PRICES IN NELSON.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XLIII, Issue XLIII, 27 January 1909, Page 2

PRICES IN NELSON.

THE CHARGE OF EXCESSIVE RATES. INTERVIEWS WITH BUSINESS PEOPLE. A GENERAL DENL\L. Veriodical attacks are made on tho prices for various goods charged in Nelson, and, in fact, all places. There aro generally some in all communites who think that they are not being fairly dealt with. In last evening's "Mail" a correspondent published a strong letter concerning what the writer said had to be paid for various articles in Nelson. To give those attacked an opportunity of ventilating their side of tho question, an "Evening Mail" reporter interviewed various representative business people on tbe matter this moruing. THE GROCERY TRADE. The first shop dropped into was a grocery store, and the answer met with was that the charges were so ridiculous that reply was hardly worth while. The statements were absolutely untrue. As a matter of fact, the reporter was told, many classes of biscuits, for instance, were sold at tho manufacturer's price, and the grocers simply received trade discount, which was the same in all parts of the Dominion, and less here than in some places, owing to increased freights. In comparing prices people should tako iuto consideration an extra charge of 12s 6d a ton in freight from Wellington to Nelson; but in spito of this there was no such extra charge as the correspondent alleged. With regard to the statement that a bottle of sauce cost id more in Nelson than in other places, the grocer said that he conld mot reply definitely to this, as there were different grades of sance. Eggs also, it was stated in the letter, were 2d a dozen more, and the reply to this was that that all depended on the hens. Eggs were never the same price for more than a fortnight at a time. In dealing with tho reference te trie lictiti Trcigrita au<l measures sad to be used by the trade, tho grocer said the charge was an insult ta begin with. It was always in the firm's interest, besides any feslings of honest dealings, to give good weight. Inspectors, in addition, made periodical visits to ascertain if things were correct. He felt quite sure that prices in the grocery trade in Nelson compared very favourably with those of any other part of the Dominion, in spite of tho extra freight that had to be paid. THE BUTCHERS. "The letter is absurd," wer3 the fifst words uttered by a butcher when asked for his opinion. "I'd like tho correspondent to come and try tho butcher's business for a week, and acquaintance would then bo made with' a few surprising expenses that tho people generally don't think of. And then again, just talking casually, do yon know that for every lb. of meat sold, about a quarter lb. goes bad in stock in the hot summer weather, and in the winter, when the meat keeps, the price for live stock would startle ' a millionaire?" "But can't you give some general idea of the trade?" "Well, butchers at present are buying live sheep at from lis to 12s; but the i price is generally higher. Up to 18a j and £1 is paid in tho winter time. , Then there is the chargo of ls each J for killing at tho Abattoir; bnfc before that there is the expense of pada docking, which is a very big thing in . Nelson. It is this way: Down South, for' instance, a butcher has a regular , market to pick from. The sheep aro all graded, and all that has to bo done r wheu any particular lot is bought is . to drive the mob straight away to be ■ killed. But in Nelson it is altogether i different. There are no markets of ; ; the kind referred to, and the butcher | has to go out among the farmers and pick his stock. Ho cjannot make . these visits once a week, and so he has to buy up a fairly large quantity at a time, and keep then in paddocks, audi maintain their condition by good feeding, and all this means considerable | expense. Then in Wellington there is no abattoir charge. In comparing the price lists of some of the leading towns of the Dominion and Nelson, I ' am confident there is not much to complain of. Take for instance the \ sirloin and prime cuts, and yon will ' find they are the same here as else- ' where, and rump steak is Id to 2d • cheaper in Nelson." The reporter was told that there was nothing in the butcher's business in winter, and at times the business was run at a 1 loss. They often had then to import sheep from away. If there were such enormous profits being made, ho wanted to know why two or three of tho local businesses which were for sale could not find purchasers. '^SS THE IRONMONGERS. Ironmongery firms wero amused at tho statement that Nelson prices wero 30 to GO per cent above Wellington, and, allowing for tho difference in freights, they thought that the prices differed no moro than Wellington and Auckland and Wellington and Duno- ; din may differ, somo articles being cheaper or dearer in ono town than in another. Ia fact, they did not differ as much as a cheap jack firm in a , cheap quarter of Wellington differed ■ from a first-class shop in Willis-street or Lambton-quay. Tools were sold in Nelson, for instanco, at Wellington cataloguo prices. Nelson shops prided 1 themselves, moreover, in keeping only first-class goods. In every laTge town a few lines were ticketed at cost price to catch chance trade, and it was on these sprats that were put out to catch mackerels that unthinking peoplo seemed to base wild statements. Freight was a serious matter where ■ ironmongers were concerned. | THE DRAPERY TRADE. I In reference to the drapery trade, the reporter was told that drapery > was much cheaper in Nelson than in Wellington. This decision, explained the draper, had been come to after careful observation of prices in Nelson and elsewhere. It stood to reason, for expenses wero less. Drapers needed display, and rent was a very big -Item in the larger towns, whereas in Nelson it was a comparatively small consideration. The extra freight between Wellington and Nekon was a mere bagatelle as far as the drapers were concerned, as the goods wero comparatively light. Roughly speaking, £120 worth of goods weighed about a ton, and the 12s 6d freight was only about V. per cent What was % per cent, on 6d of calico? Tho extra freight was not even Id in the £. Some of the Nelson people seemed to be of opinion that they could get better and cheaper drapery by sending away for it; but this was not the caso. The drapery all came from practically the same manufacturers at Home, and the were less in the trade in Nelson than in the larger centres. Of course, in basing his remarks ho was not taking into consideration sale prices and certain lines also that some in shops wero sold cheap to "catch."