"KEEP UP THE PRICES."

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 3089, 11 January 1909, Page 4

"KEEP UP THE PRICES."

A proposal is on foot to form an association of professional photographers in New Zealand, with its headquarters in Wellington. Several leading photographers have taken up the matter, and in a circular to their fellow-workers they point out that Jt is generally acknowledged by photographers that cheap competition has tended to demean the photographer personally, and also to prevent him from securing a fair return for the resides of the labour of his hanrl and brain. One of the aims of the association will be to try to induce individual photographers to take the highest stand as regards their profession, to produce .nothing but the best work possible, and to insist on getting fair prices for the same. "Of course," continues the circular, "the society realises the futility of attempting 1 to form a set scald of prices, but at the same time they would remind their brother photographers that the man who deliberately 'cuts the prices' for the sake of what often proves a short-lived prosperity, sacrifices his self-respect in the eyes of the public, and cuts himself off from the members of bis profession, who are actuated by those higher motives to make their business a pride and a pleasure. Every photographer of experience knows that 'cut' rates cannot help, but mean indifferent work. Our last word is 'keep upthe prices and do good work.'"