"SUPPORT LOCAL INDUSTRY."

King Country Chronicle, Volume V, Issue 357, 3 May 1911, Page 3

"SUPPORT LOCAL INDUSTRY."

To The Editor. Sir, I have read with interest your leader of April 26th, "Support local industry," and think a good work could be done for the district if a spirit of loyalty could be infused into the settlers who make Te Kuiti their centre. The surrounding district must benefit by the growth and prosperity of the town. Why then should I people send their cash away when i j they can not only do as well, but : ] better, with the local dealer? Many , of your readers will smil? at the ; suggestion that they can do better oy ; purchasing their requirements locally, j but when they compare the city "cash with order" prices, they forget ! the very large item of freight the j loss of discount, the expense and in- j convenience of receiving and delivery, j the invariable dissatisfaction over the few lines that were substituted or j were of inferior quality but were too i much trouble to return. In addition j to all this, the local storekeeper has I to finance the settler, and in some ; cases has carried him for years when j the money coud have been used to far j better advantage in increasing his . business or investing it in property, j Will the city cash trader help the setter? Not much. When the milk ; cheques are not available the local ! business man can do the trade and wait till the cows come in again, j Your article says, "Trade . . J resolves itself into a question of giv- 1 ing the best value at the lowest price | . . . quality and price inevitably | tell." Do they? Unfortunately there j are always a number of people who do ' not consider the items of expense j referred to above, but compare the j local man's price who gives discount ; and credit, pays freight, delivers, and j exchanges the goods if not satisfac- j tory with that of the city man 126 j miles away who demands cash with I the order. While he has the money, j he likes to show his independence, but j as soon as hard times come along the : local man is the only friend he has. The local man asks for no favours. ; All he wants is an equal chance with j [lis city brother, plus freight, etc., j and then he knows that all the goods j brought in from outside by settlers j will be the few bottles of liquid re- i freshment the local man is debarred at present from supplying him. I am, etc., SUPPORT LOCAL TRADERS.