The Temuka Leader. TUESDAY, APRIL 20, 1886. LOCAL INDUSTRY.

Temuka Leader, Issue 1495, 20 April 1886, Page 2

The Temuka Leader. TUESDAY, APRIL 20, 1886. LOCAL INDUSTRY.

Owivo to pressure on our space we were unable to give space to the following letters during Inst week. The writers of them having given permission we now publish them : Timaru, January 2,1886. Mr Twomey, Dear Sir, —1 wish to withdraw my advertisement from your paper, at the end cf the present quarter—aa you don’t seem disposed to assist me the same .as what other papers have done. If you will not assist patrons of your papers for fear of giving offence to tradesmen of your own town, I think you ought to look to your own tradesmen for advertisements. 1 have imported the best machinery and materials from the cheapest markets, consequently can defy competition ; have also started making portmanteaux and bags of all kinds, and as it is the only industry of the kind in South Canterbury, I think I was justified in asking you to draw attention to it.— Yours, etc.,

A. Maxwell. Timaru, 6th April, 1886. Mr Tworaey. Dear Sir,—Please discontinue my advertisement, as you expressed in conversation to me the other day that you would not direct the attention of the readers of your newspaper to any improvements, or the advantages of anything manufactured in this district—at least in this part of it—lest it shonld give offence to your patrons in anpther part. 1 could not tolerate such extremely ridiculous motives, which are neither calculated to benefit yourself nor anybody else, b»t is in direct opposition to the advanced ideas of most, if not all, your patrons, or residents of your district. 1, sir, am in a position to manufacture anything in the trade at the 'ame, or lower, prices than Christchurch or Dunedin, by getting the materials direct from the manufacturers in England and America. Besides, we can get them retailed from the above cities (Christchurch and Dunedin) much cheaper than the residents of these cities, on account of the coir petition for our trade, and byknowing exactly the requirements of the district can produce a more suitable article. Consequently [ consider that if you are not prepared to try and dispel old prejudices for the advancement of the people among which we live you are unworthy of my further patronage, and shall receive no further support from me.—Yours, conscientiously, Archd. Fbasbb. From these letters people will see how we have studied the interests of local tradesmen. Both the writers of the above letters wanted us to “ puff up ” their

.enterprises, but we declined to do so iconic we. did not think it right to 'hold out inducements to our readers to sgive, up dealing with local tradesmen and transfer their business to Tirnaru. Our policy has always been to keep the money in the. district, and to praise up outsiders against our own tradesmen appeared to ns inconsistent. We must say indeed that local tradesmen have not always met, us in a similar spirit. If they could get printing done a few pence cheaper than our price they would not study the question of keeping the money in the place for one moment. For instance, a certain tradesman of Temuka once asked us the price of printing billheads. Our price was £1 3s, and a Dunedin traveller offered to do them for £1 2s 6d. Ot course the tradesman gave them to the Dunedin man, with the result lhat by the time carriage was paid on them they came to about £1 ss. The same way there is a good deal of money spent uselessly in Timaiu on advertising, which, it given to os, would place us in a better position. There are very few people in this district who do not read this paper now ; the circulation has gone up far beyond our expectations since it was reduced in price, and consequently the necessity for advertising in Tirnaru is obviated. However, let people please themselves. What we desire to refer to are the letters above quoted. The advertisements referred to above were worlh to us about three times as much as the Town Board in a monetary point of view, and yet, notwithstanding the hard times, we actually let them go sooner than do anything that would in any way harm local tradesmen. We have, however, been taught a lesson since. It has been laid down by a unanimous rote of a representative body that the best way to promote local industry in Temuka is to send the work and money to Tirnaru, and of course no one can go beyond that. When the “ collective wisdom ” of any locality decides upon anything it is folly to set up individual opinion against it. We have therefore cemo to the conclusion that we have hitherta been doing wrong in advising people to patronise local institutions, and to mark our regret at having advocated such an erroneous policy, we went to Messrs Maxwell and Fraser and told them we had come to realise the error of our ways, and that henceforth Tirnaru advertisements would be treated with all possible consideration in our columns. The result was that we succeeded in satisfying them as to the sincerity of eur conversion to the new doctrine, and they have given us the advertisements which they had previously withdrawn. Local tradesmen cannot now blame ub if we “ puff up ” Tirnaru tradesmen. Everyone does what pays best, and we shall not be an exception to the general rule in future.