﻿472 
  REPORT 
  OF 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FISH 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  

  

  to 
  earn 
  large 
  wages 
  if 
  they 
  were 
  steadily 
  employed, 
  but 
  the 
  canneries 
  

   have 
  to 
  stop 
  at 
  frequent 
  intervals 
  on 
  account 
  of 
  not 
  having 
  fish, 
  

   especially 
  in 
  the 
  early 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  season. 
  As 
  the 
  work 
  runs, 
  the 
  best- 
  

   paid 
  pieceworkers 
  do 
  not 
  generally 
  average 
  more 
  than 
  $2 
  per 
  day, 
  or 
  

   from 
  $10 
  to 
  $12 
  per 
  week, 
  while 
  others 
  average 
  only 
  about 
  $8 
  per 
  

   week. 
  The 
  packers 
  are 
  all 
  women 
  and 
  girls 
  and 
  are 
  said 
  to 
  average 
  

   $10, 
  and 
  sometimes 
  earn 
  $20 
  per 
  week. 
  Sealers 
  are 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  best- 
  

   paid 
  classes, 
  and 
  make 
  from 
  $15 
  to 
  $20 
  per 
  week. 
  The 
  fish-cutters, 
  

   who 
  are 
  mostly 
  women 
  and 
  boys 
  and 
  girls, 
  often 
  go 
  from 
  one 
  factory 
  to 
  

   another, 
  and 
  when 
  steadily 
  employed 
  can 
  earn 
  from 
  $2 
  to 
  $2.50 
  per 
  

   day. 
  The 
  flakers 
  are 
  also 
  women 
  and 
  girls. 
  The 
  rates 
  of 
  wages 
  paid 
  

   by 
  the 
  canneries, 
  though 
  only 
  moderate, 
  are 
  higher 
  than 
  are 
  to 
  be 
  

   obtained 
  in 
  almost 
  any 
  other 
  occupation 
  in 
  these 
  localities. 
  

  

  Decorated 
  tin. 
  — 
  Before 
  the 
  sardine 
  cans 
  are 
  made 
  in 
  the 
  cannery 
  it 
  

   is 
  necessary 
  that 
  the 
  tin 
  for 
  the 
  sides 
  and 
  around 
  the 
  ends 
  of 
  the 
  can 
  

   shall 
  be 
  decorated 
  or 
  printed 
  with 
  a 
  label. 
  This 
  work 
  was 
  formerly 
  

   done 
  in 
  New 
  York, 
  but 
  is 
  now 
  nearly 
  all 
  done 
  at 
  Eastport, 
  where 
  a 
  

   decorating 
  factory 
  was 
  established 
  by 
  Mr. 
  G. 
  W. 
  Capen 
  in 
  the 
  spring 
  

   of 
  1889. 
  The 
  building 
  is 
  90 
  feet 
  long, 
  30 
  feet 
  wide, 
  and 
  3 
  stories 
  high, 
  

   and 
  the 
  value 
  of 
  the 
  entire 
  plant 
  is 
  equal 
  to 
  that 
  of 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  best 
  

   sardine 
  canneries. 
  The 
  business 
  now 
  gives 
  employment 
  to 
  about 
  25 
  

   persons. 
  The 
  factory 
  opens 
  and 
  closes 
  with 
  the 
  canning 
  season, 
  which 
  

   is 
  from 
  April 
  15 
  to 
  December 
  15. 
  Another 
  plant 
  was 
  operated 
  during 
  

   a 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  season 
  of 
  1895, 
  so 
  that 
  hereafter 
  there 
  will 
  probably 
  be 
  

   two 
  factories 
  of 
  this 
  kind 
  at 
  Eastport. 
  The 
  decorating 
  is 
  done 
  by 
  

   a 
  lithographing 
  process 
  similar 
  to 
  that 
  for 
  lithographing 
  on 
  paper, 
  

   except 
  that 
  the 
  colors 
  are 
  confined 
  to 
  red 
  and 
  black, 
  with 
  a 
  yellowish 
  

   tint 
  imparted 
  by 
  the 
  use 
  of 
  shellac. 
  

  

  The 
  tin 
  plate 
  for 
  decorating 
  is 
  of 
  two 
  sizes, 
  and 
  comes 
  in 
  boxes 
  of 
  112 
  

   and 
  224 
  sheets, 
  respectively. 
  The 
  dimensions 
  of 
  the 
  tin 
  in 
  the 
  smaller 
  

   boxes 
  are 
  14 
  by 
  20 
  inches, 
  or 
  280 
  square 
  inches 
  to 
  each 
  sheet; 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  

   larger, 
  are 
  ISA 
  by 
  16 
  inches, 
  or 
  248 
  square 
  inches 
  to 
  each 
  sheet. 
  The 
  

   former 
  size 
  is 
  commonly 
  termed 
  "oil 
  tin," 
  and 
  the 
  latter 
  "mustard 
  tin." 
  

   The 
  quality 
  is 
  indicated 
  by 
  the 
  weight 
  of 
  the 
  tin 
  in 
  a 
  box. 
  Until 
  

   recently 
  only 
  one 
  kind 
  was 
  used. 
  This 
  contained 
  85 
  pounds 
  in 
  each 
  

   box 
  of 
  112 
  vsheets, 
  and 
  156 
  pounds 
  in 
  each 
  box 
  of 
  224 
  sheets. 
  It 
  was 
  

   found 
  that 
  a 
  lighter 
  and 
  somewhat 
  less 
  expensive 
  grade 
  would 
  serve 
  

   the 
  purpose 
  equally 
  well, 
  and 
  consequently 
  many 
  of 
  the 
  packers 
  adopted 
  

   what 
  is 
  termed 
  an 
  80-pound 
  tin, 
  which 
  means 
  that 
  112 
  sheets 
  of 
  14 
  by 
  20 
  

   inch 
  tin 
  weighs 
  80 
  pounds, 
  and 
  224 
  sheets 
  of 
  15^ 
  by 
  16 
  inch 
  tin, 
  on 
  the 
  

   same 
  basis, 
  weighs 
  150 
  pounds. 
  Both 
  kinds 
  are 
  now 
  used 
  to 
  a 
  greater 
  

   or 
  less 
  extent 
  in 
  most 
  of 
  the 
  canneries. 
  

  

  The 
  decoration 
  is 
  printed 
  in 
  strips 
  crosswise 
  of 
  the 
  sheets. 
  For 
  

   quartc^r-oil 
  cans 
  the 
  14 
  by 
  20 
  inch 
  sheets 
  are 
  used 
  and 
  there 
  are 
  20 
  

   strips 
  printed 
  on 
  each 
  sheet. 
  The 
  same 
  size 
  of 
  tin 
  is 
  also 
  used 
  for 
  

   quarter 
  mustard 
  cans, 
  but, 
  owing 
  to 
  their 
  greater 
  depth, 
  admits 
  of 
  only 
  

   16 
  strips 
  being 
  printed 
  on 
  each 
  sheet. 
  The 
  larger 
  sheets, 
  15^ 
  by 
  16 
  

  

  