(pilchards), mostly from Portugal (table 20), and the remainder consisted of pilchards not skinned or boned, also supplied mostly by

Portugal.

About one-seventh of the total volume of imports of sardines in oil in 1964-68 were valued at over 23 cents but not over 30 cents per pound. Such imports ordinarily sell in the U.S. market at comparable prices with Maine sardines; in recent years most of the imports within this value bracket have come from Canada (table 18).

Imports of sardines valued at not over 23 cents per pound have in the past 5 years accounted for about 6 percent of total imports of sardines in oil. Generally imported sardines in this value bracket also sell domestically in the same price range as Maine sardines. The United Kingdom, Norway, and Venezuela have been the principal sources of supply (table 17).

Relation of imports to duty reductions

Reductions in the rates of duty originally provided in the

Tariff Act of 1930 for sardines have not been uniform either in time or magnitude.

Sardines not in oil.--The rate of duty on sardines not in oil in containers weighing under 8 ounces each was at the concession level of 10 percent from August 1951 until January 1968. The annual volume of imports of such sardines during this period did not exceed 1 million pounds until 1962. It rose to about 4.5 million pounds in 1967 and to 6.8 million pounds in 1968.

As was shown above, most of the imports of sardines not in oil are in containers weighing 8 ounces but not over 15 pounds each. The rate of duty on this category has remained unchanged since August 1951. The volume of annual imports of such sardines since that time has shown substantial variations. It reached 22.2 million pounds in 1953, but remained substantially below that level until 1964. annual level of imports since 1964 has been 24.1 million pounds.

The average

Imports of sardines not in oil, in containers weighing over 15 pounds each have been sporadic and negligible despite two duty reductions.

Sardines in oil.--Among the several tariff classifications for in-oil sardines, imports have entered in significant volume only in the value brackets of over 23 cents per pound. The rate of duty of 15 percent ad valorem on such sardines valued over 23 cents, but not over 30 cents per pound has been in effect since July 1948, except for the Kennedy Round concessions on smoked sardines. This value bracket was not established until 1956. Annual imports since that time reached a high of 5.2 million pounds in 1962, declined to 1.8 million pounds in 1965, and rose to 4.2 million pounds in 1968.

The most significant category of sardines in oil is the one covering sardines valued over 30 cents per pound, not skinned. or boned. The duty on such imports was reduced by 50 percent in 1948. Further concessions were made in 1956 and in the Kennedy Round on imports of smoked sardines in this value bracket. Subsequent to the 1956 duty reductions, annual imports of smoked sardines in this

category reached a high of 17.1 million pounds in 1961, declined to 10.8 million pounds in 1964, and rose to 15.4 million pounds in 1968. Annual imports of unsmoked sardines in this value bracket, which have been dutiable at the same rate since 1948, irregularly declined from 3.3 million pounds in 1956 to 1 million pounds in 1968.

No reduction in duty had been made on imports of skinless and boneless sardines valued over 30 cents per pound until 1962 and 1963, when the duty was reduced in two stages from 30 percent to 24 percent ad valorem. Imports of such sardines have shown an upward trend and rose from 4.7 million pounds in 1964 to 5.9 million pounds in 1968.

Employment

Employment data for the Maine sardine canning industry in 1964-68

are shown in table 21.

Information on employment and man-hours worked

was obtained by questionnaire from 10 firms that supplied usable data for 16 plants; in 1968 these 16 plants accounted for about four-fifths of the total domestic output of sardines. Data on average number of employees for an additional seven plants that comprised the remainder of the Maine industry in 1964-68 were obtained from records of the U.S. Bureau of Commercial Fisheries.

A feature of the Maine sardine canning industry is that employment is not continuous throughout the year. Work in the canneries depends upon the availability of the raw fish and accordingly is sporadic. Maine packing plants are not equipped for freezing and storage of frozen fish. 1/ Because they are highly perishable, the fish must be processed within 24 to 48 hours after they have been brought to the packing plant. 2/ Under these circumstances the packing activities of individual plants vary with the supply of fish from week to week and month to month. "Some years a plant may work but 60 days while this may increase to 100 to 150 days the next year." 3/ As a rule peak employment in sardine packing plants is afforded from July through October of each year. In all other months the plants may be wholly or partially idle.

1/ Transcript of hearing, p. 106.

2/ Ibid., p. 297.

3/ Ibid., p. 87.

Like the Maine production of sardines, the number of employees increased over the 5-year period. The average number of production and related workers (consisting predominantly of women) engaged in the canning of sardines rose from 986 in 1964 to 1,584 in 1968 or by 61 percent. During the same period man-hours of production and related workers of the 16 plants more than doubled from 807,000 in 1964 to 1.7 million in 1968.