AWARD OF THE FISHERY COMMISSION. , 2763 



inces which chances to be reinspected! A. lam not certain whether 

 that covers reinspected mackerel or not, but I think it does. 



Q. The statistics of Maine are in pretty poor shape, I believe ? A. I 

 don't know much about them. I only approximate to the catch of 

 Maine. 



Q. I want to see what your estimate was how many barrels. The 

 quantity varies greatly from year to year ? A. Yes. 



Q. Immensely? A. Yes. 



Q. So it is a difficult thing to make an average of? A. Yes; dhe 

 year it was as low as 100,000 barrels, and another as high as 340,000 

 barrels. 



Q. What was the average? A. I think I said 210,000 or 250,000 

 barrels. 



Q. What did you estimate that to be the quantity inspected in Mas- 

 sachusetts ? A. The Massachusetts inspection. 



Q. Then there would be the Maine inspection ? A. Yes. 



Q. Can you estimate that? A. Maine has been falling off greatly for 

 the last 10 or 15 years, and they have carried on the business much less 

 extensively than formerly. A great many Maine vessels make their 

 headquarters at Boston and pack out there. 



Q. The whole business is centering in Gloucester ? A. Yes. 



Q. And other fishing towns are dying out? A. Yes; the Maine towns 

 particularly have been dying for 20 years. 



Q. So that the salt-mackerel business is concentrating in Gloucester? 

 A. Yes. 



Q. You say that 225,000 or 230,000 is the Massachusetts inspection ; 

 I don't know whether you could hazard an estimate for Maine ? A. I 

 could not. 



Q. You know, generally, whether it is 10,000 or 50,000 barrels? A. 

 It would be more than 10,000 barrels; Portland alone would be more 

 than 10,000. I would sooner say it would be 40,000 or 50,000 barrels. 



Q. Those quantities together make 270,000 or 275,000 barrels. In 

 addition to those there is what comes from the provinces, the British 

 catch ; what do you estimate the British catch to be ? A. The average 

 British catch? 



Q. Yes. A. I should say from 70,000 to 80,000 barrels. 



Q. And of that how much comes to the States? - A. I should say 

 more than three-fourths. 



Q. To what port does that chiefly come? A. Boston takes, I think, 

 the greater portion ; New York, of late years, has taken more than for- 

 merly. 



Q. Can you make an estimate of the quantity taken by New York ? 

 A. No ; but 1 know a good many more go to New York than formerly. 



Q. Those are about the only places? A. Yes; I don't know but that 

 some go to Philadelphia not a great many. 



Q. You were asked with regard to your knowledge as to the quantity 

 of fish consumed upon the island ; Mr. Howlaud is the gentleman who 

 makes up statistics there ? A. I cannot say. 



Q. He estimates, I see, on page 77 of the British evidence, that there 

 are 15 per cent, of the mackerel sold to go off the island that do not get 

 into the exports ; so his estimate would be that there are $92,000 worth 

 of mackerel that goes off the island. What do you say to that ? A. 

 He makes that up for one year, does he not? 



Q. Yes. He was going on the basis of 1876, and was correcting offi- 

 cial statistics ? A. 1 should think that was not very much out of the 

 way. 



