THE PRICE OF MEAT AND FISH.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1102, 15 April 1911, Page 3

THE PRICE OF MEAT AND FISH.

Sir,—Molhinks I read in The Dominion this morning (hat the increased price of meat in Wellington had been received quite philosophically; that is to say, no complaint was mad? by consumers. 'Why did tho consumers not complain? Sim> ply Ijccaii'iE (hey felt that Co complain was fruitless, and individual complaints might bi-inj; ii )Pm under the difdain of the butchers who, a few days ngo, criod (hat because the working people ulso wnnlcd the prime cuts, and.thcv weivi limited (the cuts, I mean), I hey had to ''i'" 50 , , f '}° prico of moat - Rot! Why sliouldn t (lie working man have prim* cuts as well as Iho employers? I want you, in a footnote to tliis letter, to answer the following pertinent questions :-(l) What is lamb fold at per lb. in New Zealand, mid what is New Zealand lamb (Iho primest of our flocks, mark you) sold at per pound in London, plus freezing cud freight charges; (2) what is New Zealand beef fold at nsr cjvt. in London, plus fnpzing and freight charges, and what is the market prices per cwt. for local consumption? Now, do not let ulterior motives interfere, with a direct reply to the foregoing questions, ihe workers of this city iirs subscriber!) to your paper, and are as. big a source of revenue as your advertisers—if not bigger, because if you didn't have the readers you wouldn't have the advorThui, again, there is the fish industry. 1 Ihiiik you said this morning that the Nora Niven brought one hundred odd ton of fish into Wellington yesterday. Where is thai shipment? I believe that I am credibly informed that the whole shipment, is bound for Australia. ]f you go inlo a local fish ehop in this city and want a flounder, tho sellers will ask you a shilling for one about six inches long. If you go.into a fish luncheon in some of Hip leading business places you will get a flounder which covers your plate, potatoes, and vegetables, a cup of tea or coffee, to say nothing of bread and jam—all for tli« "bob" asked you for a sprat, and all the cooking trouble to follow for your wife if you buy one. Why is it? Wake up, Ward Government, mid legislate for Iho provisioning of the workers. Fancy tho demand of Ihs workers for fauey cuts putting up the price of meat! It simply means (hat: (he workers will continue to ask for what suits them, and if' their request necessitates increased prices, well, their labour will necessitate increased pny. and the rises in pay and prices will increase ad infinituin. ' Now, 31 r. Editor, do not forget your duty as regards a footnote, and if yon can give your' rc/ulers an insight to'the vagaries of tho fishing industries yon will confer a favour on your working men readers, —I am, etc.,

INQUISITIVE. 1(1) The retail prices of lamb in Wellington arc-.—Legs, Oil. per lb.j loin, Sil.; hindquarters, Bd.; forcquarters, Gd, AY© are unable to give retail prices in England, ljut the wholesale prices (actual sales of not less than 100 carcasses) wero last week:—Selectee), 4;d. per lb.; ordinary, 4]d. These were the prices paid at Hie Smithficld Market, and the retail 1 , price, ofcourre, is a considerable ad-' vnlice on those. No. 2: The wholesale , prico of beef in Wellington to a butcher doing, say. 12 bullocks a week is 225. prr 10011). The prices in the Smithficld. Market for nnt. lofs than 25 quovicrs of beef, w-ere:— Forequarters, 3d. jvev lb.; hindquarters, i\A. Tho price of fish;is an did standing grievance, and is in fact the outcome of irregular' supplies. Fish should 1;?. obtainable cheaper than it is. No doubt the owners of (he Nora Niven send (heir fish to the most, profitable mnrkrl, whether in New Zcnlnnd or clsowhere.] ", '

THE CHURCH AND IMMIGRANTS. ,

Sir,—The meeting held in Sydney Street School on April 4, Bishop Wallis presiding, gives. some comfort; 10-thc*o..in sympathy with arriving stranger?, and' although'it has been late getting "under way." same creditable work lias been done, the Bishop himself being entitled In a good share of tho credit. Tho chief object of this letter is to call attention la the words of Dr. M'Arlhnr. S.M., at. the meeting. After some remarks on the title of the association, our worthy magistrate said:'—"Wo wera too often fond of seeking after wealth, place, or power, but when we got it, it did not brinj that, happiness we thought, it would bring. In proportion as wo. render others happy we ourselves would be happy." Such an utterance from one who has a wide experience of human life deserves not only close attention, ,but, also the highest public appreciation. "A. few years ago an unhappy young.woman sought, Court protection from the brutality of a base fellow she had the misfortune to live with. She was only 21, hailing from Christchureh, her father, still living. Dr. M'Arlhnr directed communication to be made to her father, and that he be asked to help her and give an opportunity to have her soul saved! I w.ould not. know Dr. M'Arthur if-I saw him, but a public, man who speaks out as he has done in these two instances is worthy of the affectionate esteem of the citizens and I am sure he is living in a community not slow to notice merit in public uicn.--I am, etc., HIBERNIAN. THE WORKERS' TRAIN. Sir,—After anxiously waiting for the completion of the Hutt railway duplication, the workers of the first train from To Aro and Lambton in th? inoruing have been sadly disappointed in tho arranging of the new tinu-table. Under the old timo-b.ble we It ft at two minutes past seven, but now it is seven o'clock, and preceding the then existing time it was seven minutes past seven. So you see, sir, we are going back-. I only hope they will not do any more alterations or we may leave at even an earlier time. What was tho u<e of sponding X'L'oo,ooo aii'3oo,ooo in making the line more suitable for fast running when we find that it takes longer than ever to do the journey in and out? Our train out to (ho Hutt now 'takes ?,i minutes to do the journey, running at the rate of nearly H miles per hour. The same thing occurs of the return journey, with tho only exception that bhe is very seldom up to time.

Another thing wants explaining. Why do we stop so long at J.ambton at night, for wo are never less than four minutes and have been as much as eight minutes? Surely something must bo wrong. People may My why make a fuss about two minutes, but it keeps getting worse, and some of us have not tho best of clocks and watches in our possession, and rely on the (own clock for our time, because wo know in the past when the clock struck seven \yc were all right. But now winter is coming on, and wo have to b« about earlier. We are, surely worthy of some consideration. How would some of the Traffic Department or the people responsible for tthis- state of affairs liko their daughters to get un and go and catch this train? .Wo ha've several women folk amongst us who catch this train to go into tho suburbs to earn their livelihood. , Why cannot we have a train from Te Aro leaving at 7.15 a.m. and arriving at the Hull at 7.b'o. This would only.require the train to altain a speed of under (wenly milos an hour. Surely this is not too much to ask of an up-to-date railway.

I suppose we will licnr from I lie Department to the effect thai (hey hriv? In fit trains in, hut they have not that excuse'now since Hie double line, foino time ago ire . interviewed the (lien Minister for Railways (the Hon. Hall•Tones), and this- amongst- other matters was brought under his notice, and lie Mid when the lino was finished we would be , well ploaswl with arrangements.' Ten minutes or a. quarter of an hour to most of us coming from Island Pay, Brooklyn, and wo were draw'from'Sootonn, is a Mr boon. So .you se?, Mr. Kditor, wo hav« a deserving ease. Why don't, yon go and live in-the suburbs ono will say, but there are-some of us buying our houses, and others have casual work and oft : tim<vs the fAlher makes the sacrifice so that his children shall not have to put in t-ho long hours that ho does. Hoping that you will find room in your just paper,—l am; etc., • PATIENTLY WAITING.