58 



PACIFIC FISHERMAN 



The cotton situation in the southern states prevented 

 packers from securing their usual southern business, but 

 this lack of trade in the South and conservative buying 

 in the North was more than offset by the export trade, 

 hence, with the exception of Medium Reds and Chums, I he 

 market is more closely cleaned up than it usually is at this 

 time of the year. 



From statistics compiled from all quarters we estimate 

 the 1914 pack as follows: 



Alaska 4,000,000 cases 



Puget Sound 650,000 cases 



British Columbia 1,110.000 cases 



Columbia River, spring and fall 500,000 cases 



Outside Rivers 150,000 cases 



Total 6,410,000 cases 



GORMAN AND COMPANY. 



While the pack of 1914 is probably one million and a 

 half cases less than that of the preceding year, yet with 

 the carry-over, principally in Puget Sound Sockeyes, the 

 supply in first hands when opening prices were named in 

 the aggregate were about the same as in 1913, and notwith- 

 standing the very much higher prices now for the 1914 

 pack, as against the pack of the previous year, the trade 

 took hold in good shape and bought heavily of every grade, 

 thereby, we believe, justifying our statement and predic- 

 tions submitted in your Year Book. 



While 1914 was a short year on Sockeyes, there was 

 more than an average pack of Red Alaskas, but notwith- 

 standing the higher prices at which they opened, they were 

 taken readily by both foreign and domestic buyers. 



Medium Reds also found a ready market at opening 

 prices in all sizes. 



As for Pinks, the very short pack in Southeast Alaska, 

 with none being produced on Puget Sound, gave them 

 probably the strongest position of any of the grades, and 

 at this time there are practically none left in first hands. 



While it is quite true the pack of Chums was largely in 

 excess of an average year, yet the pack of the two grades 

 — Pinks and Chums taken together — was considerably less 

 than that of 1913, and while they were offered to the trade 

 at prices considerably higher than previous years, and such 

 as to give the packer some profit, even Chums have gone 

 much into consumption. So much so in fact that at the 

 present time we fell quite safe in saying that there are 

 less than three hundred and fifty thousand cases of Chums 

 and Pinks remaining unsold in first hands today, which is 

 a very light supply indeed, with practically all of the con- 

 suming months to be taken care of before the new pack 

 comes into the market. Hence we cannot see any reason 

 for lower than opening prices on Pinks or Chums during 

 the balance of the present year, and at present prices 

 they are better value, dollar for dollar, than the highei 

 grades at t he prices at which they are being held today, 

 and we feel quite confident that the domestic market, with- 

 out any more foreign business than has been done to date, 

 will absorb every case of salmon now in first hands with 

 the possible exception of Sockeye tails, which packers are 

 disposed in any event to carry over into next year on 

 account of the certain short supply. 



C. B. HUIET. 

 At the beginning of the year the prospects for a large 

 and satisfactory business from the 1914 pack of salmon 

 were very flattering and conditional bookings were excep- 

 tionally heavy; stocks with the jobbers were not burden- 

 some and in anticipation of a large fall business tney con- 

 tracted freely and had not the European conflict seriously 

 demoralized conditions in the southern states, we would 

 have seen record sales of salmon on the opening of the 

 market. When the market opened, the war in Europe was 

 already having its effect on southern trade conditions, and 

 jobbers bought cautiously, though some took their usual 

 requirements, being hopeful that the war would be short 

 lived and conditions soon become normal again. Business, 

 however, in the cotton producing states has not improved 

 up to the date of this writing, in fact has, to the contrary, 

 become worse, and most jobbers who bought salmon in 

 August have found considerable difficulty in obtaining the 

 money witli which to finance them. This situation has 

 brought about many requests for cancellations of contracts 

 and has caused much inconvenience to the large distribut- 

 ing brokers. 



