Page:The Pacific Monthly volumes 1-3.djvu/565



Vol. II.

ALMON packing, or canning, has been a large industry for a number of years. It began about thirty years ago, and rapidly ran up to a bonanza business. The profits were very great. Price of canned goods was high, and that of raw fish low, leaving to the canner large returns on his investment. At first fish cost but fifteen cents apiece; then twenty-five cents was the ruling price for some time.

The heavy pack, however, — in 1886 it reached 630,000 cases, of 48 1-lb cans each, — led to a diminished supply of fish, and to a consequent higher and higher price for the raw article. The price rose to a dollar per fish and in some cases as high as a dollar and a quarter, but was not obtained without strikes and trouble. The matter was finally adjusted on a bas- is of five cents per pound for raw fish. This was not done without sacrifice to the canners, as the price of raw fish was going up while the pnee of canned goods was, through competition from British Columbia and Alaska, coming down, and the Columbia river supply was also falling short. The pack soon fell to about one-half that of '86.

In 1896, in consequence, a combina- tion was made among the cannerymen, and it was agreed by them to reduce the price to four cents per pound for raw fish. ' This was resented by the fishermen, who complained that it was a violation of the agreement, and that the canners gave them no notification of a reduction until .after all preparations for fishing had

been made, and many of the fishermen had gone in debt for twine, etc., for mak- ing nets. A strike was therefore order- ed, which lasted two months and a half of the fishing season. There was some violence reported on the river, and final- ly, at the solicitation of the county judge and the mayor, who believed local au- thority insufficient, the state militia were brought to the city. This led to an agreement between canners and fisher- men, on a basis of four and a half cents, and operations were resumed.

However, it was apparent to the fish- ermen that in view of the combination of the cannerymen, and, as they believed, the partiality of the authorities, it would be impossible to hold up prices by strikes which in any case were costly, and might lead to a violence for which they did not wish to be responsible.

It was decided, therefore, by the lead- ers of the Union to establish a co-opera- tive cannery. It was not presumed that the profits to the fishermen would be ma- terially greater than before, but they felt that they would, at least, know practical- ly what proportion of proceeds should go to the fishermen. They believed, further- more, that by offering a reasonable price they could prevent the canners from reducing it below genuine business necessity.

The cannery was accordingly built, and was ready for operation in 1897. It cost $30,000, all of which was subscribed by 200 fishermen. Much of the actual work cf building was also done by the fisher-