On motion of Hon. J. D. Hazen (Minister of Marine and Fisheries), the House went into Committee to consider the following proposed resolution, Mr. Blondin in the Chair:
Resolved, that it is expedient to provide for the inspection and branding of pickled fish, for the appointment of inspectors and the making of regulations, the nature of brands and the capacity of barrels, and penalties for infraction of the regulations.
Mt. HAZEN. The purpose of this resolution and the Bill which is to be founded on it is to give an impetus to the pickled fish industry throughout Canada, more especially the pickled herring business. At the present time, herring put np in Scotland and other parts of the world -sell for prices far in advance of the prices that are obtained for herrings and other fish pickled in Canada. It is believed that this is due entirely to the absence of proper methods in pickling this fish in Canada, because the fish that are taken in Canadian waters are quite equal to those taken in Scotland or anywhere else. Scotch herrings bring a price of $10 a barrel as against $3.50 a barrel obtained for Canadian herrings. The object is to provide for a proper system of inspection so that fish put up in a certain way will bear the hallmark, as it were, of the Canadian inspector, and people buying this fish will know that proper inspection of it has taken place.
