45 



profit ; at Rs. 4-8-0 per 1,000 fresh fish, Rs. 0-8-0 for 

 dried fish should be a full, and Rs. 7 a high price. But 

 native-cured fish is apt to be tainted, is certainly produced 

 under less sanitary and cleanly conditions than station 

 fish, and. in any case, the salt used is the unwashed 

 Government salt containing a good deal of sand and 

 mud, so that the article is necessarily somewhat gritty. 

 In the supply to jails where the consumers live in 

 abnormal conditions, it is well to be certain that the fish 

 supplied is thoroughly wholesome and prepared under 

 the best conditions. 



21. The experience of the year confirms the views 

 indicated in paragraphs 18 and 19 of my last year's 

 report, viz., the necessity for exploiting the potential 

 better-class market if the fishery industry and trade as a 

 whole are to be developed and faulty methods and goods 

 eliminated. The difterence between the cost of ordinary 

 karuvad (dried salt fish) and of similar fish cured in afar 

 better and more sanitary manner, is much less than one 

 pie per pound ; e.g., mackerel costing ordinarily Rupees 

 4-20 or Rs. 4-4-0 per 1,000 dried fish weighing 120 lb. 

 may cost Rs. 4-8-0 when cured by better methods, viz., 

 one anna extra for clean and pure salt, two annas for 

 extra labour, one anna for interest, etc., on respectable, 

 sanitary plant ; this extra four annas means only the 

 difference between 6'8 and 7*2 pies (o"4 pies per lb.) ; 100 

 varian (small seer) weighing dry, say, 130 lb., cost, say, 

 Rs. 12 and Rs. 12-8-0, respectively, the extra cost 

 meaning a difference of three-quarters of a pie on about 

 As. 1-6 per lb. But this extra half or three-quarters pie 

 means a very great difterence in the class of goods, and 

 if the difterence is made up to one pie by attractive 

 packing, there can be no doubt but that such goods 

 would find an immense market in tens of thousands 

 of respectable households where ordinary karuvad is 

 taboo because of its bad appearance, " high " flavour, 

 and faulty food character. Since, by a wellknown rule, 

 the additional cost would be more than recouped by 

 the sellers, the extra profit, in addition to the greatly 

 increased market, would induce the curers to follow the 

 improved rather than the traditional methods ; without 

 such market, ready and anxious to pay a slightly higher 

 price for a much better article, the ancient methods, 

 sufficing the ancient markets, will continue. In other 



