CORRESPONDENCE.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXI, Issue 9048, 14 March 1908, Page 6

CORRESPONDENCE.

THE MUNICIPAL BUTCHERY ' PROPOSALS. ! (To the Editor.) Sir, —It is now some time since we "heard of Councillor Yarr's Municipal butchery proposals, and I, for one, would like to know whether he is going to let this worthy object drop. I think he will lind plenty of support in Mastertun if he goes on with it. I don't see why it should not pay, as the Borough already have their own abbatoirs, «nd surely they can build a shop, buy a plant, and get the services of a competent manager. There no question about not getting support, as the people are sure to patronise the cheapest and best. The Muneipality could afford to supply meat at the lowest rate for the simple reason that they would not be trying to make enormous profits out of the taxpayers. Let me quote a few instances of the success of Municipal and State enterprise. After many hundreds of years of private enterprise in water supply, Conservative England, last year, placed the entire water supply of London under State control, thus taking over about £50,000,000 worth ot private property. Londun was nut considered safe under private enterprise. From the State-owned tobacco monopoly, Franca draws an annual income of £13,100,000, Austria £6,107,000, Italy £6,400,000. Five municipalities in the United Kingdom had a profit of £422,557 from trams owned bv them. The Melbourne Board of Works runs a farm, and in four years and eight .months netted £28,228 profit. In the little fishing village of Port Fairy (Victoria), the baths are owned by the municipality, and you can get a hot sea bath for sixpence. The profits for one year are set down at £lO3. In the great city of Melbourne they are privately owned, and you pay Is 6d. The profits are not published. The following American cities now own their electric lighting system. Previously private enterprise supplied the light, and the difference in cost per arc lamp per year is as under: —

There are many others too numerous to mention. And now to co.ne nearer home. The last dividend declared by the Wellington Meat Export Company was one of 10 per cent, and yet they buy the best of sto:k, pay the top price, pay shipping, rail and brokerage charges, and then sell the meat in London at nearly half what we pay for our meat. Fat sheep were selling in Masterton laat week at from 10s to 12b per head, or about twopence to twopence half-penny per lb. I have it on the authority of a local pig dealer, that the local butchers will only give 4Jd per lb for dressed pork. A well-known local farmer informed me that he could only get about 17s per hundred weight for fat cattle. Surely there must be a big profit somewhere; a bigger one than a Municipal butchery would require to make. Thanking you in anticipation. —I am, etc., PIL GARLIC. March 12th, 1908.

Coat under Cost under private Municiprise. pality. Dollars. Dollars. Bango 150 48 Livingston 182 55 Peabody 185 62 Bay City 110 58 Chicago 250 96 Jacksonvill 24 5 Goshen 15b 77