THE BARLEY MARKET.

Marlborough Express, Volume XLIV, Issue 56, 11 March 1910, Page 8

THE BARLEY MARKET.

TO THE EDITOR

Sir, —Of course Mr Wiffen doesn't accept our challenge, not, we should think, from any desire to save us, but, as we anticipated, because his talk of buying such a huge quantity of barley on Monday was—just talk. We didn't suggest that we should go into his hooks. We merely asked him to produce' bona fide evidence, which of course is not forthcoming. . He talks about the information that might be gathered from his books being cheap at" a "tenner." We doubt it. Anyhow, wo likewise have made it public that Mr Wiffen has made a statement which he cannot substantiate, or at all events is not able to prove. .Now as to things Mr Wiffen says he did not do. Allegation 1. He "didn't" tell the brewers they could get barley at 4s, because he knew they couldn't. Perhaps he will explain* his offer to the Auckland breweries of "really excellent stuff" at 3s 6d to 4s 6d, and his sale to Nelson at 3s lOd to 4s 3d. Like Monday's purchase, it seems hard to reconcile. Allegation 2. If he knew it would bring more, then he must have been plajring a scurvy game under the prices "he knew it would bring," We think we remember a paragraph about Wiffen and Co opening the market at 4s. "He knew it- would bring more." Allegation 3. Scrupulous Mr Wiffen. He wouldn't tell a lie. Allegation 4. Perhaps he will be good enough to mention who did make the arrangement not to pay more than 4s 6d for 1910 barley, and further how does this tally with allegation 1. Like a good many; more, Mr Wiffen is wise after the «vent. We doubt if any firm or firms in town made any such arrangement as he refers to. We didn't certainly, and Mr Wiffen evidently hadn't the opportunity offered him. We further didn't wait on the station to present any of our clients with a bottle of whisky to induce them to soil to us, and we are still puzzling what part of the 5s Id that item counts for. It might be the freight. Anyhow, our offer is still open to Mr Wiffen, and he must either prove his statements, present the guineas to the institution selected, or allow his statement to be labelled—moonshine.

CORRY AND CO