TRADERS SEEK GUARANTEE

Press, Volume LXXII, Issue 21908, 8 October 1936, Page 16

TRADERS SEEK GUARANTEE

TO THE EDITOR OF THE HESS. ' Sir, —The article under the caption, “Traders Seek Guarantee,” in your issue of October 3. certainly makes amusing reading to many .of us who were engaged in the construction of the South Island Main Trunk line before its cessation in 1931. The worker was engaged on the work during that period, and is now engaged on the continuation of the construction of this line. I am therefore well aware of what happened regarding the trading relations between the business people and the workmen. The article under review is most misleading; I shall not say it deliberately misleads but the statement that “traders to whom the men will come for stores have met twice,” etc., etc., as quoted in the article, is not true because one trader (who has established a grocery and general business only since the present work commenced) was ignored so far as this alleged conference is concerned. It is therefore reasonable to suggest that other portions of this report may be misleading. The report also misleads because it fails to state that a percentage of not less than 5 per cent, and over has always been added by the traders to the cost of the goods to recoup them for any bad debts that may occur. In the report, it is suggested that the traders approach the Hon. Minister for Public Works. Why make the naked accusation that the navvy is the only culprit so far as these traders are concerned? Why was it not suggested that the New Zealand Farmers’ Union be approached to aid the traders to collect large and long outstanding accounts already owing by many farmers large and small to these traders?

At this stage, I want to ask, if this trade with the railway construction workers is of so doubtful a characters, why is there such intense rivalry to secure it? So far as the suggestion to approach the Hon. Minister for Public Works is concerned, I should advise these traders to “get in early” as owing to the special prices already being charged for all commodities, the men in all the camps are already seriously considering sending a petition to the Hon. Minister asking that canteens be established and operated by the department. At this juncture the writer does not desire to comment upon the prices of commodities supplied, but has been asked by his mates to suggest that the traders themselves submit, for the information of your numerous readers, the prices already being charged to the “navvy” whom, in almost plain language, they term a "scaler„ M A publication of these

prices the navvy is forced to pay will astound you and all your readers. The silence of the traders will prove my case.—Yours, etc., BE JUST. October 7, ,1936.