WHAT'S IN A NAME?

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1002, 17 December 1910, Page 5

WHAT'S IN A NAME?

A TALE OF TWO TELEGRAMS. ABOUT TROUT. SIR JOSEPH WARD GETS ANGRY;

CALLED A FISHMONGER.

(By Teicjraph.— Sphcial CorresDondent.) ' Auckland, December 16. ■" When tho Sir Joseph Ward Government, in addition to controlling the ■ oyster fisheries, announced tho other' day by iidvertisemerit in' tho publicpress that it would sell It-otorua trout; to all; and sundry at. certain prescrib-i cd prices, no ono expected , any worse consequence than the prospect of welcome rainbow flesh for the Auckland: breakfast table. A serious consequence: has, however, arisen, and it has arisen in a peculiar way. No less a dignity tbah.that of tho Prime Minister, has 1 ■ been, offended.

Mr. A. Sanford, the well-known local fish merchant, saw the Government's advertisement of trout for sale and applied to the local Tourist Department - for information, but the Tourist Department said -it knew '.'nothing, and re-

ferred Mr. Sanford to Mr. • Birks, the engineer in charge -of the Public Works'' Department ■at Rotorua. Now .Mr. ■ Birks is an eminent engineer,, and .he -, has written voluminous -reports on' hy- , dro-electric propositions. -It is, however. to be doubted whether Mr. Birks ■ considers himself engineer in. charge ofr the trout, and in any case it- isTiank to see where an engineer comes in withregard to the fishing business unless he bo" employed to drive the refrigerator, and"; .no one ' suspects . Mr. Birks of that. At any rate . Mr. : Sanford says he applied to Mr., Birka ■ for information as to the conditions on,' which the Government will sell, trout, and received no reply. The silence or ■ Mr. Birks is not surprising. What fol- . lows is, however,! distinctly surprising. If Mr. Sanford's appeals drew! cold disdain in. one - quarter, they aroused thunder in another. Failing to get information in two subordinate quarters, • Mr. Sanford decided to appeal to the ; fountain head (fortunately, he did not use that term), and ho telegraphed yesterday to Sir Joseph' - Ward :as follows:— ' "Sir Joseph "Ward, Fishmonger, r" . Rotorua. Can you supply fresh. • trout delivered Auckland? Reply ■ collect, stating price and. quantity -. daily.—A. Sanford." • »■ The telegram was not exactly an "open sesame," but it produced a marked effect. Last evening Sir Joseph Ward telegraphed in reply:— "A. Sanford, Auckland.. Your. 1 , unwarranted-impertinent communication requires no answer from me. ■ ■ J. G. Ward." ■ Subsequent to the receipt of th« above telegram, Mr. Sanford was in-> terviewed by,a "Herald" representative* ( I have not the slightest, intention to)' insult Sir Joseph Ward," lie said, "but?) hundreds .of my customers want trout, 1 wanted' to know who is running i the show at-Rotorua. They have ad-1 ••ycrtised,. and I to. .find is running tho show, bui failed'."" They call me a fishmonger, and why should I not anyone else who enters the {fade "be ■ called, a fishmonger ? - Mine is as res-'' .pectablo- a . business, as. Sir, Joseph Ward s, and if anyone enters my business he is as good as me. Somebody must be . a fishmonger on behalf of the -Government, and we want, trout.'.-' The - people ,of Auckland' wani.''trout.; It was the same "way - whenrtfie"Gbv-l iAnment took 'Um .the c !'. I :Ss:.stfcrsj If they cannot supply me, ■ why dou'tl they say so? Ido not send impertinent telegrams, and I. can ..get ray livingwithout Sir Joseph Ward, LE tho' Government is in-, the fish trade, ho is th» header tho show, and I apply to him* as chief, fishmonger in tho country. T must do that if he does not 'appoint al subordinate who will act. .1 had already approached the Tourist Department, andi the Resident Engineer, Mr. Birks (to whom tho Department referred me;, and I got no reply, and the people ara worrying me every day for trout. Ho :is the chief, fishmonger till he appoints - some-one .else/". I don:fc know anyone! who has been appointed to take "his 1 : place, .so I address him. I wanted trout, :and had to take extreme measures' to get it. If I'. cannot get the information from him; I will .deal with. the-Minister for Marine, Mr. Millar. I want-to- get in ■-communication witt. somebody. Answering Mr. Beehan,'tho other day, and to the oyster -business, the Attorney-General himself was reported a-s saying that t-he Government- was already in, the .fish trado. I hold my head as high' as any other man ' in the country—one trade is as.respwtable as another, . and I. applied to Sir Joseph „War'd exactly itho same as I : would apply to the' head of any other firm. I may have 'to insult' him again : when I want trout. He is'not only at the head of the Government fishmonger? : ." business, but, in regard, to the; sale o'l trout, he is a monopolist. On the sea ' wo-have coinpotitib'ii, but I cannot, fighl < him on the lakes because he owns the ;% ldfc"-TlnV trout' would feed the people" and' would lielp to .bring the- price of fish down. He, is'worse than any combination of fishermen."" 1 ■ ■.

Mr. Sanford concluded: ~"T did not use the term 'fish merchant,! but the word 'fishmonger,' a good English word which has been, applied to myself. If Sir Joseph Ward 13 ashamed of the name, why does he go' into the business?"" :