Manawatu Herald. TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 1891. To Flaxmillers.

Manawatu Herald, Volume III, 24 February 1891, Page 2

Manawatu Herald. TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 1891. To Flaxmillers.

— , » — AVk direct attention to the hopeful tone of Mr Gardner's letter, which we published in our last issue. There is, at the present, a slight lull in orders, but that is easily accounted for by buyers being desirous, to " bear" the. market, so as to secure contracts at the lowest figure. It is now, as unfortunately it has been for the past two years, . the habit of millers to act independantly instead of together. We dare not hope, yet a while, to see the business carried on in a proper manner, but still we do hope that it will be some day. As each miller, without capital, and without business training, drops out of the contest, it tends to work for the good of the remainder by hardening up the output and reducing the number of poor competitors. The effect will be to enable the millers to make their own terms. Prices offering are small, though figures .prove

that the demand is greater than the supply) because buyer's trust by tenir. por&ry withholding of orders, except v at a price, to drive those who cannot hold. on, to sell.-*- Men who succumb to this treatment are doing themselves harm, besides tlie 'whole industry-. Many, no doubt, are urged to accept such sums as will just pay the cost of producing, leaving nothing for interest wear and tear, or accidents. Some get through these contracts, others fail. . fciose xvho urge the millers to take these prices, may de so under a wrong impression of the cost and risks, or may do so simply to further their own ends, but as a rnle they will'not be forth 1 d in : the ranks of. (lie millers themselves. We are not prepared to say what price should be stipulated for, as this is just one of those questions that the millers should determine, for themselves* and to do so, tliey. ; must meet and consider it. Woknow that where millers havo exercised care, and have been able to hold their manufactures for o time, they have dous Well, -ft ml where millers have had to take what has been . offered them, they have done illy Does not this point to the fact that the average of prices obtainable are higher than what is ottered trom time to -time ? We are desirous of seeing the. fillers prosper, and we therefore urgfe caution against separate acceptance^ of contracts, and .that, for this season, one seller be employed on behalf of all owners. We have heard it stated that the other day no orders were obtainable, we know that small orders were offered shortly after at low prices, and we know that such prices have been j increased. If so, why not secure a larger increase at a price that leaves a margin of profit "?