“ALL NONSENSE” IS FIRM’S REPLY TO ATTACK OF MAYOR.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 18419, 22 March 1928, Page 14

“ALL NONSENSE” IS FIRM’S REPLY TO ATTACK OF MAYOR.

LIST OF FISH PRICES SUPPLIED, BUT NOT FIXED INDEFINITELY. In accepting the Mayor’s challenge for publication of the wholesale prices of fish, Messrs P. Feron and Son stated yesterday afternoon that they would like the Mayor to “ come down to tintacks ” and give concrete evidence of complaints. At present he was busy with generalities. An outline of the trouble, with complaints, would be welcome. As for the alleged stranglehold, evidence was needed as to whether there was such a thing operating, and, if so, in what way. The Mayor should make this plain, so that the matter could be threshed out. The firm was quite willing to publish prices, though such a course was open to objection by retailers. The firm had, some years ago, at the request of newspapers, published the wholesale prices periodically, and the practice had not been dropped through any disinclination on the part of the firm to supply them. The firm, while willing to give the prices, was not going to do so “ merely because Mr Archer wanted them to do so.” It did not matter to the firm whether the prices were published. Messrs Feron and Son, in supplying the following list of wholesale prices ruling yesterday, stated that they could not be regarded as fixed indefinitely. Prices varied from day to clay, and the range was ns wide as 4d per lb:—Groper 4Ad to sd, ling 2d, soles 4id to s£d, flounder fid, vellow flounder lid to llid, lake flounder s£d, kingfish 4d, terekihi 4d, gurnet 10s to 15s a case, quinnat salmon Bd. A principal of the firm added that the idea of a strangle-hold was “ all nonsense.” If the Mayor ivantcd a good idea of the position he should seek a statement from the retailer at present doing business at the municipal market.