COST OF LIVING.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1474, 24 June 1912, Page 5

COST OF LIVING.

AUCKLAND EVIDENCE

THE MERCHANTS' ASSOCIATION.

.WHAT ARE ITS METHQDS? • . Till/ TESTIMONY Or \. DVALLIi ; AEk6clatini'.sVisi Auckland, June '' .^ltttere^ng^bttdffl^-regarting-tlio'oiii^; :£ition3;qfvthaJMcrclmui«': : Assoc!atiriii''i:?i'i" }Aiicklaii(V;wa3 ihen wl: beforo;. tho> Costof,. ''Living-; Commission':, u-'i's John AYslliem.Hall, of : T. H. TTall ar.d .Co.;;". merchants, -Auckland; produceda ~,b'undles'«fi:correspondence,'' fliid : ii?ked:'.it tt'/wero- a'compulsory,; requirement for .'dcncoito/Ire; given-innnibUc'oi-lie proposed; as ovi». . The chairman. (Mr.v'.E. ;.Trepear): .. Wo iwoulit?likV-toHexaraino , ',vou'' although"' \va •do not. wills- to - pvy. iuto your private

Mr.. Hall iniimate:! 'hat. he would,' ia thes.o. , ':.circiuiistances',isivo. i ,c'yidenca'i per« '.'Refused to Supply His Firm." Tho chairman: Do.you know of any; combination? of; merchantsMri'.: Auckland?' Mr. Jlall remarked (liat,*-. in.*i-eply, ho (would ; .<?rcad >'/correspondence; 1 th nt; ' bad 'passed between.his firm and a'firm of soap ,;andXcaudki' : 'inanVifact\iriM'B. Ik then .read ;»Vseries;:of;." letters': vhich indicated Hint 'Uio;'firmiih'.'\qucslion had . refused to siip. piv hi.-, firm. v.ith its manufactures ho eiv.iFi; llal! r.nj (.'o.'s name r was not oa itlieSlisti of jmercliautsj'supnlicd" to it." '.'. /riio'chiiirhiii !l:s-I'' t'.ike.,.t his' correspond:cnetfi.td;nH'iinj(liat;;thc:.finn;iiad been sup--liSyin.2 ynu v.-ith'-oap and candles or. tho, fame;terms) as" other merchants, and-their srefused' to 'suppiy iin»' thesJlerchaiits!; Associa-.

/WithP??:. The merchants have every iriglilJtotorm'Uiii'Jissoeisition if they wish! to do sol -Tile . p::i lit. which" we' wish lo iiiinko wns.thatour. wholesale business hail •notVal(ibi'cd(;in :P #n,vsv)va>v ■ and"'if it- wan. 'cpuipel'cnt-for-'.'thejcompany,; io?supply ua" ;V.iOiv.Roods. beforo;the, new, arranremeuts,: .wSij:,";,was ; it" not,-;'eonipetent; ; for them ..to ' ■ <J<Tho-jchairman :/ Is your.'Sfin a" member of the,association ? " ' 'V .. {. '^■Witness:, No.:', Ic'sea no', objection to ■:a' : Mcrchants!; Association,", but if a firm cannot- see'- that or methods'arc quite usual to 'theiU: they should ' not be compelled to .belong to such a union.. • ■ Have\Youvßten -.Threatened? ■■ Tlas your firm ever been approached by 'anyone to join the. association J—"Yes.'' ,'. . Have j-ou'been thrcat'ensd with any coi>«' .'sequences if.-,i. you^.refusedP—"l . would : hardly-lileo to -express anything so dras-.fi'o.-as that."^???":^- .; 4 Anything that/-'you* took to mcan r a thrcotP—"Thero;wns an atmosphera of compulsion 1 about.if." . ~ . v.Were yon :■ threatened :that, if:you did not "join "tho. association you would., find 'it:difficult to obtain certain commodities?rr"Yes." " -j ; '■ .- ■

: %For what purpose do you"think tho association'waj formedshould say. that-, tho. constitution of the Merchants' was for.''the fixing of- irado terms... I «m under-tlw'impression - that • tho • arrangement;' of, prices is also part of their programme." . • :v ~-V. . Would it be possible, if you did not 'belong to tho Merchants' Association, that: you-illicit not bo able to buy certain lines of. goods at the same'rates os merchants • insido tho association?—"lt is common--knowledge' that there are certain lines iifat you can get through the association." -, v ';Tho chairmail road out« list of articles including . Colman's mustard, condensed 'milk, sugar, soap, and other commodities' ■which 'witness, admitted were- supplied, through iho. association: -

