A large meeting of London grocers was held on Thursday
at the Hanover Square Rooms, to form an association for the protection of the trade. Several speakers were very bitter against the Civil servants for setting the co-operative movement on foot ; but the chairman, Mr. Newsom, thought the private dealers could hold their own. Their expenses of management, delivery, and so on were only si per cent., while those of the Stores were 10 or 12 per cent., and he thought with fair prices they had nothing to fear from competition. We do not feel quite so sure of that. The private trader has, it is true, only to get interest on his capital, like the Store, but he has also to get his own wages, that is what he could earn without capital by his own brain, and the share- holder in the store has not. The small traders will, we suspect, have to combine before they can compete successfully with a movement which is already sending down prices with a run. We believe the well-to-do grocers could beat the stores easily if they would give a fair reduction for ready money. At present they only offer.5 per cent., which, considering that cash is to credit as twelve transactions to one at least, is not enough.
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