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Part III. — Seventh Annual Report 



4 packed, selected, and marked, so that, in buying, the purchaser is fully 



* certain of obtaining what he requires. A further complaint is made 

 4 against Scotch herrings that those sent over to this market are often not 

 'fully matured fish.' Mr Powell encloses an extract from one of the 

 principal retail herring merchants in Stettin, which supports the Consul's 

 statements in detail. It is as follows : — 



4 As to your questions, I have to answer that it is a fact that parti- 

 ' cularly Dutch herrings have been competing more and more successfully 

 1 with Scotch herrings, particularly in Saxony and all parts of Austria. 

 4 One reason particularly as to Austria, may be that the herrings from 

 4 Holland are brought at very cheap rates to the centre of Austria by the 

 4 Ehine and the Danube, but the principal reason is, that the selection of 

 ' the Dutch herrings has become very careful, that a certain number of 

 4 herrings packed in each barrel, giving a clear idea of the size buyers and 

 4 retailers have to expect, is warranted by the Dutch curers, and dealers. 

 1 This is not the case with Scotch herrings. Crownfull branded herrings 

 4 may have 600-800 herrings per barrel ; they ought never to have more 

 4 than 700-720, but the standard that the " Board of Fisheries " have given 

 4 to their officers for the size of Crownfull herrings is too low, and enables 

 4 curers to use the brand even for small full fish. If large full herrings 

 ' were kept distinct under the Crownfull brand, and all other full herrings 



* under the size 700-720 per barrel were packed together, perhaps under 



* anew " small full brand " containing 750-950 herrings, this would prove 

 4 a very successful competition against Dutch herrings that particularly 

 4 in Saxonia have gained much ground just by this size and selection, a 

 1 herring of this size and full being most in demand as a suitable fish for 

 4 the retailers at 5 pfennings a-piece. 



4 Scotch herrings have till now no such selection. Next to the Crown- 

 4 full brand with Scotch herrings comes the 4 Crown mattie ' brand, but this 

 4 brand gives just as little guarantee as to the size and number of herrings 

 4 as the Scotch 44 Crownfull " brand. 



4 We get Crown mattie herrings ; best individual selections of even the 

 4 most careful curers show only nearly all full fish, very seldom only full 

 4 fish, but mostly mixed with 44 spent " and small immature herrings that 

 4 have not yet any roe and milt, containing perhaps about 900-950 

 4 herrings ; but in the most frequent cases 44 Crown mattie " mixed with 

 4 small full fish spent, and very small immature herrings in the most different 

 4 proportions, contains 1,050,-1,120-1,200, and even more herrings per 

 4 barrel. A dealer in the interior buying Crown mattie herrings of Scotch 

 4 origin knows just as little what size of herrings he gets as a dealer buying 

 4 Scotch Crownfull branded herrings ; whilst buying Dutch herrings 

 4 he knows exactly that with buying 44 Superior " herrings he gets about 

 4 620-700; 44 Primer sortier " about 750-800 ; 44 Primer " about 850-900 ; 

 4 44 Small fulls " 950-1,000 real full fish. 



4 If your Government could induce Austria to reduce the very high duty 

 4 on herrings there, about 10 marks per barrel against 3 marks in Germany, 

 4 this would considerably improve the sale of herrings to Austria. Austria 

 4 would, by a greater importation, by-and-by, not sustain any loss, and 

 4 would provide to her poor population a better access to a very nourishing 

 4 and wholesome food.' 



15. Austria. — The imports of all sorts of herrings into Austria in 1887 

 amounted to about £150,000 in value, showing an increase over the 

 previous year of about £23,000. Cured herrings are nearly all Scotch, 

 and reach Austria via Stettin. ISTo direct trade exists with Scotland for 

 the reason that the Stettin merchants draw at three months' date on their 

 customers in Austria, while Scotch exporters require a banker's credit in 

 England, which mode of payment is too expensive. Endeavours to intro- 



