AN UNPATRIOTIC THREAT

Colonist, Volume LVIII, Issue 14407, 18 May 1917, Page 6

AN UNPATRIOTIC THREAT

WfiLL-DK.SKUVJ«:oCEiSSUI<HfI.

tA glj oCer an(\ Provision merchant of roctenham, *ho . refused to serve a lady customer witJi more than threequarters of a pound of sugar per head £Lr r f amii y< «£ tera-«ds received a £* I f -m h, er .that if ho did not give her the amount she ordered she would purchase what otiiei pods she required elsewhere Thr tradesman forwarded .the. .comrhumca:' tion to Captain Bathurst,..l»arJiaiaeiit~ ary,^cretary ,to .the Ministry .of, iooil-: sent; -the 'lady the" followm^ .letter.—">our..lettor^to^lr i n re , terence-to y«ur -supply o f sugar has been forwarded to me. 1 can only describe it as. a most foolish and unpatriotio threat, and I desire on behalf at we J'ood Controller, to warn you chat ii you are obtaining any mom thaiyour fair quota of sugar (supplies of whicu are exceedingly scarce), not onhwill you be -deprived of the whole of your sugar supply from whatever oonrce it may be obtained, but iineces&ary, a severe penalty will be imposed upon you as a means of warniri"others with similar selfish indinttions agai.nst like practices. It is owino- to the attitude of people like 'yourself j-tnat a large number of very poor persons are wholly unable to obtain any supply of sugar at all."

In tho course of a letter to Mr G witty, M.P. for Riccarton, the Hon. Yip • RussoU (Minister of Internal Anair;>) says that Australian slaughtermen who/have come to New jZealand' tor this* season will be given permits to return to the.G'ommonwealth. '-With regard to gemiino Now .Zealand slsu^utermon desiring to proceed. to Australia for the .season, the Dositibn is, .as regards' those'in the 'First Diviff"»n, that if already drawn in the ,?al!ot tnoy ir-ust appear before the MiJitary Senrice Board and obtain exemption. Permits, to gu to the Commonwealth will then be issued. . With regard, to First Division men not yet drawn in tho ballot, and Second Division men, each application will be dealt with on its merits.