COST OF LIVING.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1483, 4 July 1912, Page 9

COST OF LIVING.

THE COMMISSION. j —■ — t WHAT DIET FOR WORKERS? j A NEW IDEA ; A GROCER ON MERCHANTS. ■.! RINGS ALLEGED. The Itoval Commission appointed by the Clc-vcmniont to inquire into the circumstances contributing to the present cost of living resumed its sittings at. the old Parliament Buildings yesterday, Sir. L. J regear (chairman of the commission) presiding. ■ ,i i The chairman, in opening the proceedings, referred lo certain matters which had been the subject of dispute between the Union Oil, fcoap, and Land e Company, Ltd., and Messrs. T. 11. Hall and Co. "during the Auckland fittings ot tho commission. Tho Union Candle Company had made- certain statements relating to a business proposition which had beui made to them by Hall and Co., and had added that they were prepared to make an affidavit with regard to theso statements. They now wrote:— "In further considering the matter in dispute between Messrs. 'P. Jl. Hall and Co. and this company—as to whether the former asked us to book nu order for candles at a price then ruling, delivery extending over 12 months, but if we quoted candles at a lower price the purchasing firm were to get the benefit, but .no advance was to bo paid us in the event of a riso in price—wo are prepared to make affidavit that such a proposition was made and refused, but.as it seems to us the question is outside the scope of your inquiry, and would be likely to create a bad I'eelingi between us, which we wish to avoid, therefore wo respectfully ask you if we may be allowed to let the matter drop. "Mr. Bell's letteT," said Mr. Tregear (Mr. Bell is manager for the Union Candle Company in Auckland), "is a withdrawal. He has now retreated from .the position' Which, ho tool; up in Auckland." The chairman added that the letter should bo made public. This was agreed to. THE WORKER-WHAT DIET? | A XOVEL XOTION. The commission then proceeded to the hearing of evidence. Walter Maddison, acarponter, submitted a quantity <5f itatistical matter, and spoke at considerable length on the question of improving the efficiency of the individual by improving his social condition. He argued that tho food provided at tho public hospitals should be taken as a fair and reasonable standard of living for tho worker, in order to make him an efficient human being. Taking the hospital standard, as set out in the Departmental return for 1910, the comparison as to the cost per head spent by the public hospital and the worker was as follows :— - Hospital. Worker, s. d. s. d. Meat 1 j; 1 01 Fish and poultry 0 6.J — Butter .'. (17 0 1\ Milk 1 OJ 0 GJ Eggs 0 32 - Vegetables and fruit 3 ... 0- 5.V 0 G.l Bread ;. 0 5 0 GJ Groceries and provisions 1 Oi 1 3J

Total 5 GJ 4 SI Taking the comparison by wholesale quantities (in tho ease of tho hospital, at contract rales), the figures wore as follow, prices to the workers tain's shown in parenthesis:—Bread. 41b. leaf, 4{d. (7d.)j milk, per gallon, 81d. (Is. -Id.); coals, per ton, .£1 Gs. Gel. (.£1 125.) j flour, per 10011)., os. Oil. (lfls.); gas, net, 43. 7d. (ss. 3d:); eggs, per dozen, 10Jd. (Is.' 10d.); sugar, per cwt., 15s. 9d. to lGs. (17s. Gd.); butter, per lb., lid. (lUd.); fish, per lb., 3d. (Id. and Gd). The witness then stated his point. Despite the.fact that the hospital was able to buy at a cheaper rate than tho worker, its standard or living, at ss. GJd. per head* was higher than the worker's, which, was. 4s. s!d. They should, therefore, accept the hospital standard as a fair and reasonable one, or, if not, regard the expenditure as unduo waste.

Life on £3 Bs. Per Week. Mr. Justico Higgins, regarded as one of the soundest students of the subject, had said: "1 cannot conceive any terms to be fair and reasonable which do not, at the very loasl, allow a man to live from his labour, to live as a human being in a civilised country. . . . A wage that docs not allow for a matrimonial condition for an adult man, is not iair and reasonable, is not a living wage. ; In other words, I cannot accept the philosophic theory that marriage is a.luxury." Justico Iliggins had also enumerated the items which, in his opinion, should find a place as constituents of the living wage, and witness had run out the weekly cost at (he ruling rales, o.i the basis of an average-sized family, The catalogue of necessaries and luxuries was as follow: .£ s. (1. Rent 0 15 f. Fuel and light 0 3 0 Food for five 10 3 Clothes and boots • 0 8 0 Replacements and utensils 0 0 0 Benefit society and medicine 0 2 0 Provision for unemployment 0 2 0 Union fens 0 0 G Books, papers, and stationery 0 10 Train and tram fares ..; 0 2 0 School requisites ....' 0 0 G Amusements and holidays 0 10 Liquor 0 10 Tobacco 0 10 Provision for sickness or death... 0 0 G Domestic help, nurse, confinements 0 0 9 Religion or charity 0 0 G Insurance • 0 10 Upkeep of tools 0 1 0 Total '. 3 8 0 The witness also quoted figures in sunport of his contention that the. profit syst.'in, tanking monopolies, flic burden of the unearned increment, all exacted a toll upon thi' worker. Ho would place tho limit of a fair business deal at 5 per cent. Unfair profits led to accumulation, and over-accumulation to land speculation,' which rated land values, and placed a tox upon the worker. . In replv to T)r. (Tight, the witness alleged that he had known of men being paid Is. "ur 2-. a day extra to set the pace for the others. COST OF HOUSES. "SLOWEST WORKER SETS THK PACE." ,Tas. Trevor, builder and brickmaker, said that the cost of building had in-

