500 HISTORY OF THE GRANGE MOVEMENT; OR, 



some subscriber willing to play false to the Associa- 

 tion all the stock in hand. During the Franco- 

 German war an attempt was thus made to buy up all 

 the champagne, and not many months ago a rapid rise 

 in the market price of white pepper and of anchovies 

 led to similar attempts with these articles. Large 

 orders are never now executed without such inquiry 

 as satisfies the committee of their being made in good 

 faith. 



" The Association directly employs about 400 people, 

 and pays upward of 48,000 a year in salaries and 

 wages. The stores in Long Acre stand at an annual 

 rental of 600, while for the new stores in Queen Vic- 

 toria street, the mere ground rent is no less than 1400. 

 The premises themselves we are about to purchase for 

 15,000, while a further rent of 200 a year is paid 

 for a warehouse at Ward's Wharf, where are kept large 

 stocks of every article in the Price List, and where are 

 executed all large orders for goods. Something has 

 been said as to the causes of our well-doing, but it seems 

 desirable to inquire further into the reason of success 

 so unprecedented. The Association is now one of the 

 largest buyers and sellers in England, nay, in the 

 world ; and yet it was commenced and has been carried 

 on by a body of men who in their ordinary employ- 

 ment neither buy nor sell. Moreover, the personnel of 

 the committee so changes that at the present time 

 there is left upon it but one of the original members, 

 while every fresh committee-man, of course, has to 

 learn the very A B C of commercial business. For 

 explanation, I believe we may fairly point first to the 

 high sense of honor which pervades the Government 

 service, and which always renders it easy to find abun- 



