THE BRITISH GROCER.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 159, 30 March 1908, Page 2

THE BRITISH GROCER.

MOW.HE HANDLED-THE BUTTER , BOOM. HUSTLE AND "COT," AND MARGARINE. Tho British grocer is apparently .a.species', distinct; He is . certainly quite different from the .New.- Zealand-variety..,i;-His.'. ; truo character came, out very'prominently" during butter,boom, and makes an interesting story.. When butter, began .taking tlioso fanciful .leaps, .arid :he found ..that he .had to buy 'it -at .'ls.'. 4id. per pound," or buy. in.irgarine instead, did he'go. to the l -'merchant? and asK him. tqVfis the 1 retail price fori him 9 / Did; ho even? gov home and'sfell. it at. Is : .4id;, br ' ls. 6d., : as his New Zealand cousin would have- done? ;.' Not- jit 'all. He ' just hurried back' to his .cramped '.little-premises . and'placarded'his : iviudoiv with bigletters—' . ■ "Choicest, butter, -Is. :ld. ,:^Theii . tes f went ■" .. inside, and enjoyedthe.leriiptioiVai peaco of a - "just,mah>who,lias vanquished;all. his-enemies"; and his rivAls. V Hokiiew .thattthe. butter would- be displayed before his cus- '■■ ' tomcrsin . the ~ newspapersin •; scarp : head- 1 lines. ; And -lie' with' fine pro- • cision,: that the neufs!.tliat :there ,was."thir- .. teenperiny butter, at' Jones's"' would attract b bis shop such a harvest.of,niw customers ;as had. never beforo. happened in his.carcer 1 as a grocer. It was a'master' st-rdke.' And . for ,that-the dairy farmers all over .'the World ; ;may-'attribute■ the "geritlenebs of-'the'subs^>% quent fall .in.prices. It prevented' the pfcople- •».- ~ from, ceasing to bo butter-eaters:"-'jWhen the : - price fell the' enterprising;..gro'eeE still", pds- . ECfsed his ! old "customers,; and it few: new ones. And it.had cost him—what? About '■;■ ' (the loss on' 21b. of butter) p?r' .week,.,.'.-, fo- about ia. month for each of 1 the;families ■' who dealt witli'hi hiefe: friction of the .profit ha would make out of the other purthey madsi.-- ;ThSy. w-ere cheap at- -the- - " price. ..- But. at' the same time lid lost .flo : .chance (so. the London , papers. say) - to.. show • them margarine. What a run on; margarine. there 'must .have been in those few. swift.. 1 What overtime at tlio factories! What ; scraping- together of every; available, bit:-of ■ »> wholesome fat I There ' could scarcely ,a - solitary -.grease..spot idle in all /the. boom broke.' Andi;margarine,.^at;.fdurs-. V.-= pence or fivepeuce in the pauper districts -' ha.6 its'virtues. : Can .we imagine a- pushing , ,-v Biitish'grocer- following up his native prao . tices, in Wellington ? What an avalancjjeiof-. wratli would tumble about Ins ears it.-ho cola butter below the correct, price.': -The - man-.< .who '-cuts" in New Zealand:is almost an - outbast.