The start of what turned out to be the first World War in August 1914 led to some panic buying of food in Dublin and accusations of profiteering as fears of shortages spread. This report ("by our special commissioner") summed up the position more than a week later. – JOE JOYCE
TODAY I made a special and, I believe, a thorough investigation of the various problems connected with food prices in the City of Dublin. Dealing primarily with the allegations that the credit of retailers is being unfairly curtailed by the wholesale houses, I find, so far as the Dublin wholesale merchants are concerned, that the charge is absolutely without foundation.
The greatest difficulty the wholesale traders have to contend against at the present moment is the reluctance of provincial retail traders to pay outstanding accounts. Nearly every wholesale house in Dublin is receiving daily letters from its commercial representatives to this effect, and the retail traders are invariably putting the blame on the Irish farmers, who are charged with hoarding their money rather than pay accounts due from two to five years.
Recently I verified an instance where a country trader in a moderate way of business had over £10,000 out in credit to rural customers in amounts varying from £5 to £100. The trader gave as an illustration of the difficulty of getting in money an instance of a farmer who owed him over £50, and he expected to get a payment of at least half this amount at a fair held the previous week, but instead of paying his debts the farmer came to the shopkeeper and said he had sold cattle for £85, and wanted the loan of £15 to make up £100 to lodge on deposit receipt.
The shopkeeper did not wish to disoblige one of his best customers, and made the loan, though his feelings can better be imagined than described. In a crisis such as the present it is a matter of the utmost importance that everyone should pay his accounts as promptly as possible, and the provincial traders should see to it that the wholesale merchants are paid promptly and regularly.
They should discourage the system of long credit, which is so demoralising and so dangerous to the national well-being in a time like the present.
Reverting to the position in Dublin, the larger merchants are consistently discouraging the selfish raids which were made on their stocks by well-to-do customers during the past week. Today I was informed of upwards of a hundred instances where such customers ordered in fully a six months’ supply of essential provisions, and the merchants refused to send more than a normal fortnight’s supply. I have also heard of instances where such customers refused cash payments, though well able to afford it, and there are also stories of wages being withheld from servants on the grounds that the money was wanted by the Government and must be left in the banks. Such conduct is most unpatriotic and deserves the strongest condemnation.
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