BULLETIN OF THE UNITED STATES FISH COMMISSION. 183 
up by certain wealthy weir fishermen of Deer Island, who, seeing their 
profits curtailed by the fixing of a uniform price for their fish, put up 
a factory near Eastport and began independent operations. This fac- 
tory, refusing to enter the combination, and paying for the fish more 
than the price fixed by the exchange, caused the other factories to 
break their agreement and renew the competition. As the run ap- 
peared to be light, they bought at exceedingly high figures, but the 
supply of fish kept up all summer and the business suffered from over 
production. 
There is some foreign trade, the American factories supplying Canada 
and shipping 6,000 cases a year to South America. The brand most 
commonly placed upon the Canadian market is the half-pound can of 
sardines in mustard, as the duty is proportionately much less than that 
upon the quarter oils. Several lots have been sent to Australia, but 
the last shipment resulted in loss on account of the serious competition 
of the. English sprat sardines, which prevented further exportation to 
that country. The business of preparing sprats in the form of sardines 
began in England three years ago. The headquarters of the business 
were in the vicinity of Dover. Several thousand cases of this variety 
of sardines were sent to the United States a year or two ago, while the 
price of the American product was comparatively high ; but the Ameri- 
can firms fear no further competition from this source as long a® they 
are able to place their goods upon the market at anything like the 
present figure. With the existing tariff it is impossible to import the 
British sardines at a cost of less than $7.75 per case, while chose of 
American preparation are offered in London at 19s., equivalent to $4.60. 
The French sardines are unquestionably superior to the best which we 
have thus far produced, but the price is so much higher that the Ameri- 
can article is usually preferred. 
Dependence of Eastport and Surrounding Country on the 
Sardine Industry.— All of the large amount of money required for 
carrying on the sardine business of Eastport, with the exception of that 
used in the purchase of tin, solder, and boxes, is expended locally, going 
either to the residents of the town or to the neighboring islands. Since 
the development of this industry the population of Eastport has in- 
creased 50 per cent., notwithstanding the failure of other means of 
livelihood which had formerly been the principal dependence of the 
inhabitants ; and the Calais trade is visibly affected by the prosperity 
of the factories. 
The Canadian islands and shores within a wide radius of territory 
depend entirely upon the canneries on the American side. The people 
give most of their attention to fishing for the small herring with which 
to supply the factories ; and their children are employed as factory- 
hands for eight months out of the twelve. The “sardiners” as a rule 
spend their money as fast as they earn it, so that probably not 10 per 
cent, of the total amount which they receive in wages goes back to the 
islands with them in the fall. 
