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Star (Christchurch), Issue 4869, 7 December 1883, Page 3

It is A oxraious thirgi when we xefleot on it, is this intense selfishness of the mercantile interests. Here are men, no worse than their fellows, men who are kindly and uffeotionate in the social and domestio relations, who deliberately interpose between the poor man tnd oheap food. They do not sell this mutton, whioh they buy at 6_d a pound, one j fraction of a penny less than other mutton. J

The starring pauper, or the hard up artisan with half-a-do_ea hungry ohildren, must still gaia with longing and unsatisfied eyes on the meat which he so urgently needs, and whioh 'ha oannot buy. Ha has to work on without the food that would strengthen and nourish ! him, and whan fain, and weary he returns from his exhausting toil, what wonder that the twopenoe or threepence in his pooket, whioh will purohase no meat, should be spent in gin or beer, whioh at least gives him a temporary stimulas P The poor seamstresses and workwomen who abound in London and all our largo towns, and to whom half a pound of mutton a day would be an ample, but unattainable, repast, are debarred by the aotion of these wholesalo men from buying tbe food that they require. Thousands and tens of thousands die in Bogland every year from diseasss brought on entirely by the want of sufficiently nutritious food : millions are rendered prematurely old, enfeebled and deorepit by the same oauie. And yet, when there seems opening up a fair prospeot of a meat supply at a reasonable prioe, remunerative to the producer here, and oheap to the oonsumer there, we find theae men interfering with all the power of oapital and organization between the poor and their food. Marvelling reflection: Perhaps some of these very men subsoribe their two guineas to a hospital, or even send out missionaries to the heathen !