THE COD AND COD-FISHERY 317 



and has reached as high for Labrador fish as $4 and even 

 $4.20 per quintal, that for shore or Newfoundland fish 

 having reached an average of $5.30. This difference in 

 price needs explanation. It arises from the fact that cer- 

 tain markets prefer the fish drier and harder salted than do 

 other markets. In Labrador the fine days for drying fish are 

 rare after the fishery is over; it is, therefore, better to 

 ship the fish damper, or, as people say, "with only a day's 

 sun," rather than wait perhaps weeks to be able to dry 

 the fish hard. There is, however, one other alternative, 

 and that is to take the fish south "green" or unwashed in 

 salt, and finish the cure in Newfoundland. If a man has 

 few fish and plenty of help, he can thus employ himself 

 at a remunerative wage to raise the value of his Labrador 

 catch to that of shore fish. But if he has much fish and 

 work to do on his little farm at home, or perhaps other 

 better "paying work," then he will ship direct from Labra- 

 dor. It must be remembered that drying the fish entails 

 loss of weight, and after all it may pay better to sell ten 

 quintals at $3.50 a quintal than dry the same fish to 

 eight quintals and sell at $4 or even $5 a quintal. More- 

 over, some of the schooners have so many "freighters" 

 and their gear to carry to and fro that they are unable to 

 take their fish to Newfoundland whether they would wish 

 it or not, while the merchants who have ordered steamers 

 or schooners to go to Labrador for loads are so anxious 

 for the fish to reach the markets early, that they will give 

 at times considerable bonuses over the price arranged by 

 the Chamber of Commerce. Last year men who refused 

 $3.60 spot cash in Labrador realized only $3 to $3.20 in 

 St. John's. 



