156 U. 8. BUREAU OF FISHERIES 
cost on this basis, then, is 0.77 x 1.8, or 1.4 cents. In California fuel 
oil or natural gas is used for generating steam. 
Power.—In connection with the estimate upon equipment costs 
made by a firm of drying engineers and discussed later, it was esti- 
mated that the total power required for a 5-ton unit would be about 
50 horsepower. ‘This will take about 38 kilowatts of electricity per 
hour. At 3 cents per kilowatt hour, the cost is $1.14, or for 110 cases 
(22 cases per ton of fish prepared), about 1 cent per case. It is 
assumed that the cost for the frying process is 0.5 cent per case. 
ying ov ing oi it will be 
saved. It is assumed that this amounts to 5 cents per case. If a 
canner uses a good grade of cottonseed oil and changes his oil at least 
twice a season and takes into account the oil added to make up for 
losses when the fish are not very fat, the cost will be this much at least 
and probably more. If the oil is changed frequently enough for the 
fish to be cooked at all times in good oil, the cost will be far greater. 
Labor.—F¥ or preparing the fish and delivering them to the packers 
there will be required one operator, two girls at 30 cents per hour 
each to arrange the fish after they have been flaked by the machine, 
and one extra packer at 50 cents per hour, most of whose time will 
be wasted. Excluding the operator, the cost comes to $1.10 per hour, 
or 1 cent per case. For the frying-in-oil process there are required 
one operator for the drier and fry bath, two men for the fry bath 
(one at each end to handle baskets of fish), two men to move trucks 
of fish to the cooling room and to supply trucks of empty baskets for 
the fry bath, two men to move trucks of cooled fish from the cooling 
room to the packing tables and to remove trucks of empty baskets, 
one man to feed baskets of fish to the conveyer supplying the packing 
’ tables, and one man to care for empty baskets from the conveyer. 
Excluding the operator, there are required eight men at 40 cents per 
hour, totaling $3.20, or 2.9 cents per case. 
The cost of an operator will be about the same for either process and 
can be left out of consideration. Incidental labor for cleaning, han- 
dling oil, and tor other such purposes will be considerably less for the 
new process; however, in these calculations it is assumed to be equal 
for both processes and therefore is not included in the calculations. 
Equipment. it for continuous cooking, cooling, 
and packing is estimated to cost about $25,000 to $30,000, and for a 
unit half as large about $15,000 to $18,000. This estimate was made 
by a firm of drying engineers for one of the canners and is for a com- 
plete unit, erected, ready for operation. The same equipment can 
be obtained at less cost if the engineers only furnish plans and super- 
vise construction and the canner himself purchases materials in the 
open market and furnishes his own labor. 
It is estimated that a drier, fry bath with oil storage and cleaning 
equipment, frying baskets, trucks, conveyer for furnishing the 
packers with baskets of fish, and boiler capacity in excess of “other 
requirements will cost about $15, 000 to $18,000 if furnished by equip- 
ment manufacturers. 
Less floor space will be required by the new process ® than for 
frying in oil. The equipment itself requires no more floor space than 
Bees equipment. A space, however, at least 40 feet square, now 



65 For details in regard to approximate space required see p, 221, 
