TO THE EDITOR.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XLIII, Issue XLIII, 29 January 1909, Page 2

TO THE EDITOR.

Sir. — I see tbat the high prices of some of the commodities in Nelson are attracting your correspondents, and it is high time that it should be so. I will and my little lot to the discussion and, in doing so, will give specific instances of such high prices, not dealing in generalities, as the shopkeepers waited on by your reporter have done. Before doing so, I wish to remark that your reporter took a very unwise method of finding out if there were any truth in Groco Vincent s statements. If he had ascertained the local price of some well-known line he would have had a few remarks to make that would have made tie local shopkeepers' ears tingle. We will take corrugated galvanised iron for example. The .prico should be £19 ss, and with freight at Nelson, £20 2s 6d a ton for ordinary 26 gange roofing iron. He would Be a very favoured customer who would get a quotation of less than £21 por ton at the present time. We will take another everyday line, that is lead edge ridging. The'lowest quotation, and that only to the best customers —has been 6£d a foot for 16-inch, whereas the cut price is s_jd. During your reporter's interview with the ironmongers some reference was made to carpenters' tools. It. was disastrous that any 6uch reference should be made, for it is a sore point with the carpenters that they are charged considerably moro for their tools .than they can get them elsewhere. Go to any of the carpenters employed on any of the buildings In Nelson, and they will tell you that it is only when they want a small article suddenly that they get it locally. I am, etc.. GEORGE BURGESS. Grove-st., Nekon, 27th January, 1909. ————— * j- TO CORRESPONDENTS. "A Woman of Straitened Means." — We cannot accept any letters in this correspondence unless ' with the signatures anfl addresses for publication.