THE FARMER'S WAR AGAINST MONOPOLIES. 499 



few complaints are received. These, however, are all. 

 thoroughly examined, and wherever they prove to be 

 well founded, the offending firm is struck off" the list. 

 Moreover, members soon learn from each other at 

 what shops they are civilly and fairly treated, and act 

 accordingly ; so that some of the firms which have been 

 connected with the Association from its early days, 

 having gradually acquired a high reputation among us, 

 are now doing a very large business with our members. 



" The members have the advantage of a tailoring de- 

 partment, carried on in Bedford street, Strand, which, 

 however, was for a long time a source of great trouble 

 to the committee. Much difficulty was experienced in 

 getting, and still more in keeping, good workmen, who 

 left in a mysterious manner; and the work was fre- 

 quently so badly done as to convince the committee 

 that the workmen were being bribed to spoil the 

 clothes intrusted to them, and thus to entail loss upon 

 the Association. After a while, and by the exercise of 

 great perserverance, these difficulties have all been 

 overcome, and the tailoring department promises to be 

 a great success. 



" Notwithstanding that the retail price of the arti- 

 cles sold at the stores is on the average some six or 

 seven per cent, above the wholesale price, it happens 

 every now and then, that, owing to a rise in the mar- 

 ket price between the publication of the quarterly 

 price lists, the market price becomes higher than the 

 retail price at the stores. Unless the article is one of 

 large general consumption, such as tea, the committee 

 adheres to its retail price until the issue of the next 

 Quarterly Price List. This sometimes leads to an 

 attempt by retail traders to buy up of course through 



