MR. COLEMAN PHILLIPS AS A "CAVEAT."

Evening Post, Volume LVI, Issue 4, 5 July 1898, Page 2

MR. COLEMAN PHILLIPS AS A " CAVEAT."

TO THE EDITOR. Sir —The above gentleman is well known to be fond of seeing his name in our local press, but does no yreat harm there, because we all know his good intentions, and few read more, when they see his name at the foot of a letter —the fact is, we all regard him as a sort of " caveat," that is to say, a man to beware of rather than to follow ; as experience has taught us that he has an .unfortunate habit of going wrong in practical matters. His undoubted abilities are such as would probably fit him for a much higher sphere than where cruel Nature lias placed him, and everyone knows how dangerous exceptionally clever men may be when they attempt to come down from their higher levels of thought and instruct us poor common mortals in ordinary everyday questions. Taking this view of him, we let him write a good deal which we could all readily answer ; but when ho does so for publication in a leading metropolitan journal, as he has done in your issue of to-day, it is really necessary for those who know him to put straugers on their guard against his wellwritten and very plausible compositions. This time his subject is " The AVellington Show "mainly, though he has been unable to resist the opportunity of giving a side blow at" that wretched fiasco, the Wool Trust's Freights Reduction Committee," a name, by the way, evolved out of his own consciousness, as no one has ever heard of that title before. Now, let me take first what he says about the show, in which there is absolutely nothing new. He takes up the old question of site, apparently oblivious of the fact that this special point has been recently most thoroughly investigated and reported on by a committee of the most able and industrious men in Wellington. Their report has been accepted as final, and the Committee of the Association is now working hard to give effect to it by an energetic canvass for subscribers in Wellington, it having been quite decided that unless a sufficient number can be obtained the Association must be allowed to die out. Surely it would have been only fair to give the Committee a clear field to see what it can do; but just at this critical point Mr. Phillips re-opons the whole question of site. The inevitable result of this must be to increase the difficulty in getting the necessary number of subscribers, as many mow will bo apt to take this renewed uncertainty on that point as a valid excuse for not subscribing. 1 would ask such men — and the Couimitfi-e will be wise if it points out to thoin .tlw wiMilom of doing so—to regard Mr. Phillips in the light of a "caveat" winch some strange freak of nature provides as a naming not to go the right way. I will not follow Mr. Phillips through his many ingenious arguments, as they have all been disposed of by the report of the Site Committee. I must, however, say a few words about that " fiasco," the Freight Committee. It so happens that I have just received account sales of a lot of wool which I shipped by the Sterling, and have compared them with a lot sent last year by the sailer Invercargill. The result shows such a very large saving in the total charges that I can assure Mr. Phillips that if the thing is a fiasco at all it is an extremely pleasant one for me. Taking the same saving per bale over the whole of the wool which I have shipped for myself aud members of my family, the amount is so large that it would be a very handsome income indeed for one person. If this is the result of a fiasco, I can only say I hope we may have many of them' to trouble us. While, however, I have thus gained by the movement, I am bound to say the gain was forced on me rather than sought, and that the credit is entirely due to the energetic members of the Committee. I declined at first to join in the movement, because I thought, and still think, that it is not desirable on many grounds, both public and private, that our freights should be fixed on the purely competitive basis. I had declined to put my wool into the combination, and wished to continue to do so, when, at the critical point, I was' practically compelled to join, by the fact that the agents for the ships gave public notice by advertisement to the effect that they would carry wool at same freights as Stanley & Co. from any port where that firm were loading a ship. This meant 1 that if I-did nothing and allowed others to do all the work I should gain the same advantage. To do this appeared to me neither fair nor honourable; so I' went straight to tho office of the Committee and put my name on the guaranlee list for 1000 bales. Mr. Piiillip.s appears to wish to discredit the movement, just at tho moment when negotiations for next season's rate of freight are going on. What his motive may be no one can say, but he will fail. Some of us, as wool-growers, are determined to " fight to the death" on a principle connected with it. The questiou is far from being one of mere rates of freight, but the far more important one of seoitriug that the producer shall knpvv exactly what that freight is, and that the vicious system of "returns," of which he knows nothing, shall be absolutely put an end to. Some of us have "nailed our colours to the mast" on this point, and will fight for it, even though we should have to pay double freight, or possibly, store our wool for a year or so. Wheu men are determined, and can afford to give effect to their views, eveu at a considerable finanoial loss, they will be hard indeed to beat, and there will be no " fiasco " about what they will do. Apologising for. < the length of this, for which my excude is the importance of the subjects dealt with, lura.&c, C'JIAIILES PjIAUAZYN. Longwood, Featherston, 3rd July, 1898.