308 SEA FISHERIES 



on the railways ; there are also refrigerating establish- 

 ments at Bizerte, Mahdia, and Biban ; there is also the 

 Maison Habert at Versailles to mention only one such 

 establishment ; and the Bourse de Commerce of Paris has 

 cooling chambers. But the industry is in a very pre- 

 carious condition as compared with what we see in other 

 countries. In France the accumulation of stock, and 

 therefore the equalisation of prices, is almost impossible. 

 If fishing is slack the sales are contemptible. But never 

 think that frozen fish is " fit for nothing," as people too 

 often repeat. Its comestible value is precisely what it 

 was at the moment when it was frozen. If fresh then, 

 it will be perfectly fresh five or six months later. 



Now let us proceed to certain data of an economic 

 order, which may obviously be imputed to the intro- 

 duction of power. In the large ports, such as Boulogne 

 and Arcachon, the number of inscripts has increased. In 

 1891 there were 3,105 in Boulogne ; in 1900, 3,378 ; in 

 1906, 4,751. They are never out of work. Boat-building 

 yards and repairing yards have been built. Rope and 

 line and net factories have rapidly multiplied. Various 

 factories have sprung up which make large quantities of 

 fish manure from refuse. The introduction of steam- 

 trawling has resulted in the creation of limited and other 

 companies. According to the Annual of the "Comit 

 central des Armateurs de France," there were more than 

 twenty at the end of 1907 a very small number, since 

 the port of Hull alone contains thirty-two. The working 

 capital is usually small, as is the number of vessels owned 

 by each company, and their tonnage. Steam fishery 

 companies are still almost a rarity in France, and are 

 also a matter of yesterday. 1 Private owners, or owners 



1 Year by year the budget of the German Empire provides for 

 certain sums employed to subsidise the German fisheries, which have 



