CORRESPONDENCE THINK OF THE MEN AT THE FORTS

Evening Post, Volume LXXXVIII, Issue 37, 12 August 1914, Page 2

CORRESPONDENCE THINK OF THE MEN AT THE FORTS

Sir,— Will you allow me to tell "Work ing Girl" how much her kind lefcter was Appreciated by "Ouv Uoye" at the fort*. At Fort Btllance they gave her three cheers and sang "For She in a Jolly Good Fellow." They Ve\\ me they scan the papers very eagerly each dAy to »eb if anyone el«c is thinking about them. Let me assure them they arc not forgotten, but we have all be*n «o very busy making actual necessaries for our brave men who Are so ehortly leaving for the front. May 1 J6ay that all parceiß eont^ to the . Garrison Hall, Buckle-street, are sent free of chai-gie, daily, to Fotfc BallWice. So far they have hot received anything. Please, mothers, «end a few scones and ■cakes along to tet the boys sefe that they are not forgotten, tarn sure any of our gallant little Boy Scouts will d<?em it an honour to UUae your parcels along to the Garrison Hall.-— I am, etc., A MOTHE-R. 12th August, 1914. THE GREEDY TRADER Sir,—^At every crisis it seems a British Wait to start a, heresy hunt, and, in the language of tho IMebs, use' tho boot. I am a trader, and h»v« all i the days of my life been traditig. I know the grocery and provision trade from the salt shed to the manager's office, and I know scores of men, who have plodded, worked, toiled patiently and uncomplainingly for years, providing Mia ne> edsdaries of life for the people at a profit that couldn't eke out A deoetat living. The individual email tr*dei works hours that any union in this country would denounce a* slavery, and he khows, only too well, that his ' hardest taskmaster is the working man— the man he feeds— ahd the man who, too, often leaves Tiiin in thb lurch with an unpaid score. Knowing something of the markets, and refreshing myself with a tradesman's slip in front of me, t must put in * protest against this attempt io jump with both feet on the greedy trader. To date there is no occasion for harsh comment on my hard*driven confreres. X am of the opinion also that if a Commission is scl up to-day the manufacturer and the big merchant will be foundto have resti. lined themselves ift a tittle of opportunity. Politicians are human, and once committed to the game they must use any and eveky stick to keep tho pot boiling, and the ' worried, defenceless Storekeeper, mostly uniniluontial, ie a real good mark to make a holiday of, in order that the appeal to the mob tttay be made. Were a little more attention paid in the days of peace bo help the honest trader purvey good^ wholesome .food to the .people, all might benefit. Does anybody ever stop to think that in the hands of tho trader, yeav in and year out, is tho means of aftecting the aggregate ho&lth of the community * The doctor, who ib looked Up to amongst us, looks after the live per cent, who can afford to be Biok, and the trader preserves thb health of this 95 p«r cent., only to be looked down on. I don't wisli to aettcrt all traders are honest, nor would 1 condemn the medical profession because ft few ras&alfc damp thb ethercone on your nostrils, scarify your "tummy," charge twenty guineas, and tell - you - that your appendix has vamoosed. No, Sir, you can accept mj say-so, that your best retailors are bij; men, humanitarians as well as econotni&ts, and are men who, if rightly looked at in their relation to the public, loom much larger than the average run. of politicians in these days, when the life of service is our best justification for existence. What hard luck to> single out in a crisis one section, who, perhaps, as trading goes, gives more value for the money all the time than ally others. What about bringing in a Bill to prevent a draper selling ladies' hats at a higher price than, say, ten bob, or a. maximum for hose of two-and'-six, until the war is over? Why not make ty a punishable offence to charge rent on a *pub. till peace is declared, let Us jubilate on XXXX at three for * shilling? Then, when wo differ over the merits of our captains, which we are bound to, and .the local scrap takes place, let us curtail the learned mah who gets Us oft' by restricting his refresher to live bob—for it's all on, account of the war.— l am, etc., VENDOR. " 10th August, lai4. BUMPING UP THE PRICES tO THE KDItOR, Sir,— Your article with reference to the raising of prices of foodstuff* doos the householder an injustice, while' it shelters those who are guilty of taking a gross advantage of the public. Last Monday morning the cabli* informed us that in Melbourne flour had gone up 10s per ton, rawing the price to £10. Tho nwrchante hore immediateiy rWfied the price from £11 to £12. This happened on Monday morning before any panic had set in. One firm alone netted an increased profit on Monday <md Tuesday's turnover of over £60. Wo ate informed that the bulk of the wheat is in tho hands of the merchwitß, therefore the producer won't robeivo any benefit from the rise m price.. As there is probably sufficient wheat on hand to last the Dominion fc'or three yeans to come, there is not the least justification for bumping up the prices, and every roaeon for the duty to be removed.— l am, etc., F. PIfiRABD. Wellington, 6th August, 1914.