THE PROFIT OF THE EARLY BIRD.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 615, 18 September 1909, Page 7

THE PROFIT OF THE EARLY BIRD.

' •',■',■.•■. '■■■'' '■■-■■'. *-rrT7—-.-, -v.:^. - TYriCAL; SIORN/Nfl; THB .MAB^FfTS. » (Bx $ww Wrkn.) '■" ' t It was with • quites a delightful sonso of •' dating, of adventure,'of. ''stepping spu\o\y|la.t J gut '.flt' the unbeaten track of thinga, we J sallied forth early one movning to see for our-.' j- aelyes how' : business wasi dono at the fruit i\'markets.,.. When oi\o corner to, think .that tl«> '■>. vyhqleof the fruit and Vegetables 6.61 d in' the *. 'ffeHingion' shobs is first l»ugl\t ;at. teo J places,.and then;retailed, it/is.easy to underi J stand thftt .competition. becomes at times yery >. .auinxa,tpd,.an'd .flip' scene well worth a visit, J to say'iiothinf of watohing the-ways of :the. ■ purohosing. Chinese, numbers ■.of : ; whom uro j present,.: markets a.lonp array of j is, drawn up in. readiness for thojr I lo^'ils,,and,--.while still some'distance away t frointha field'o{ aotion, a. qhoniaqf men's' 5 Yolws, holding; forth,, rabidly, loudly, and at J great; length,.varied.'at times by the .clanging", I , , ii e ard...!.:;. '.; .:', ;::;■■ l >Mi. w «-h.pe. really reached 'the spot , piir."footsteps,.-.begin- (p lag, .'and a- sense of .'■ creeps wer:us, bWfrying hard'tp; ... lpok : and,fQel: ¥ . though, we werp. old and blase t frequenters ■. ■. pn d. Q ing businessWe » first f.e\f mpmeits, hei l qonie absorbed in.the great cauliflowers, peep-, 3 ipg.upside down out array of largo 1 thirty being-.in ,Vach one. Then ', w ? B,#,ar CQUrago, and begin to look a.bd fl t a,ai , ,wa.nd«,ttoun<l,Mn S peoting Uk« 6 3 most, critical. of ■hpusowives.'. .-, . '•; [: Sl'OWfwUowerS'PWclied , . anywherei-on in t. aqcanAmedating,frmf, C a.se, a. chair, ot ) dn ;a. table, each ;■ with their : attendant circle •: PWbaye: holdipg , forth \l J. patW of ■ tho building, and; as' wo i listen, we are-filled with ndmiratidn of. thoir , prpwess-theirrapidity of speech (which might \ -fiayb; beeft..Greek.:to: us rfor .the ; first, few • quickness of sight, arid their ;! ptouaaveness, O»e, wo are told 'can. -speak' , a Qetlaip;.apiount qf Chinese, but ouv mfprmont . 1703-n.Qt at. all impressed by the accouipUsh.; 1 meflt..:,:'"YoU,. see,;we-.hear the,, -same ; " words (■ e.very time; so we almost begin to know themI qurselves.-',.. :':,,■ .''- ■:'.'■■.<■":•.:.,■•.:< J, i Familiarity'dd_ea indeed rob us of the credit 3 Of-our great echievonients. It is quite :depress1. tng; to' find it- so'patent. We cAtch sisht. of i .0r... three, bonnets, a.mpiig . (he; different ;. orewds pf white men a.nd we j.., hear ■ teat , wey.v, , =Mopß , :,to .wpmwi..':"in ■ the i traded.who.come:regularly-f-p.the:sa.lea. We 1 hayeonly, to .watch them to Uoe; how.:well they i know what; : they are about, A. cheer breaks I out from a , group' near us,—(jQmpetitiotf had ( been s keen, and sustained , between two rival t .Chinameil .Qye? samp: great turnips^', , i 4nd;the vw-inner excites b,v,hi?.'pertin!\oity.the ■ t applalisp, of those yrh.o. ha.d censed to opmpqte,- ; Frohably.hia.gfatifioatipniat getting what H ,' wanted wpuld be.,;somewliat tempere<l by;the j to'rget.prjce h« hadto pay:tlioreby, inianothov; I fVpflPi'husily bidding fpiMJiubarb (such, nice, { fa.t.stalks),..?, burst-of laughter, breaks' put-as ; » tftwer younß-lppking Chinaman finds himeelf , the uhcxpeqted.Qwn.er of a. large supply,pf it- - . He-had bpl;:meant (p bid, but.h&a"^^!!^ , j gulled into.doing sp., ; ; :,-.. ; ■; . ■ ■~:- ■■'. .. . is Marvellous how quickly tho. auctioneers i got through, their? work, Great piles of cases j containing apples, 'oranges, mandarins, passion [ {ruit,i(ina lettuces/sacks-of/potatoes,, turnipe,. f OAulifipiters, great, bundles; ,of'rbubarb, leeks, j ,and little bundles of. nsparagus .aro sbqn dis-- ;, po'4ed of,,tit* prices somewhat 'less..than; the I shops sell thenj > Rt.