..: Mr.. Unll added that although he- was; not- a member, of' tho association,'), ho '.'.would' not-say that the g-eueral prices ■ of- ■ groceries we'ro "too his-rli..,' '■:> But still it wouid givo an advantage (o- : :.;tliri^o;.-insido--tho ■- association?■»--"P-oi-haps.; CO." V'- What would bsjho effoci; of this' a-'o-•.ciatioiron the cost• of living to-the- gen-? -.'oral public?: Would it be as advantageous as free competition —"Generally, I sup--.pose, not, but I would point.out tfet the; profits of retail grocers and storekeepers' are liot such as could not be deemed fair aiid, on 'the whole, reasonable." Although no advantage is taken to sny r : great extent such a combination' would l>»; a danger if it had enough power.?—"lf itbecame pdwerful Enough it'would' beeom<«' : a danger, but I do not think that th.?r«>... is a possibility of all tho largo merchant* joining." «' •. ■—

v Mr. W. A. Veitch: Can you sa.v whether ,the-. prices in Auckland are higWJtKan in", other centres?—"l have no knowledge of; prices in the south." . Do. you think that tho effect of ; your • not Joining the association lias weakened': "1 cannot say." 1 . - v : Mr. G. \V. Lcadloy: Can you-'say how' ; tho- business of tho association is'-cofe ducted: Is it by on executive? —"I have no-knowledge at ail." ■ ■-.. : ■'-■This concluded Mr. Hall's evidence, "yir: National Peril—Too Little Milk. Cornelius Taylor, lately a milk dealer ; in.'Auckland,: who"had appeared on ' tho., jprevions day, camo forward to explain' (that', ; in speaking l of milk consumed in* ''Auckland as diwussed bv him, he had' ' incant- to say that H pints per family' per :day..was' the average used; not 1 1'|: pint's' per head,, as reported. This ha' : .crapha.sised again ■ was a national peril, /supporting this statement with observ.vtions which he had made of two child,,ren—one oged, 17-months, and the other six rjimil.h.-. The former consumed "j nil'ls per day,'and (lie latter li pints per ;day..v. "If,.then," fa id Sir. Taylor, "their., '.is-only-.1l pints' being used per family in ■Auckland,, children "-must be getting'fed 011-y.-aier', : slops, and oilier unhealthy substances. ■ , ; : What Has Prcti? The Cost or. the Standard of Living? % Alexander Ross",' former, of'tho Wai'kaio,;: informed the''commission that 110 ; had farmed'i'or nearly 30 years.' Up till .'.ihreo'. years ago he had been dnivy-iavm-.ing, but; owing to the. scarcity and unrc-i liability:,; of'/labour, he. found:, it better--to sive that up. a'.n! j;o in for beefii'aising.-.; I,and values*had eri'tiiintv gono up,'-'perhaps : to' as 'much-as 100 per cent, '■onj.unimprovciivalues, a This was duo: ,largely)':(o.„thoj.establi'shment of daii'ies, 'ctei';' V;;r>m bref he li.ul pro£ts,':'aiul the cost: of mmo had icertaiiily; riwn wichiir recent years. Mr. ; Hris^'' BgrwJihat-it-'dairy, • farming , was s drudgery,'• though certainly a paying.one. Children,' eomnieiicing'at-the age of nir.s, .■'had ,: .lo.'.milk' froin four to-*Sx cows a day.! ■'.This.;;'na!m-a!'iy hindered their' develop-.."menti-and education,'.'and, in. many cases,' : disgusted ' the idiildren with' fanning in theiriyouth.The milking niachina was •* "foriunatelyifdoing much to obviate this- ■ state,.of-Ivtl'airs;.and, incidentally, to soivo the adult: labour,- qiiestic-si. -.The cost, of .\living,' he thought, had- not gone up- in . /thoi country; 1 districts'. Thingi, -he ..believed, "■ lvei^'much about tho same. Cf ; ; courso people now lived in better houses "and.}comforts';.wcr® more frequent, but.;. ; that:: was a jiorsonal matter, indicatis; ; :tliat 'it was 'really, the standard of living : ..that had.-, risen. .' In': Auckland, ho be- . V'lieved that t here- was a. crn?t> for luxury : >aiwl..pleasiive.":',People -?eeiiied_ to live ill ■ the'- picture shows and spend .an enor-,„. ■ ; :nious.. sum' on' atnusemmts. ho':'commission then went,, into coni-:;; Vmittee.lt will l'esnnia its public fittiiig i tii-morroiv. ' '. y