500 



REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. 



50. Statement by countries of the imports of anchovies or sardines into the United States 

 during each of the ten years ending June 30, 1894 — Continued. 



During the last few years the sardine fishery along both the French 

 and Portuguese coasts is reported to have been poor, the run of fish 

 being small and of inferior quality. It is further stated that there is a 

 growing habit in those countries of catching and preserving a fish that 

 somewhat resembles the true sardine, but which appears to be inferior 

 to the average quarter-oil sardine packed on the Maine coast. 



It is clear that this is an opportune time for the American canners, 

 by strict attention to the quality of their output, to make special efforts 

 to capture trade that the French and Portuguese are likely to lose in 

 the event of placing poor sardines upon the market. Aside from this, 

 the conditions existing in Europe should tend, in some measure, to aid 

 the sale of American fish, since, according to late accounts, many man- 

 ners in France and Portugal have not attempted to pack during the 

 last two years on account of the scarcity of the sardines. 1 



Import duties on sardines. — The customs law of August 30, 1812, 

 imposed a duty of 20 per cent ad valorem on sardines imported into the 

 United States. This rate was doubled by the law of July 30, 1846, but 

 the customs enactment of March 3, 1857, reduced the rate to 30 per 

 cent. The act of July 30, 1864, raised the duty to 50 per cent ad valo- 

 rem; but in 1872 it was again reduced to 30 per cent, where it remained 

 until February 8, 1875, when specific duties were imposed. These were 

 as follows: On boxes measuring not over 5 by 4 by 3i inches, 15 cents 

 per box; those measuring not over 5 by 4 by If inches, 7£ cents each; 

 measuring not over 4f by 3£ by 1% inches, 4 cents per box; and for sar- 

 dines in any other form, an ad valorem duty of 60 per cent. The customs 



1 See New York Commercial Bulletin, July 24. 1894. 



