The Daily bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Hawaii]) 1882-1895, 1889-07-18
THAT GRIEVANCE.

EDITOR BULLETIN Your issue of
the 10th has an article headed IA
Grievance" l will deal with the
particular grievance you allude to
later on for this reason, that wish
to look at this matter from a fair
standpoint. have taken the
trouble to inform myself on many
points with regard to the question
of prices charged for various kinds
Of merchandise sold in this market.
Many causes are ahoat to account
for apparently high prices. First
and foremost the wretched system
of credit which obtains to such an
alarming extent in this county. 1t
is a most difficult thing for any
dealer TO gauge his prices so that
he may be just to all. Not retail
dealer among us who does anything
of business who cannot figure up
hundreds of dollars every month for
miserable little amounts that are
hardly worth the shoe leather re-
quired to collect them, and yet were
these small items promptly paid
after all the bookkeeping and bill
delivering necessary to them, how
much better for the dealer to have
the cash wherewilh to meet his own
bills instead of having to resort to
accommodation for which he must
pay. There seems 10 me to be
heartless thoughtlessness on the part
of many Of our most prominent resi-
dents in this matter, which am
sure that were they to put them
selves in the others place they
would mend their ways. 1t is often
argued by these same people that
they can buy cheaper in Chinese
store. Yes, they may with cash
down on the nail and carry the
bundles home themselves. Why not
adopt this plan in a white mans
store?
The above influences brought so
forcibly to bear on q storekeeper
must of necessity affect his judg-
meEt in his quotations to larger
buyers, whose accounts are prompt
ly settled as rule; and for this
reason-to come more closely to the
business alluded to in your article
many orders have gone away from
here. Both seller and buyer were
. at fault-the seller for the reasons
above and the buyer because lie did
not feel safe in any price that might
be quoted to him. A lack of conf.
dence on either side in business
transaction always works injury. l
have spoken with many of our bust
ness men as to the why and where
fore their orders went TO the Coast
for what may be called staple Office
stationery, and in almost every in
stance they admit their cheerful
willingness to pay reasonably
higher price here, but their minds
have been imbued with the idea that
they were being feeced and the
consequent sending away of orders
has been the result. For this no
one was TO blame except the station
er and printer; yet, there Is this
one question to be settled: Did the
buyer give the printer or stationer a
fair show 10y obtaining a price for
as large a quantity as that he was
obliged TO order from the Coast?
Now, sir, for that Government
grievance. l have reasonably paved
the way To account for business men
seeking the cheapest market in
which to buy their goods, and as
our Government officials are largely
part, directly or indirectly, of our
business men, they would be very
apt to be up to their old tricks in
their new positions. OF such stuff
are lots of men who, if they came
before the country TO ask the peo-
PIES suffrages would tak patriotism
and il that bosh. l am assuming of
course that you are correct in the
quotation you have made and that
being the case rank injustice has
been done TO some one or other OF
the printing establishments named,
all of which have large amounts in
vested and are promptly notified by
the tax assessor to pay up on their
valuations. The placing of this par
ticular order must, presume, have
been given with the consent of the
Cabinet, and if that is the case al
observing public will know what tC
do in the matter when the next gen.
eral election comes on. The one
instance you speak of is far from
being an isolated case. Quantities
of goods required by the Govern
ment are bought away from here
and yet when driven to extremities
they expect TO get small lots Of
goods in town at bottom rates. What
inducement is there for either of the
stationer's stores to carry stock Cor
which they pay taxes) and ther
treat the Government differently