CHAPTER VIII. 

 CANNING AND PRESERVING. 



Comparison with earlier canvasses. The earliest 

 year for which separate statistics of the industries of 

 canning and preserving fish and oysters are available 

 is 1870. At the census for that year there were 

 reported under the heads " Fish, cured and packed" 

 and "Oysters, canned," 92 establishments which em- 

 ployed in all 2,441 persons and had a combined capital 

 of $966,000 and products valued at $3,064,000. No 

 figures are obtainable for 1880, as the reports for the 

 canning and preserving of fish and oysters in that year 

 Were included with the reports of other industries. 

 The following table presents a comparative summary 

 of the statistics of establishments engaged in canning 

 and preserving fish and oysters in the United States, 

 exclusive of Alaska, as returned at the censuses of 

 manufactures in 1890, 1900, and 1905, and the census 



of fisheries in 1908. The figures obtained at the cen- 

 suses of manufactures represent industries classified 

 under the head of "Canning and preserving, fish," 

 and "Canning and preserving, oysters." 



Fishery products are preserved to some extent in 

 establishments engaged primarily in the manufacture 

 of other products. It is also true that, in the censuses 

 of manufactures, products other than those of the 

 fisheries are included with industries classified as 

 "Canning and preserving, fish" and "Canning and pre- 

 serving, oysters." In the census of fisheries for 1908, 

 reports were secured covering only that part of the 

 operations of those establishments which pertained 

 to the fisheries. For these reasons the figures for 

 1908 are not strictly comparable with those for prior 

 years. 



i Exclusive of the canneries and salteries of Alaska, for statistics of which see Report of the Bureau of Fisheries, Doc. No. 645. 



' Decrease. 



Not including proprietors and firm members except in 1890 when they were not reported separately. 



Not reported separately. 



In the number of establishments and in the value 

 of products there were increases during each period. 

 From 1905 to 1908 the former increased 82 per cent 

 and the latter 20 per cent. The apparent decreases 

 from 1900 to 1905 in the number of wage-earners and 

 in wages may be attributed to a difference in the 

 methods used at the two censuses for reporting con- 

 tract labor, which is extensively employed, especially 

 in the salmon canneries. In 1900 contract employees 

 were reported as wage-earners, while in 1905 and in 

 1908 their number was not reported, the wage item 

 being included under the head of "Miscellaneous ex- 

 penses" in 1905 and under the head of "Cost of ma- 

 terial" in 1908. From 1905 to 1908 the number of 

 wage-earners increased 81 per cent, but in the amount 

 (280) 



of wages paid the increase was only 50 per cent. In 

 capital invested there was a decrease of $4,516,000 

 from 1900 to 1905, which resulted principally from a 

 loss of $6,312,000 in Maine, apparently due to a re- 

 organization of some of the larger establishments, and 

 a loss of $1,012,000 in Oregon. From 1905 to 1908 the 

 amount of capital increased 98 per cent. The invest- 

 ment of 1908 represents an outlay of $3,417,000 for 

 land, $10,288,000 for buildings, and cash amounting 

 to $10,420,000. 



Statistics, by geographic divisions. The table fol- 

 lowing shows, for the principal items of the statistics, 

 the distribution by geographic divisions. These divi- 

 sions correspond with those which appear in the pre- 

 ceding chapters on fishery products. 



