1 



Part I. — Twenty-fifth Annual Rep<y) % t 



Export to 

 Russia. 



District 

 Returns. 



Duty. 



Export to 

 Germany and 

 Russia. 



The export to Russian ports reached 424,200| barrels, as com- 

 pared with 430,554^ barrels in 1905, the import being divided 

 between Libau (183,444! barrels), St. Petersburg (157,872), Riga 

 (36,159), and Wyborg (25,755|), Smaller quantities were consigned 

 to Port Baltic, Revel, Odessa, and Helsingfors. All the ports except 

 Revel show increases in the shipments, the greatest improvement 

 being observable in the case of St. Petersburg (51,656) and Libau 

 (29,587 barrels). This improvement was due almost entirely to the 

 diversion of the imports formerly ci edited to Archangel to the 

 Baltic ports. In 1904 and 1905 large consignments of Scottish- 

 cured herrings were sent to Archangel because they were admitted 

 free of duty (13s. a barrel) if carried in Russian ships. An extensive 

 trade at once sprang up with places hitherto supplied through Baltic 

 ports, but the dealers from the latter made representations to the 

 Russian Government on the subject, and the concession was with- 

 drawn last year, with the result that not a single barrel was shipped 

 to Archangel. Another interesting feature of the returns is the 

 appearance of Odessa among the receiving ports for the first time 

 for many years. The Russian herring trade is exploited principally 

 by Jewish firms, and their enterprise and perseverance account 

 largely for the opening up of new markets in the interior for 

 Scottish-cured herrings. 



At Konigsberg there there are from 25 to 30 herring agents 

 (apart from seven herring importers), and nearly all of these are 

 Russian Jews. 



Although the port of Libau supplies many of the Courland dis- 

 tricts, a large business is also done with Southern Russia. While 

 visiting the herring stores there the Assistant Inspector met two 

 buyers — one a woman from near Moscow who was desirous of 

 buying 600 barrels, and the other a man from Rostow who required 

 65. The freight and duty alone to Moscow was 20s. a barrel, while 

 that to Rostow was 24s. 



The principal districts exporting to Europe were Shetland 

 (472,954 barrels), Leith (323,412)', Fraserburgh (185,136), and 

 Peterhead (153,836). The exports from Leith and Glasgow con- 

 sisted almost entirely of herrings cured in other districts. 



The duty on cured herrings sent to Germany is 3s. per barrel and 

 to Russia 13s. per barrel, but the marked difference does not seem to 

 retard the development of the trade with the latter country. The 

 following Table gives the exports from Scotland to Germany and 

 Russia since 1897, viz.: — 



