The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1871-06-10
from Tres Publ1ca.,

. Letter from Res PubIica."
To the Editor of the Pacific Commercial Advertiser
, SIR Thank you kindly 1t is very good of you
, to allow myself and X the use of your grounds, to
fight out our differences, and as you have secured
for US a clear field and no favor, you will perhaps
E not object to act as g bottleholder," and wipe our
mouths and damaged visages during the encounter.
From what you said on Saturday last. L fancy you
are backing X, and as L should be sorry to see you
lose your money, L will tell you in confidence that /
am bound to win. I'm in capital condition, and
though not quite so young as L was ten years ago,
yet L have not altogether forgotten the training l
have had from some of the best professors in Great
Britain. l may mention that l took lessons for many
years under : Lindley Murray . and the veteran
9 Nat Langham.' l could however. always "get on"
better with Nat than with the former, for though he
did not hit so straight from the shoulder, his tactics
were more mysterious-he would knock me down with
a feint he called syntax. hit me in the eye with a verb,
or pepper me So with his confounded propositions
and conjunctions, that [ have frequently been unable
to come up to time.
But probably, Mr.. Editor, it may end-as L expect
Mace and Coburn's battle in Canada within smoke,
and that there will be no fight after all, in fact
don't want to fight X, he is, [ think, a reasonable
and decent fellow, (pity he belongs to the genus Hab-
erdashery Homo.) l rather like him; would far
rather shake hands with him than hit him in the eye
and would infinitely prefer buying a packet of pins
from him, than TO knock his pins from under him.
Can't we settle the difference a~micably !? There is
not much between us after all, l propose a 'joint
high commission % to consist of yourself and-the
public. Here's a hole in your paper already must
listen to Y Chow l wish he was XXX.)
In the first place, | am much obliged to him for
his figures, l see no reason to doubt or dispute their
accuracy to any appreciable extent; they are clear
and lucid so far as they go, and satisfactory so far as
proving me correct in my assertion of 100 per cent.
additional being paid here by the buyer. But then
I did NOT confnp myself tn Such heinp the ease Onlv
with regard to England. l alluded to markets placed
in as remote parts of the world as Honolulu, equally
distant both as regards to time and money. How is
Ithe fact to be explained then that Australia and New
Zealand upon terms of equality with these Islands as
distance from the home markets of say, New York
and Liverpool, but on far less advantageous terms in
point of customs, charges and expenses, how is it
then, L ask, that they can sell at prices varying from
so to 100 per cent. less than the merchant does here ?
yet they live, grow fat upon it too-and it must be
borne in mind that their market is not at their own
door either. For with the exception of Sydney and
Nelson in New Zealand, Ito a small extent), which
produce their tweeds, they are not manufacturers to
any extent, and that almost all their dry goods
are imported. May not the answer to this query in
part be found in the fact that the colonial vender is
content with the minimum of profit, (far less than
the 40 per cent. quoted by y as an average profit of
the Honolulu dealer-say, from 5 to % per cent?
and that in consequence his goods do not lie so long
upon the shelves.
Now X assumes throughout his arguments that
the Honolulu retailer imports all his goods at first
cost from the home market, but can l not take ex-
ception to this statement or assumption ? Does X
ignore the fact that large stocks of goods are acquired
here by the retailer on every reasonable terms from
the importer (who L presume to be the loser), else
what means the large credit sales at auction of extern
sive lines of goods of this description.
With respect to the question of boots, it would ap-
pear that | am even under the mark, and although
you, sir, give an example which would appear to
confute my statements, and granting that it is posi-
BILE that the N. S. Wales manufacturer cannot pro-
duce a boot equal. to the American for less money,
yet L hold that English boots may be purchased from
the wholesale warehousemen In the colonies at a fig
ure that would enable the merchant here to retail u
good and serviceable article,-if not of quite so high
a style finish and make-at least durable. and at a
greatly reduced price.
L am glad to observe with reference to the cooper
store, that X admits there is room for prices to
come down, and which admission Is really the 3. ne
plus ultra of my arguments, for he says, if my
suppositlons and statements are correct, | have a
good chance to reduce prices by such competition"
You, Mr.. Editor, do not appear to think we are far
enough advanced for the formation of such an under
laklng' ana fall to see how we can provide our stock
and have applied the cold water test gener-
lily to my suggestions. /, with all respect beg to
liter from you, and am of opinion that there is sufi-
'ient intelligence amongst US to work out such a g,
oroJect, and that goods could be bought at the best
markets and retaied here at the minimum of profit
hat would ensure success. This would cause legiti-
nate competition, and the merchant must follow or
for l object-as you assume-that the
OANo ia III vi IhC OOAlIdIJ 10 II
pears TO be an unanimous understanding amongst
kind of Trades Union-or combination of q
kind--that one shall not undersell the other. c.
which determination the white merchant and the W
ark skinned celestial have to q large extent joined
=
But I have no intention of following you into your
orner, Mr.. Editor. You are too heavy for me. Nor n
ill I do more than touch the extreme end OF your
bundle of life - or, L could show you that, notWIth- n,
landing the low prices of goods in Australasian
olonies. wages are comparatively higher there than
l. En = -r,noc of N ] ~
of life must result in your principle OF -
give and take,'' yet such result would IN the main
e advantageous not only to the working man and
AN of moderate means, but to the entire community G
large. With respect to Californian prices L think -
nm will find that even there they have been much
,duced since the opening of the trans-Pacihc Con-
mental Railroad.
T rejoice that nv structures have aroused the leth-
of the community. What a commotion amongst
e kites and vultures, when the eagle comes down
ID disputes their right to the whole of the carcase
regret that you should have been well nigh smoth- -
by the replies and rejoinders, some of which >
but l regret still more that YOU had
t room to publish the whole of these illusions in M
tense. 1 should with all my heart have liked to .
eak a lance with some of these vendors of NOR -
andise who would per fas Ell nefas justify their
alings with the public, and who would question nv
hit to interfere with their vested interests or the
profits of unscrupulous traders. But
!, what greater proof can there be that have IN ~
ne extent hit the right nail on the head? What ID
re convincing evidence required that there is a
ew loose somewhere?
Would it not be well if Y and those who are not E
nded by their own selfish and avaricious interests -
uld turn their attention to the question of a better
l nearer market, even at a slight advance upon
first cost of the article in the home market. but a.
ich would be far unbalanced by the advantage of
ming over their money in / OF ] the time they do
v, and which with our rapid and increasing COM
may easily be done, and the money upon ~,
lch X Justly claims interest be the sooner released +? VI
ccept in the main the statement that the merchant