FISH FOR SYDNEY.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXVII, Issue 2484, 24 April 1909, Page 3

FISH FOR SYDNEY.

GOOD DEWAND FOR OCEAN PRODUCTS. INTERVIEW WITH "MR J. MILESI. “New Zealand Mias a good name for fish,” said Mr J* Milesi, .manager of the Wellington Fishermen’s Company, who has recently returned from Sydney, where he had" successfully endeavored to push theidoor of trade a little further open. Speaking to a '"Dominion"’ representative he said that it seemed that for years past there had been n. demand for New Zealand fish, but this demand had not.uicarly been met. To see if it were npit possible to open up a more extensive trade, be went to Sydney on a steamer that carried 15} tons of good schnajipor and liapuka. Soon after his arrival there he met Mr Montgomery, the ggent of the New Zealand Tourist Department, who offered to do anything in his power to forward the object of his mission, and went as far as to place at his disposal one of the windows of the office for the display of New Zealand smoked fish. Mr Milesi did not accept the offer, but he desired to express his gratitude to Mr Montgomery'for what he had done for him. “Our wharehou is not known in Sydney,” s.aid Mr Miles’, “and they had to "find out- what it was, so I took my coat off and auctioned some at the municipal markets in AVooloonjooloo. 1 got from 4d to 4}d per lb. (each wharehou weighs about 81b.), but off that had to come Id a pound duty and a . freight, besides cartage and freezing charges at Wellington, so what we got was about 2d per lb. I urns not .altogether satisfied, .so I tried a private market at Redfern, which I found was much better attended than the municipal markets, and there I was able to sell more fish. On my experience ther.fr X am quite confident that there is an open door for our surplus fish. “I also took across some liapuka, which closely resembles the Australian black cod, and as they did not know the Maori-named fish, I sold it as black cod, and it realised fram ed to bd per lb. ' They know the New Zealand schnapper over there, but it real y never reaches the public. I sold the lot I took across. It brought bd pot lb 1 also had wharehou placed on the menus of the chief restaurants and hoX(,ic it was a good way of introducing the wharehou, which is really a sp.endixl fish for frying, baking, boiling, oi S,1 “I think there is a splendid market for our fish over there, and we can supply it at certain tunes. At present I could send over six . months supply of wharehou, and it is still In the past the men have said, M hat s the good of working-—there is no imuket for our fish.’ But it we could establish a good market, as I hope to do thev will he able to go to woik m good heart At present the expenses arc ve?v heavy. For instance there is a duty of Id per lb. on fish. Icrhaps the J Government could persuade the New South Wales Government to abolish or reduce to a minimum the dr) on fish not obtainable inAustrami waters. In addition to the Id duty "« have to pay }d per lb. fie-ght, gets into Sydney bearing a piett)■ hoaaj impost for such perishable Z°°f“l took over about Ip} tons of v> hat Pou the greater portion of vhich I sold’ It arrived there in splendid condition. thanks to the exceient f.i.e/ing accommodation provided Jhe Union Company. I 'hope mm to n »Lc re radar shipments every neck us as”the 1 supply lasts. There >s always a demand in Sydney for flounders, y and blue cod, but they are scarce cy • there, and wo c«i only S’vo them h,g f, s h One we might do well pith is hutterfish, but ihey don’t know it e ver there, and when they -see the h e bones they fancy the fish is sta.e; but I’ll tell von what they do eat over there that none will touch bere—lhe inkfish. I saw it served up at 2s pel a plate, and it- was beautiful. M e don t get many of them round Mcllmgton. hut what we do get are not sold. Sydney fish consists chiefly of bream, garfish, black cod, 11 a then d, and a soft kind of mu’let not nearly as good as the Now Zealand variety.” Mr- Milesi said iokingly in conclusion that tlie wharehou almost disappeared from its haunts when he left tor Sydney but on Wednesday morning when ho came into 'the- Strait the* catches hegan to grow again. The cablegram recently received from .Sydney to. the <ufeot that the City Council of that city had made arrangements to receive sup-, plies of Now Zealand frozen fisli was, as conjectured, the result of Mr Milcsi’s visit, and a quantity of fish will he auctioned at the municipal markets there the day the Wellington boat arrives (every Tuesday).