FRICTION AMONG BUTTER AGENTS

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 251, 16 July 1908, Page 3

FRICTION AMONG BUTTER AGENTS

COMPLAINT FROM YVILLER AND RILEY. : Mr. -S. .Turner," a director and the • New: •Zealand representative-of- tho English merchants, Messrs Wilier and Riley, Ltd., who is now in Wellington for the season's dairy produce business,'.complains of ■ misrepresentation by some of his business rivals. Speaking yesterday',to a Dominion representative lie said: that on his first visit to New Zealand three years ago.he.told tho.butter,factories that. his. firm sold their, produce diroct to retailers. ; Two years ago ho stated that from.Bs to 90, per. cent, of-tho produce would bo ; sold direct- to the retailors, and last year -he put : the percentage at" 80 per cent. Those promises, he states, were fulfilled; in fact, ho finds that ,he even underestimated 'the quantity last-year, as shown'by' a cablegram from his firm, advortised in • another column of .this, paper.' •' "■•ln epito of. this, however, Mr.. Turner says.- certain -of his competitors have been telling the • factory authorities <in Now, Zealand that Wilier f and Riley did. not' sell to the retailers, but. largely, to the wholesale .men;'- Certain persons had:boen mentioned as the authors • of-these statements, and lie therefore cabled tho reports to his firmy and asked if they had' sold. any of the produce •to-any, of their competitors. ■ Tho cablegram ho received : in'reply showed that Wilier , and Riley' sold 95 per cout-.-of their New. Zealand produce last'year to retailors. 11 Mr. Turner says there is no excuse for misrepresentations, because his firm, invites representatives of New Zealand factories to inspect its books at any time. Last yoar he gave the New' Zealand -factories power to enable> the - National Dairy Association's agent.- (Mr. Mackie) to inspect the books and .'investigate'" the: 'find's claim that they sold to retailers;- .-••••.