10 Appendices to Thirty-seventh Annual Report 



to become bigger customers of this country, and the repeal of the duty 

 on timber (which reduced the cost of the barrel) further assisted in 

 the process of development, until in 1913 the quantity exported had 

 reached a total of 1,400,000 barrels. 



Of the total Scottish herring catch in pre-war days only about 

 15 per cent, was consumed in this country in a fresh state or as kippers, 

 etc. Practically the whole balance was pickled, and the home con- 

 sumption of the pickled article was negligible, the great bulkjbeing 

 exported as stated above. 



Some idea of the importance of the herring pickling industry in 

 Scotland, from the point of view of the labour employed, may be 

 gathered when it is stated that in 1913 nearly 38,000 men and women 

 were engaged either as coopers, gutters, packers, seamen on carrying 

 vessels, labourers, carters, or otherwise, and that of this total nearly 

 13,000 consisted of women employed solely in the gutting of herrings, 

 whose total earnings for the' year were computed to exceed £318,000, 

 or an average per woman of[£25. ; | In one district the women workers 

 had the unique experience of actually bringing home more money 

 than the value of the fish landed in the district during the whole year. 



Apart from herrings, the quantity of fish cured for preserva- 

 tion for lengthened periods is comparatively small. The principal 

 kinds of round fish, such as cod, haddocks, ling, tusk, and saithe, if 

 cured, are usually dried or smoked, and an appreciable proportion of 

 them is exported to the British Colonies and South America. The 

 trade in these fish had been largely developed in the decade im- 

 mediately before the outbreak of war, and it appears to have been a 

 most thriving one. As in the case of herrings, the proper organisation 

 of the channels of distribution is mainly responsible for this develop- 

 ment, and so far as can be seen neither the herring export trade nor 

 that of the white fish export is in need of any State aid for the purpose 

 of re-establishment. 



(b) Prospects. — It is true that Germany was a large customer for 

 pickled herrings, but latterly a considerable proportion of the quantity 

 exported to German ports was subsequently conveyed to Kussia and 

 disposed of in that country, and it is fully expected that in future 

 the Kussian demands will absorb all the pickled herrings produced 

 in this country without any difficulty, provided the economic and 

 poli ical troubles now prevailing can be solved. The great drawback 

 to distribution in Russia is the lack of proper railway and other means 

 of transit, and there is much more room for improvement in this 

 respect in that country than in almost any other. It is to be feared 

 that any attempt to induce the Russian Government to reduce the 

 Russian tariff on herrings will fail, but there may be some prospect 

 of inducing that Government to change the basis of taxation by sub- 

 stituting an ad valorem rate instead of a rate per barrel. Encourage- 

 ment should also be given to the direct exportation to Russian ports 

 instead of via German ports, especially as an ice-free port on the 

 northern coast of Russia is now available for shipping purposes. 



There is little doubt that there is room for improvement in the 

 methods of preserving fish, and it is suggested that funds should be 

 provided to enable an exhaustive enquiry to be made into the subject. 



It is also suggested that it would be of considerable benefit to 

 the trade if an official were appointed to pay periodical visits to 