■'.-: Intending' purchasers. ,; wander rpund..beforehand in ..-on", apparently , ; perfunctdfy niannef, payinff the lci\st a.ttentipn t to what-tney have bet ': their hearts ' upoil i buying—ivbt for MYpjlds.would they'display , aAy f kebnivess ,Qγ.interest ]m\less they \yaiit to ,'. point out'theii-rdcsirei'tb ithors "andJfeeite • ■ cpnSpetition. . 'A;long'bcnch; i 'cdver'q^-'.\Jitli' : thp l^-rnpst,beifvtifnlvltq'lbiii,makes ;a''brilliant patch i of. cblour jn thi? dingy, dovptcd to '; "the. ,wtiUties''and : rie<:essiti6.a , 'o.{ life,'r;T|vey ara , I to be kept to the very last, in the belief that ; de(ay\vil][ mako ev«ryone'a)keoneT iiliyer/aud, i in tAe meantime, they are watched over, by a ■ jealqus guardien, who gloweH wrathfiilly wl;?n we .'venture ta piolt up a bunqh. iThoy cpitie . < from Lower Hutt—in faot, so have west o£ the . .veßOtablos sold. morning. ..:.;■ "' ,'■ . .' ',','.' A famiijar, f,acQ sriiilcs~at'"u's'frbm among the ■ I'Mowd, ,aud, ? nr,e3en;tlypoiir,jf.nend- olj tlio'street : »sts<>tlU '.'ißiny , . a ' ' time end. oft," bought frnitfrom him; and baa 'I)e>nol;'alwayß"ttoatcd us r kindly and.genbr* '. 0U9)y?: Hβ .tells'us' that wo ought-t.b r be pro- :: orifrpf the "Island , boats"'.comes>in. ! - ' : ..Then, ; .!havo as' , , nyany , '.as'- twelve ■' ''aqotioiiicctTs'' •'oncti.'and tho'placo ; is' ' '. .pabfed with , buyers; •Just-lately "the 'market \ ' hi'aa' been.-rathei; flat, and ..vegetables have, not ■ '' .beonyedmins in wellat all'-quitoa 'soar'city ' '. in fact,,"'Ho /tolls' , lis that a :trado;likp 'this, J' has. jnanyvups; and downs,. Sometimes ha buys ' '• and'finds-that the prjbos go "down, and thiiißS '. dre', sold :fpr : less ''than', hoi paid' -fer/ them, ,'ot ' else'.tlwa-niight be.the smallestipossiblp pro-.' ''■ fit/nladei -notwithstanding-he look? very :cow» I fortalile'and contented, as weH ho fot ! be has' ft'barrow.a'ca.rt, tt's.hop/anda , , great helper?,- ■'■■■■■•'• "',■ .'■,':., '■.. -~^-.>■.- ■ i'A,t'laat tho^flowers'.'tnrn .to■ hi sold lias'"(ir- ' •"' rjvedi qrid 'op.i- ['• fyyo'.-women.' cluster'rpiind. • - .' 'beautiful fblindles '(eaoh":e6ntniniriK"fifty;-h.eads) r' go for■■aboutV.two'.shillings, one-and-sevenponcp,'. •. I 'aud.evbn Q'nq-and-twopeiice. Somo buy;for;sell? j .ing' again, , and somo fpv decorative .purposes-': ; many.of tho,Chinambn peinj among tho la,ltpr. '. Two or three private bnyors slip in and go away j amid rouoh en,vy irora us bearing thoii 1 prires. ' A .'boi <of /the loveliest anompnea,, contain,in|j : twelve',.buiieKes. ■'• ea,oh' buucli'■ consisting -"pf • twclvqflow'cre, is opened up to view, ; and bidding They go .up to.;one-and-- '' fivepenco,' andthen my QOHipanion,.unable to; .'• contain-'.hcrjelf • any ■ longer; bursts out w,ith ; "Onb-and-sii," anil thdn (jets very pink and ." nearly falls down.with' friftht n.t her. -dnrinfr, ' • They ffttl to her, 1 and jubilation is great indeed : --botli tvt her triumph ; and. at their, loveliness, ; Aftor' that.' wo \ take:'■ our, ■: doparture; .'■ pass) ns ' several other flower-laden individuifs, , «od 3 feeling, (V friondly, interest-in their purchases, . -' 'It njust bo i much: more wtisfaotory to'buj a fruit and ybf;eta.bles'direct from thp'.ninrketSi - wjthoiit all too sorting 'nnd .handling' that they. '} ineyitably go.-, through when, bought from' tho s. Chinese shopa and carts, a«, do what !one will; • these wily Orientals inevitably get tha '-better/, f of one; Not only is tb'ere profit derived from a a visit , there, -but a great amount, of,interest s. arid amusement as well,: and; after all; variety • ' is the salt of life,.:. ....,;. ..'; ■:..•.'■' -■''•