THE BUTTER DISCUSSION.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXV, Issue 9146, 30 August 1888, Page 3

THE BUTTER DISCUSSION.

TO THE EDITOR. Sir, —As tha butter question appears to have been pretty well threshed out, and entirely to " Grumbler's" discomfiture, I will only crave your indulgence to say a few words in reply to Mr. Spragg, and endeavour to set him right upon one or two points. Mr. Spragg must admit that " Grumbler's" letter, if unanswered, would have been a splendid advertisement for his company's butter ; and as we find very few people acting with much disinterestedness in (these times, what more natural than that the authorship should be attributed to an interested party ? Other correspondents have apparently thought the same as myself, so I am not singular in my blunder; but Mr. Spragg omits to enlighten me why "a moment's consideration" should have prevented my blundering. lam rather thick-headed, and fail to see the point, even now. However, my friend Mr. Spragg acknowledges all the principal points m my answer to "Grumbler" as being correct; in return I will acknowledge that he has, through the Freezing Company, been of vast service to our settlers, and done infinitely better for them than they would themselves have been able to do. I never attacked the company, except to refute "Grumbler" in saying what was untrue, in their supplying butter at 20 per cent, less money than dairy butter, and, at the same time, of better quality. Mr. Spragg acknowledges my correctness in this, but is altogether at sea in supposing that I made the fact of his company cutting a higher price a grievance to the farmer, or that I alluded to unfair competition on his part. I did nothing of the kind. I repeat that it is unfair that the producer of firstclass butter "should be unable to get more for his product than the maker of inferior sorts, and Mr. Spragg well knows the sort of competition I mean, that prevents the grocer giving a higher price than ruling quotations for superior dairies. If he does not, I will tell him. I mean the competition that does nob leave a living profit, and is daily driving tradesmen—both honest and dishonestto the Bankruptcy Court. If it is not a want of principle that leads a mnn to sell for the same price as he pays for an article, or even less, —well, then, I don't know the meaning of the word. That this is done daily, and is largely supported by those people who ought to know better, cannot be denied. With these remarks I take my leave of the butter correspondence, feeling certain that) I have done the right thing in defending our very often too-much-abused settlers.— I am, ka., Henry Hewin.