THE THRASHING MONOPOLY AT KAIHIKU.

Clutha Leader, Volume II, Issue 82, 3 February 1876, Page 5

THE THRASHING MONOPOLY AT KAIHIKU.

TO THE, EDITOR. Sir, — I notice by a paragraph in your issue of 27th January, that a pub* he meeting- was held at Kaihiku lately* purporting to have foi its object the reduction of the usual charges made foi* thrashing throughout the district. At the meeting it was proposed to ' call on Mr Hay and give him the first •• offer at the reduced charge, viz., 10s per 100 bushels, because he was a local man. But why give Mr Hay the first chance, seeing ttiere is another ' mill in the district, and owned by localmem - The mill I allude to "is owned by Messrs Oraigan and Strachan, and is well known to be a very superior mill> which was amply proved last year by the quantity and quality of the work done by it It averaged about 1000 bushels per day, being double the quantity done by Mr Hay's mill. ... ' The same number of hands are required for both mills, and Mr Hay's mill consumes double the coals. Taking the price of labor and coals intd : consideration, it must be evident to every intelligent settler that the milt , which thrashed 1000 bushels per day, ~ and charges 14s per 100 bushels, is^onsiderably cheaper than one doinaot at"10s per 100 bushels, only dobs half the quantity Surety ...Mr . Hay must . , ; have previously signified his willingness, to accept the sum proposed, provided he got a monopoly of the district. If lam right in this surmise theri~ why go: 1 through the -farce of getting up a meeting at all. Why not tender for it, and give it to the lowest tenderer provided other things are equal, - A number of the Kaihiku settlers cannot have forgotten all that was said; = last year against the mill, which they now seek to patronise ; and lam greatly mistaken if the prudence and fore-., thought of" the majority in the' district do not prevent the monopoly of those hay and straw men, whose minds have entirely changed during the last few months. By giving publicity to these few remarks ycu will greatly cblige yours truly, A Subscriber.