exact length required. The circular knife then moves forward at a 

 higner speed than the incoming fish and places the severed cut into 

 the waiting can which rests in the can turret. The turret steps 

 forward one place bringing an etipty can into place, the knife moves 

 upward out of the way of the incoming fish and back to its first po- 

 sition next to the forming ring ready for a new cut, and the cycle 

 is completed. The speed of the machine is around 120 cfns per minute. 

 One to three workers may be used to feed the machine j three feeders 

 producing a much better product than when one feeder is used. The 

 skill of the feeder alsa has a great bearing on the quality of work 

 put out by the machine . 



This machine replaces about 40 hand packers and only one to three 

 workers are required to operate it. Offsetting a portion of the saving 

 in labor is the royalty charge which starts at 19^^ per case for the 

 first 25,000 caseSj decreases to lU<p per case for 2^^000 to 50^000 

 cases, and amounts to 11(^ per case for all packs exceeding 50^000 cases. 

 A $5,000 minimum charge is made for small packers who use the machine 

 regardless of the amount of fish packed. Hand packing may cost as much 

 as 500 per case so that the saving ty machine packing^, even after the 

 payment of royalties j may be considerable. 



The pack obtained by the use of the Pak-Shaper, as generally 

 operated, is considered by many to be inferior in appearance to a hand 

 pack. The pieces of fish resulting from the staggered several loins 

 being pushed together in the tunnel do not fit together quite so well 

 as hand packed fish. This leaves a small open space between pieces 

 especially near the center of the can. Immediately after emerging 

 from the packer this difference is not so apparent but after process- 

 ing in the retort, shrinkage takes place and this failure to complete- 

 ly fill the center of the can shows up» Another difference results 

 from the fact that the circular knife which cuts off lengths of tuna 

 for each can, does not always make such a clean cut as does the guillo- 

 tine knife used for the hand packs. The surface may have a jagged 

 appearance from this cause. Often small shreds of fish will be found 

 floating in the oil, when the can is opened, 



A different type of change caused by the machine pa.ck results fran 

 the twisting of the fibers of fish viiile the loins are in the packing 

 tunnel. The distorted fibers permit more of the added soya oil to be 

 permanently absorbed ty the fish than is the case with hand-packed fish. 

 When a drained weight of the contents of a machine-pa-dked car. is taken 

 a part of this absorbed oil does not drain away and a higher drained 

 weight is obtained than would have been the case had. the same fill-in 

 weight been used for a hand pack. 



299 



