Town Country

Ellesmere Guardian, Volume XXIV, Issue 4248, 19 February 1921, Page 3

Town Country

(To the Editor)

Sir, —May I say a few words about the interesting argument between the local storekeepers and a Christchurch mail order house that is advertising specially cut prices in your esteemed columns. Now, as an old resident of this district, I cannot let this matter pass without penning these few lines. For the past few years we farmers, like everyone else, have had fairly good times, but this season opens up quite a .different outlook for the man oil the land. It is quite true that many of us older people do not need to so much, but it is our bounden. 'duty, as an older generation, to give whatever help we can, in the way of advice, to the young man on the farm. Then, sir, with these hard times setting in, and not knowing what the future may hold in store for us, high prices and rates of interest on our land, and probably small prices for our wool, mutton, and butter fat, we have got- to look to. our laurels and effect a saving wherever we can.

Some weeks ago this (shall I call it a debate ?) opened up in your esteemed columns, and I have watched it with interest as each copy came to hand. I gave this firm a trial order for some £5 a few weeks ago, and found that they delivered everything satisfactorily. This, of course, was prior to our own storekeepers' cutttng prices.

Now, sr, you may be surprised at what I am going Jo say, but I am telling you quite candidly that lam going to order from this Christchurch warehouse, even if their prices are higher than our local storekeepers', which, of course, they are not. As a ueason for my adopting this duty, I am going to ask our local storekeepers a question. That is, "Why did they not bring down their prices before this Christchurch warehouse came into the field, and what would we have been paying for our groceries, hardware and other lines,'had we not been able to purchase through this new medium?"

I think, sir, I have made my point clear. That is, lam igoing to buy from this Christchurch warehouse, because the residents of Ellesmere are indebted to this firm for bringing prices down in the first place, and holding them down now. Hoping I have not taken up too much of your valuable space—l am, etc, OLD RESIDENT.