THE OYSTER TRADE

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 722, 22 January 1910, Page 10

THE OYSTER TRADE

■■?•'••' POSSIBILITTvpp TROUBLE.: ~.,, ,- (By TelcSraDh:—Frees' A'sßOciatlon:)'; :, >.•'■ '/. ...■'"■ ' Dunedin, January "21. i'-Inquiries .made, by.ja, ;'Times" reporter' indicate .the .possibility.' of .trouble i^. the oyster trade of.lluhedin..To-day, an agent of the '■'combined! Bluff : oyster .companies .notified ?the. fishmongers that ho had can-, colled, orders .previously-.accepted; r....'-.■.■■ , : ; The position of the , fishmongers ; .is .as "follows:—Three--years ago retailers could purchase oysters at: 13s. a. .sack?'. For successive y«ars this was raised till.last year it reached 15s. ' There are. at' the Bluff ■'. threo companies,;, who. are , , known as..one company. .■;:. Last "year the company „■■ had'two agents,-this., year-. Only one. ■ This -coming 4o .the. , ears Of ; the fishmongers they took:steps'to.prdtect themselves by making . arrangements at the: Bluff for an independent supniy. Then thiir orders were cancelled unless they-»6uld; sign an undertaking to purohase all from him.,: This they refuesd to": d 0.:.-: ■- - '.- ■■-' ,: -: '■;•;■ -,■" - ■ '■' ' - : -.

The agenf s side question is that last' year 'he found , business declining. The rcasoh given was the the- goods could be obtained. 'elsewhere. Ho'; met this by : securing-the.wh6lo;agency.,' They simply want, he'says.'to make a convoni«nco of, him. If so, they n\ust pay for it. The fishmongers .retort: that-, oystere can bo purchased at .the Bluff at 9s. per , bag, and railage costs 3s.', so they- are paying 3s. too much.. -.Ay. country fishmonßer oan purchase one'bag at-, the Bluff. for 9s. and land it, at 12s: 6d;i at hie door. ■ • They are,-, therefore/ penalised for.-: tho- privilege of obtaining supplies lirom' : -tho'oompany's' agent. ■" ,; -•,;-•/■■> •