[159] HISTORY OF THE MACKEREL FISHERY. 249 



are cured or packed for exjgortation, to hold office five years. These 

 inspectors are to make annual returns to the secretary of state." 



In the Advertiser of March 12, 1875, is the following letter written to 

 Mr. George Steele, of Gloucester, by Mr. E. G. Willard, and dated Port- 

 land, Me., March 1, 1875 : 



" Dear Sir : I noticed the hearing you had Friday before the commit- 

 tee, in the Boston Advertiser, and was astonished to see the parties' 

 names who were present in opposition. We had no opposition from a 

 purchaser of fish in Maine j the opposition came from the late general 

 inspector and a part of his deputies, who were not disposed to cull the 

 fish according to the law of the State. With these parties we had much 

 trouble and expensive law suits, in which we beat them ; thus showing 

 that the decision of the general inspector amounted to nothing. 



" I have been in the business of purchasing pickled fish, as well as dry, 

 the last twenty years. The past ten years I have purchased one-half of 

 the pickled fish packed in the State. 



'' We had no general inspector till I had been in the business seven 

 years. During this time we had no trouble about the cull, nor did we 

 have any until after we got a general inspector, when trouble commenced, 

 and grew worse and worse, till it culminated two years ago, when our 

 business stopped altogether; no one would buy here, the cull was so 

 poor. 



"The office terminated in this State last May, and we were determined 

 not to have another appointed if we could prevent it. The governor and 

 council gave us a heariug, and they concluded not to jnake an appoint- 

 ment; and we went on last season without a general inspector, and had 

 no trouble. There was a much greater catch last year than the year be- 

 fore — 45,000 barrels against 32,000— and parties that withdrew from the 

 market two years ago, returned last year, and have been buying in our 

 market since, and some 28,000 barrels were sold last week. A general 

 inspector is a general nuisance, and no honest inspector wants a guar- 

 dian. 



"My ownership in fishing- vessels is large. I have an interest in twenty- 

 three vessels. The best argument to use is, let the parties opposed show 

 any good the office is to any one ; what benefit any one receives from it. 

 Our law was a copy from yours, and a decision of the general inspector 

 amounts to nothing ; either party aggrieved can aj^j^eal to the courts, 

 and the opinion of the general inspector amounts to no more than that of 

 any other man, as we proved in the cases we had here. Our mackerel 

 here are nearly all packed in barrels. Several parties here repack in 

 halves, quarters, and kits ; Dana & Co., largely for the West. Our depu- 

 ties gave no bonds last year, but will now get their commissions from 

 the governor, and give bonds to the mayor and aldermen, or selectmen 

 of towns, rated according to their business. In fact, we get right back 

 where we were thirteen years ago. Our committee was unanimous at 

 the first meeting, and the change was put right through and is now a 



