Page 5 Advertisements Column 3

Poverty Bay Standard, Volume IX, Issue 917, 12 February 1881, Page 5

that Mr. Adair has an interest in) do they ou!t Bide ales in preference to'mine. I have never dnee in the whole 7 years spoken against, or forbidden, or interfered with my houses drawing what brands of ales they considered necessary for their trade ; I seek no monopoly, noy can l allow the claims of a good local-made article to be prohibited free access to the public through all the local hotels in Poverty Bay. I WANT NO MONOPOLY, but I want fair play, and I raise my pen against the Monopolist who prevents the public from obtaining my ale at some of the local houses over which he holds a certain control.

The second false impression I will deal with is—it is stated that if Mr. Adair gave up his Dunedin agency it would be run in the same manner by some one else. It is now open to all the brewers of New Zealand to establish agencies in Gisborne, but not one single one of them, without the intervention of some one like Mr. Adair, who has control of the trade of the house, could establish a monopoly of the trade of such house on the fair merits of their ale against the local brew. There would never be a line of mine in print or a question raised if Mr. Adair acted as a mere agent, to supply the requirements of the trade, but he takes advantage of his position to FORCE THE SALE OF DUNEDIN ALE in his houses by prohibiting the use of locally brewed ale whether there is a demand for it or not. The third false impression I wish to deal with is, that Mr. Adair states he is acting on commercial principles in dealing in anything out of which he can make a profit. Rothschild being asked how he made so much money, said it was by minding his own business. I here publicly state that I have offered Mr. Adair more nett profit than he makes on Dunedin ale to allow me to put in mine, and he refused—not on commercial principles, not on the plea that it would interfere with the trade, and certainly not from any patriotic motive of helping the bridge that he hopes will carry him over. I offered him this percentage because his plea for closing the houses against me was that he made a profit out of them. I know what ale he has imported, I know what gross profit he makes ; I know his losses on that branch, and I know his heavy losses through cibsing his houses against me for other than commercial principles, and I HERE CHALLENGE PROOF of a single shilling of actual profit made through this agency. Without taking into account at all the questionable wisdom of raising up so many enemies in,a small comhiunity like Gisborne, Mr. Adair must know, if not blinded by prejudice, that it is questionable policy to turn away-50 per cent, customers for 10 per cent, agency commissions. The last false impression I shall deal with is—l am told the public have nothing whatever to say to the quarrel between myself and Mr. Adair, and that it should never have been put in print. On the 14th of October last a letter in the Herald, signed “ Settler,” deplores the fact of sending out of a small place like Gisborne for what can be made here. On the next day, the 15th, the Editor writes as follows : —“ Under the heading of 1 Local Industry ’ in our issue of last evening a correspondent signing himself ' Settler,’ writes as follows:— “ ‘ Within the last six months we have imported cheese, butter, beer, bacon, oats, maize, POTATOES, FLOUR, AND EVEN CABBAGES. Now there is no doubt that all these articles could have been easily raised in the district in sufficient quantities to satisfy all demands, and perhaps some of your contributors who may be more behind the scenes than I am, will kindly express an opinion through your columns as to how this has happened in the past, and as to the best means to prevent its recurrence in th? future.’ All this is very true, and reflects greatly upon the want of enterprise and industry on the part of the settlers of the Bay.” These strictures from the Editor, and the oft-recurring leaders, sub-leaders, and letters on the subject of encouraging local industries, printed in our local papers, moved me to state in a few words that Mr. Adair began importing in 1878 to punish me for not being able to sacrifice my principles at THE ALTAR OF HIS GREED. There were other powerful reasons that acted on me at the time, amongst them the great success I have had in my endeavours to improve my brewing plant, and produce a-sound, palatable, wholesome beer. I really had (because I could not refuse trade) to coyer the defects of Dunedin ale by' supplying Mr. Adair’s houses during the couple* of bad months in the year (this latter fact is proved by Mr. Dickson’s letter to the Herald in November last), and' .then afterwards play second fiddle to Marshall and Copeland for no other earthly reason than that thejr ale COMES FROM A DISTANCE, and is a novelty! ! As a local man, also, -I help every-;, thing got up in the place, give my time to (he furtherance of local institutions, and distribute the money in the locality—as against collecting and sending away to a firm who never have given a shilling to a local charity, or a> cent to a local tradesman, and only a very doubtful commission to,.|he agent who takes 8Q much trouble to bolstqp.,up their business. This line of action is btygfidL on no business' calculation nor mercantile principle that was ever heard of—and the obdurate refusal to square a quarrel and deal rate on equal terms) with a local manufacturer is small. To conclude ; I seek pp mqnopjy ; every., house I have an interest in IS AS FREE A.S, AIR to cater in the best markets tq suit the' tastes of their customers. This has been my' principle of business since I came to Poverty Bay. I fear no competition, and am pre-