A similar difficulty used to exist in AVellington with regard to fruit, but of late years the supply of fruit has come fairly up to demand, and although the price may sometimes be higher than it should be in New Zealand; than which a finer country for fruit-growing could not be imagined, still there is not very much to grumble at on that head. But with regard to our fish supply thore is really very serious reason for a growl, —a long growl, and a deep growl. We may here state our honest opinion that the fish supply of AVellington is wretchedly inadequate to the requirements of the population; that the price charged for this valuable and, indeed, necessary food is out of all reason; that the trade is in the hands of a grasping ring of monopolists, and finally that it is high time that anew departure were -made ; that the trade were taken by fair but determined opposition, out of the hands of the ring, and that it became possible for the citizens of Wellington to procure a regular and plentiful supply of fish at a fair and reasonable price. Nor do we think there need be any great difficulty about the matter. At present the fishermen have only one source of disposal for their fish, and the price they receive for the result of their hard and dangerous worK is just such as could be expected from a monopolist ring, and nothing more. The men have no alternative. New, if any, of the poor fellows, are possessed of capital sufficient to hold themselves independent of the ring, and consequently they are entirely at the mercy of the monopolists. What is wanted, and wanted very badly in Wellington, is a Fish Market placed in a good central position, owned by the Corporation, and under the management of some hard-headed official with a talent for organisation, a will of his own, and a good allowance of common sense. The

fishermen could send in thoir fish to the market, whore it could be sold by auction in small lots to the hawkers, who would speedily increase in number and who would take round the fish to the doors of the customers. Once let the citizens realise tho fact that they could have daily, ifnocessary, a good choice of fish at a reasonable prico and the consumption of this excellent food would be doubled, if not trebled. At present fish dealers seem to consider tho public ought to put up with anything, and everything they choose to offer in the shape of a fish, and tho price which thoy charge is out of all proportion to that which they pay to the hard-worked fisherman who are bound down to them and cannot free themselves from tho grip. A fish market would moan the emancipation of the fishermen, the reduction of tho present absurdly, high profits mado by the middlemen, and a regular supply of fish at a fair prico for the gonoral public. It is a disgrace to AVellington, situated as it is in closo proximity to some of tho finest fishing grounds in the colony, that tho fish should be so poor in quality and that the prico charged to tho consumor should be so extravagantly and almost prohibitively high. Wo repeat that it would bo to the benefit of tho health of tho citizens were they to consume more fish, and wq fool sure that it only needs a littlo offort for a Fish Market to bo successfully established, for the fishermon to bo hotter remunerated for thoir arduous and dangerous toil, and for the public to got a regular and much cheaper supply of one of the most valuablo and healthful of foods. AVe commend tho idea of a public Fish Market to our now Mayor, Mr. Brandon, and trust that ho may take up tho project wo havo sketched out in rough and carry it through to a successful issue.