52 MADRAS FISHERIES BLLLETIN VOL. XIII, 



the specific fish packed and to the market. For in using large 

 tins, especially those doubled or trebled in capacity by merely 

 adding depth to the body strip, the canner not only necessarily 

 saves largely in tin plate and solder, as shown above, but also a 

 great amount of labour in all the canning processes from packing 

 to labelling and sale; it is obviously easier and quicker, and 

 therefore cheaper, to solder, test, exhaust, process, clean, label, etc., 

 100 half tins such as No. 6 than 200 quarters such as No. I, and 

 there are fewer spoils. Owing to these considerable savings a half 

 tin (No. 6) of sardines can be sold at a price less than 50 per cent 

 above that of quarters ; a cylindrical No. 8 can sells slightly above 

 a quarter tin. Moreover, many fish may require the larger, e.g., 

 No. 8, tins owing to their shape and size, whether whole fish, such 

 as our small mackerel, or sections of large fish, or prawns which 

 do not pack closely. The consumer is equally benefited if he 

 requires, as in schools, clubs, hotels, etc., a considerable quantity 

 of fish for a meal, since he gets the same quantity of fish far more 

 cheaply; in one reported case, a hotel used thirty-six ' quarters ' 

 (No. I size) of sardines at one meal, costing Rs. 13-8-O at 6 annas 

 per tin, while 18 ' halves ' of No. 6 with the same quantity of fish 

 would have cost Rs. 9-9-0 at As. 8-6 per tin. Hence the canner to 

 be successful must carefully study the dimensions, shapes, capacity, 

 and modes of increasing the capacity of his cans, using large cans 

 when the market admits of it. In any case, since, in this Presi- 

 dency, the fish is usually the cheapest single item in a can 

 (compared with oil, tin plate, solder) it is well to use tins of good 

 size with plenty of fish and thus please the consumer by giving 

 good value. 



Nevertheless it is very necessary to study and humour the 

 special demands or fads of the market ; it is almost useless to try 

 and get goods into some markets, especially outside of India, which 

 in, it may be, mere size or appearance, do not fit in with the custom 

 of the market, even though the new goods give better value than 

 the old ones. Markets and buyers may seem unreasonable but 

 they must be humoured. 



37. Solderless cans. — There are certain disadvantages attending 

 soldered cans ; 



(i) they should be made shortly before use since, especially 

 in a hot and humid climate, the edges rust so that the solder will 

 not adhere securely ; hence the risk of severe losses in leaks ; 

 (2) solder is not always of good and even quality ; 



