FREEING THE POOR.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1481, 2 July 1912, Page 5

FREEING THE POOR.

SHACKLES OF FEUDAUSAI. Dy Mcsrapli-PrcM Assnciatlon-Copyricht London, June III). In his fppei'li .it Wondford, on tin , IμstiKiiico Mill, Mr. LloviMicorgc-, Clinn<vl- ]<>■• of t.hf KxpliLTjiipr, suid: "We boast of 11, 0 largest Navy in the world, llic kitulcsL commerce by liiml nnd son, the creates, liiorcanlilo marine, thr givati-sl Kmpi re When shall wo think it uoitli v.-liilo boasting that our 1-,'mpire has lli« happiest people, free rroiu poverty? Tho terrors of Wiilelrcii. «ryi"!f n'o»d f»r ,'brrad in fronl. of you is the biggest lask (Icnmcralic Britain over hud to miilertnliC We hove Rot to I'rco llio land from tho shackle* and chains of fpuilnlisui, from that which is a shame and a disgrace to Iho richest cminlry in llio world. The Insurance Mb is u br;.-in-ning. With God's help it is bill a beginning."

WAGES VERSUS PRICES. WORKERS WOKSK OVV THAN .IX PA.ST YDAKS. ' In a series of articles on the labour unrest which the London "Daily Hail ' was publishing a few weeks ago, Prulcwor Ashley, of. Birmingham University, discussed, tho point whether llio rifo in wages in England has been equivalent lo tho riso in prices. Pi-ufessiir Ashley said:— We do not yet possess, mi far as .1 know, any calculations, official or iiootliciiil, ot thy clKin»e since 18% in the total tust ot living for tho working classes. Hut .the Board of Trade has worked out a figure, representing the variations of "retail lood prices in London," reckoned with duo repiird to the proportions in which tho several foods aro known to enter into work-ing-class consumption. And this shows nil increase .in 1910 over 1898 of 19 per cent. I stop at IMO bemuse tho wago li-mrcs, to bo next mentioned, come, no later; but we have the, food figure for 1811 as welt as for 1895; and llio mo from the average of 1895-6 to tho average of 1910-11 was only 1 per cent. Jess. And lliowli prices are generally lower in Uio rwt of tho country than in tho capital, I know no reason for supposing that thy. upward movement of prices during: that period had been greater in London than elsewhere. •Vow the cost of food represents soinowhero about seven-twelfths of workingclnss expenditure. There aro no available fisuves for the- other parts since 130.!; but we know this miich-tlial; tho wholesale price of coal mis IB per cent, higher in 1910 than in ISD6, and that the export prices of almost all cotton nnd woollen fabrics had also gone up-grey cotton cloth, for example, about as much as coal. It is, therefore, a pretty sate conjecture that the expenditure on fuel and clothing had quite, kept pace with that on food. So that, even if there, hud boon little change'in rent and some manufactured articles in common use. had hecoino cheaper, the increase in the total cost of living cannot have been far short of tho increaso in food alone-i.e., 19 per cent. And this would mean that a working-class family would need between °3s and 245. in 1910 to provide themselves with what cost 20s. in ISSfi. How does this compare, with wages? The best that llio Board of Trade statisticians have been able to givo us, so far, on this subject is a calculation of the general course, of wages in the United Kingdom," based upon averages of many scores of rates in tho building, coal-min-ing, engineering, unit textile industries, together "with agriculture. This shows a rise between 1636 nnd 19)0 of 11 per cent. The figures have not been nastily compiled to satisfy tho curiosity of the last few months; they result from calculations fir-t set on foot in consequence- of tho tariff controversy; and those of a few rears ago used to be cited to show now much wo were prospering. I hey may bo said to hold tho field until replaced by ampler information. And if we may rely upon them, the working classes were distinctly worse off in 1910 than in 1896. It looks ns if, to meet increased expenses of something liko 3s. fid. in the £, earnings had gone up at m.ost 2s. .Id. And there is no reason to believe that this lias been made up for by any greater regularity of employment—at any rato as compared with IS9G and the yeni-s immediately following, tho figures of unemployment point, if anything, tho other way.

MINERS ON STRIKE. * • 'AUSTRALIAN LEVY FOE WAIHI. By Telegraph—Press Aesociation-Oopyrfcht (Etc. July 2, 1.5 a.m.) v Sydney, July 1. Tho Hebburn and Lambton B collieries have been thrown idle. The miners at tho former colliery object to tho coalcutting machines. Tho trouble at the Lambton rnino is over tho working of tho pumps. Tho Barrier Minors' Association, has struck a levy of sixpence weekly to assist tho Waihi and Reefton. miners. They are forwarding -ESOO immediately. ■