A SOFT DRINKS RING.

NZ Truth, Issue 62, 25 August 1906, Page 4

A SOFT DRINKS RING.

About the most impudent attempt at boycotting a business man, on the part "of his competitors m trade, that has come under the notice of "Truth" is that which is being, engineered m liquor circles just now, and which— very unaccountably— the Licensed Victuallers' Association has pushed a big red first into. It appears that a new firm of manufacturers of soft drinks, or aerated waters has ' come into existence and has not only refused to join ttie ling that has hitherto controlled prices, to the detriment of the public, but .aas voluntarily cut those prices down; Any sane person would think thai the people who would most &mky welcome a reduction m nrices wouljd be the Lioensed -for it would be "all to the' good" for them, as they would not reduce the pr-ice ql drinks to the public m .consequence, What then must be the surmise! when the Licensed Victuallers' Association^ is actually strongly idepreeating> the innovation and all publicans m- the city are being circularised, corfye^ingthe statement that after mature-con-sideration, the committeeKyfofc the Licensed Victualler's Associatipn: hap, resolved that a letter shall; be. sent, "pointing out the unfairness:-' to-, tbese : old firms and disapproving of< tjie ; suggested cutting of p^iQ^s.V ajid? trusting that Bung generally wjjij "fall m with this reQdmmend&tiqiV. and not support any nety fi£Qi Wih-% refuse to join the Association, and; then deliberately reduce the. pfcice. of; the goods, which mu^t r be. to. tbe- : detriment Of the, worker^ -and tend-. to lower their w^ges, and; ijiignt eventually reflect discreditably^ .on ; the hotelkeepers who "support such, firms m question." This is about, the hottest thing, "in bpyoott, "that ever was engineered outsi'd^: of- Ire-r, land or a Yankee" trUst, and it,, is a, disp-race to the Licensed Victuallers' Association that it should, haye T 'tak en up the matter ; hi, . ! the 'ihtejests. of " these old firms ".; eyid^ntly, old crusted firms, ' which have, had^ a iscandalous agreeiheht that' is., mufih more likely to mßj.tate "to. the det-. riment of tire Workers" than, any business-like cuttine; could dp." The suggestion about wages won't hold water. The cuttine firm will have" to pay scale wages, for *fW simple rea^ son that it can't help; itself even it inclined to sweat its : employees— which there is nothing ' to. "show, it

has any intention of doing— as the law will take all sorts of fine care that scale waces are paid. As an additional inducement to deal only with the ring and boycott the new firm, it> is pointed out by the Licensed Victuallers' Association that "the old established firms have always worked m our interests at the local option poll." And why not ? Are not their own interests identical with those of Bung? Most certainly they are, and so no' credit is due to the old established firms for that attitude. Really, it seems surprising that the Licensed -Victuallers' Association should deem it wise to take up the cudgels for a ring and help the ring to out a new competitor m a fair competition for trade. Besides all this, it is a distinct breach of the law, , and Bung will be wise to accept this straight tip to that effect.