of the Fishery Board for Scotland, 



31 



factory can be kept in commission all the year round it must perforce 

 be largely dependent upon casual labour, and must be located in con- 

 sequence in or near some large industrial centre. If it is situated in a 

 sparsely populated neighbourhood the necessary labour has to be im- 

 ported, and paid for whether the factory is working or not, and it becomes 

 doubly necessary so to organise the business as to keep the factory work- 

 ing as regularly and continuously as possible. The absence of trained 

 labour in any district need not be a deterrent, as unskilled females may 

 be quickly and efficiently trained in the processes of fish canning. 



Adequate connection by rail or steamer with other centres is essential, 

 for although, canned fish not being perishable, dispatch in placing the 

 goods on the market is not all-important as in the case of fresh fish, 

 speedy transit is a basic factor when it becomes necessary to obtain fish 

 from other districts to augment the local supply. 



In considering what localities offer the best prospects of success for 

 any new enterprise, all of these factors would have to be taken into con- 

 sideration. There is ample room for expansion at the East Coast centres 

 of Aberdeen, Peterhead, and Fraserburgh, where all the conditions are 

 suitable and the industry is already well established, and Shetland, where 

 large schemes of development are afoot, also appears to offer a favourable 

 field. On the West Coast, Mallaig, where good supplies of herrings, white- 

 fish, and crabs are available, would be a suitable centre if the difficulties as 

 to housing and labour supply could be overcome. The Clyde also appears 

 to be well worth consideration in this connection. 



The foregoing remarks do not, of course, do more than outline the 

 subject. Their intention is not to present a cut-and-dried scheme, but 

 merely to suggest broadly to any one who may contemplate embarking 

 on this branch of the fishing industry the factors which have to be taken 

 into consideration. The suitability of any given locality and the pros- 

 pects of success therein could naturally only be decided upon after 

 detailed investigation on the spot. 



