Archief - Hawes and Company (London) Ltd. fonds

Hawes and Company (London) Ltd. was incorporated in 1922 as an agency and brokerage company for the sale of Newfoundland salt fish in European markets. Its function was assumed by the Newfoundland Associated Fish Exporters Limited (NAFEL) in 1947.

The mandate of Hawes and Co. was to act as agent for Newfoundland salt fish exports, financing shipments of fish, managing the banking end of the trade, and centralizing market statistics. Hawes and Co. signed contracts with Newfoundland fish exporters which gave the company the exclusive right to sell, market and handle all salt fish exported from Newfoundland to any European country. As agent, the company was delegated responsibility to investigate, settle, and deal with all claims, rejections or disputes arising from sales made by shippers to the European markets.

Hawes and Co. began marketing Newfoundland fish in 1919 when it was granted a franchise to deal with Italian buyers. George Hawes, a principal in the company, was requested by a group of Newfoundland exporters to establish an organization for marketing fish in other European markets, modeled on an organization which marketed fish in Spain. In 1922, Hawes and Co.(London) Ltd. was established to deal with all the European markets.

In 1926, Hawes Newfoundland Limited was established, but it was dissolved in 1932. Until 1947, Hawes conducted business in Newfoundland through agent George Lewis, as a branch of Hawes and Co. (London) Ltd. In 1947, the Newfoundland Association of Fish Exporters Limited (NAFEL) became the central marketing agency for salt cod, replacing Hawes and C. (London) Ltd.