FISHERMEN AND FISHERIES. 291 



It may be taken as a fact that fishermen receive upon the 

 average the fair price for the article they supply ; and, as a 

 further fact, that consumers pay enormously over the value 

 of the fish, of the carriage, and of the risk combined. 



Whatever exceeds fair prime value, as in the fisherman's 

 hands, fair payment for carriage, and fair payment for risk 

 combined, is money wasted as between the fisherman and 

 the consumer ; and these two are, in fact, the only persons 

 for whom political economy, artificial circumstances being 

 laid aside, demands any consideration. 



Carriers deserve their due ; those who risk deserve their 

 due ; but, as they are both only means, they deserve profit 

 only in accordance with the services demanded of them, 

 and not upon the speculations they may voluntarily 

 undertake. 



The difficulty which the present generation is determined 

 to remove lies at neither end of the case. Fishermen catch 

 fish abundantly ; consumers are ever ready to buy ; the 

 excess money, after payment of fisherman's fair price, of 

 fair carriage, and of fair risk, is lost midway. 



For the sake of the industrious poor who lead wholesome 

 lives at sea in fishing ; for the sake of the industrious poor 

 who lead unwholesome lives in the atmosphere of large 

 cities, and equally with both for the sake of every class, 

 whether high or low, which is justified in refusing upon 

 principle to pay more than the fair value for each single 

 thing it buys, all unnecessary receptacles into which the 

 excess money falls should be closed. The excess money 

 will then be found to be divisible between the fisherman 

 and the consumer. As it was before stated that there is 

 every reason to believe that the fisherman receives his fair 

 price, the greater portion of the excess money will be found 

 to remain as a saving in the consumer's pocket. 



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