Charleston has become recognized as the chief point of 

 distribution of Pacific Coast products south of New York 

 city, and the business handled through this port during 

 1914 has shown wonderful increases, despite the unfavor- 

 able conditions existing in the territory supplied from 

 Charleston. On the opening of the Panama Canal the prin- 

 cipal steamship lines announced a rate of 30c per hundred 

 pounds on canned fish, fruits and vegetables from the Pa- 

 cific Coast to Charleston, which was just fifty per cent 

 of the rate assessed in former years. This material re- 

 duction in rate has enabled Charleston distributors to 

 operate in a much larger territory than has heretofore 

 been possible, and much business destined to such states 

 as Tennessee, Kentucky. Alabama, etc., which formerly 

 moved all-rail, is now moving through this port. The ton- 

 nage via Charleston should increase from year to year, as 

 some of the interior jobbers have yet to realize the great 

 advantages of the Panama-Charleston route. 



The American-Hawaiian Steamship Company has, dur- 

 ing the first three months of this season, already sent three 

 cargoes direct to Charleston, with another enroute, and 

 several others scheduled after the New Year. The Ameri- 

 can-Hawaiian Steamship Company will alone handle over 

 500,000 packages of Pacific Coast products through Char- 

 leston from the 1914 outturn, and as the Atlantic and Pa- 

 cific Steamship Company and the Luckenback Steamship 

 Company have both sent boats into Charleston since the 

 opening of the canal, with further sailings contemplated, 

 there will undoubtedly he distributed through this port 

 this season in the neighborhood of three-quarters of a 

 million packages of Canned Salmon, canned fruits, canned 

 vegetables, beans, etc. The enormous increase in business 

 has encouraged new warehousing and reforwarding com- 

 panies and Charleston is well prepared to look after these 

 features of the movement. 



As stated above, business in the South at the present is 

 at a practical standstill, for the extremely low price of 

 cotton, which is the basis of the South's prosperity, has 

 brought about a stringent money situation that has tem- 

 porarily "clogged the wheels of ci nerce." We believe, 



however, there will be a decided improvement after the 

 opening of the New Year and, with easier money and a 

 better cotton market, we anticipate a good demand for 

 Canned Salmon, as well as other food products, for stocks 

 with brokers, jobbers and retailers are not nearly normal 

 and must soon be replenished. 



B. F. STONE. 



Review of conditions surrounding the marketing of salm- 

 on in tins and tierces, output of 1914, is somewhat inter- 

 esting, in view of abnormal conditions existing since the 

 first of August last. 



Early indications pointed toward a satisfactory market 

 in the United States, as was evidenced by the clearance 

 of the entire output of fancy spring Columbia river pack- 

 ing, all of which was marketed and the greater portion 

 shipped prior to the declaration of war. 



In this country most stringent conditions as to pur- 

 chases were evident throughout the Southern states, con- 

 sequent upon the low price of cotton, which during the 

 depression immediately after declaration of war sold as 

 low as 7%c in New York; in fact, during November, May 

 deliveries were sold at 8c per pound, delivered in New 

 York, seller incurring freight and carrying charges, neces- 

 sitating purchase price of about 6c per pound to insure 

 profit. Market has advanced materially under exports and 

 a marked increased demand in this country. 



That buyers of salmon in the Southern states are in 

 comparatively normal condition at present is evidenced 

 through large purchases of Chum salmon recently at 65c 

 f.o.b. coast. 



For the purpose of aiding holders of cotton in the South, 

 bankers of several sections formed a pool, contributing in 

 the aggregate $135,000,000, which was offered to holders of 

 cotton on a loaning basis of 6c per pound, interest at 6 

 per cent. Only about $40,000,000 of this amount has been 

 loaned. 



Theoretically, salmon, from the standpoint of food pro- 

 ducts, should be in demand at full prices. Practically, the 

 reverse is true. 



Stocks on this coast without doubt were heavier on the 

 first of January last, than at any time in the history of the 

 business at that date, and with the exception of movement 

 of a large quantity of Chums, shipments have been desul- 



