Sydney Morning Herald (NSW : 1842 - 1954), Wednesday 19 March 1924, page 12


THE TRAWLERS, p

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Private Enterprise

Succeeds.

PROFITABLE INDUSTRY.

Despite the accumulated losses of £300,000 suffered by the State trawling industry, private enterprise during the past seven or eight months has established the industry on a profitable and flourishing footing.

A representative of the original trawling syndicate that purchased the Koraaga said yesterday: "We started with everything against us. State administration had muddled every path we wanted to take. We were told that people would not eat trawled fish. We were told that trawled fish could not be landed fresh. We were told we should not make our running expenses. To-day we are doing everything that the State industry attempted, and are making it pay. We have put the trawling industry firmly on its feet. We started off with no better equipment than the State, and with handicaps imposed on us by the State. But throughout we had the advantages of business administration and of cleanliness. As for the profits to be made, take our own case. Our profits have long since repaid us the cost of our trawler. We have just floated ourselves into a company, with a capital of £20,000. We are looking round now in Scotland for a second trawler. We have only begun to show the possibilities of the industry. There are further big developments to come."

Last July a syndicate bought the trawler Koraaga, the largest of the State's fleet, manned her with a trawler trained crew, and sent her out on a cruise. From the start they had no fear for the failure of fishing grounds. This optimism was shared by the respective owners of the Goonambee, Goorangal, and Durronbee, which was also purchased from the State, soon afterwards joined the Koranga In competition for the public custom. One trawler Is stated by its owners to have brought in 13,000 boxes of flathead in the past seven months.

The Koraaga's recent haul of 800 boxes Is claimed as a record for Australian waters.

Arrangements were made for the landing of fish at the markets in as fresh a condition as possible. Voyages were cut short; bonus systems were introduced, which made it worth while for the crews to see that no damage was done in the stowage or unloading of their hauls. Unnecessary handling was obviated by all discoverable devices. On arrival in port, supplies were directly transferred

to the market.

Then the trawler owners introduced systems of grading which guaranteed the dealer the exact GIBBS of fish he would secure, One or two of the more scrupulous forced a system of idenlilcatlon on agents, by which buyers could tell from what trawler their fish had come, to hold the Individual owner, rather than the whole Industry, responsible for any defects. At

the same time the trawler owners opened up other lines of business. With four trawlers operating, and a bigger weekly average of Uah being brought to port than in the most glutted days of the State system, it was obvious that the municipal market could not clear all supplies. Successful search was made for other avenues of distribution, One owner set out to test the possibilities of country sales. To-day he is occasionally forced to buy from other trawlers to satisfy his country orders, and is making unexpected profits, despite the heavy package expenses necessitated by the absence of refrigerating cars from the railways.

The syndicate controlling a second trawler decided to open up shops in which they might offer the fish directly to the public. At the outset they found little demand for the trawled product, but lately It has become increasingly popular. Their shops are now numerous, and they find it profitable to offer trawled flathead at' a fixed price of 70 per lb, well below that ruling in the days of the State industry. The same interests recently, after a three months' trial leased a smoking plant for a period of years and are attempt-ing to revive this second State-owned industry. Australian fish, they say, Is wellfitted for smoking and should dispute the local markets with Scottish supplies.

Proprietors of remaining trawlers have secured heavy contract business with hotels, shipping firms, and other big buyers of fish. They have found outlets In cookshops for supplies bruised in handling, or torn while in the net by the frequent attacks of the leather-jacket. The owners estimate that they will rarely need to store fish. Distribution has been well organised