The Telephone. Published every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday Morning. GISBORNE, THURSDAY, MARCH 27, 1884.

Poverty Bay Standard, Volume I, Issue 93, 27 March 1884, Page 2

The Telephone. Published every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday Morning. GISBORNE, THURSDAY, MARCH 27, 1884.

Australian shippers are exclaiming loudly against the fickleness and vagaries of the London markets, and complain that the best mutton and primest beef is often sold in England at a lower price than that ruling in the Sydney market. But, unfortunately, these experiences are not confined to beef and mutton alone. Grapes of the choicest description and finest quality only brought lOd. to Is. per lb. in the Home market, whilst Home grown hot-house grapes were realising 255. per lb. But even this pales into insignificance when it is narrated that a consignment of the primest Illawarra butter, landed in the best condition, only realised 7id per lb., whilst a portion of the same pareel brought Is. 9d. per lb. on the Sydney market, a few days ago, with eager enquiries for more. This state of affairs must exercise the most discouraging influences upon exporters ; but, at the same time, there can be little doubt but what the remedy, to some extent, lies in their own hands. A good deal of the evil is doubtless traceable to the injudcious selection of consignees who, immediately upon receipt of large shipments, throw the whole on the market, no matter what its state, and by so doing cause an immediate glut—a circumstance which the “ riggers” are not slow to take advantage of. If, in the case of such commodities as grapes and butter, wfireh will keep for a reasonable time in cool ,'storage,—which there is no difficulty In obtaining — and then to place the same on the market in moderate quantities, so as to meet the demand, an enormous advance in prices would be the result. But as things are arranged at present, the broker adopts the plan of turning the quick penny in preference to the slow pound, by effecting a speedy and forced sale, and a correspondingly small amount of commission, to the utter ruin, and loss, of the unfortunate consignor. There can be little doubt but what the remedy to this lies in the selection of honorable, and conscientious, agents, who would study the interests of their consignees, in preference to their own convenience.