creased during t lip last fifteen years. Timber had rist'ii II) per cent.; unskilled lnboiit- from 12 lo 1") per cent, increase; skilled labour—carpenters, bricklayers, and painter.—had had slight increases ol pay ami reductions of hour-, not more Ilian 10 pit cent. .A four-rom»od house ten years ajjo co-t .WOO to build; to-day, it would cost JMDO. It had to Ik- remembered, however, that the sanitary requirements were higher—nearly double in value—and the general value of the house was enhanced bv various requirements oi tho eitv by-laws. I'lus that, the people demanded a higher standard of comfort and luxury in I heir houses—bathrooms, 'conveniences, etc. ~ To Dr. lligbt, apropos of Mr. Maddj : son's allegations with respect to "driving" the men. tho witness said that he didn I believe that men were paid extra tor setting the pace. Although the cost oi labour had increased, the day's work oi a man was le-s in quantity. The Chairman: They work an hour a '•''Move' than that." said Hie witness. "There appear.-, lo be an unwritten law that the least cliicicnt worker sets the p.w. Willi regard to the price ot bricks, continued the witness, this was a nuclunting ounntilv. Tliov were 3Ss. per 1000 some years ago. and had been, previously, as high as'.l-' 12s. lid. At present the price was 50s. lie understood that thcro was some sort: of arrangement between three of the yards with regard to the '"jlrf'F. L. G. Jolly, llaehelor of Commerce (Christchurcii), forwarded a lengthy dissertation on the subject: "What Meet has the Accumulation of Large I-nrtunes upon the Purchasing Power of Wages, which was read by the secretary.

MERCHANT RINGS ALLEGED. GROCERS ATTACKED. When tho Commission resumed in the afternoon evidence was given by Arthur Bolton, who said that he had been in Xew Zealand about 41 years, had been about twenty years in the wholesale grocery trade, and was an expert in butter and cheese. Mr. Bolton said that he was a grocer carrying on business in Wellington, and had lor the last three vears been the .authorised buyer for an 'association of grocers who bought in common, in order to take advantage ot extra discounts tor quantities, etc. Since the Xew Zealand Merchants Association had been formed, he hud found a considerable advance in the price ot many of the articles handled by grocers, and," in tho great majority of cases the advance had been due solely to the operations of the .Merchants' Association. Prior lo three years ago he had been, able to buy one case of Plaid matches at 3s. Gd. per gross, but at present, owing to the combined operations of tho X.Z.M.A. (Messrs. Bryant and Mav, Bell Co., Ltd., the *ew Zealand Wax Vesta Co., and Messrs. Palmer's agent, Joseph Xathan and Co.) (ho prico for the case had risen to 3s. lid., and the best terms on which a Wellington grocer could buy was 3s. 9d. per ■M'oss for a 120 gross lot, although the Wellington-made matches could be bought bv Christchurcii, Dur.cdin, or Auckland grocers at 3s. Gd. per gross. i'ho Wellington consumer was, in consequence, paying -Id. per packet more for his matches, aiid the big merchant'was alone reaping the benefit. Some two or three years ago the corn-brooni-makers of Xew Zealand had combined, and, in conjunction with the X.Z.M.A., had decided to raise the price of corn brooms bv 3s. Gd. per dozen, of which increase the public paid threepence per broom, and the re'flil Bi'occr Id. To his own knowledge, the members of the X.Z.M.A. received an extra discount of 71 per cent, beyond what merchants received who wore outside the association. Inrfo vears ago salt was 575. Gd. per ton, now u was 70s. per ton for a ten-ton lot, although the same merchants would supply grocers who were outside Wellington at considerably lesser rates.

'Wellington Seems to Have Been Singled Out."

Wellington seemed to have been singled out by the merchants as either a very wealthy place, or a place .containing an abnormal percentage of fcols, as there was scarcely mi article on the Wellington Merchants' Association tariff list which the AVcllington merchants would not sell for less than their tariff rate, provided the grocer was over twenty miles trom the city. ~ The biscuit manufacturers gave 15 per cent, discount to Wellington grocers, but wooers outside- a 20 miles radius got i> per cent, discount. Tho outcome was that AVcllington people paid Id. per pound more than there was any need to. Starch and Pepper. •V rin" had recently b«n formed by starch manufacturers, and each member bad deposited -ESO which he would imfeit if found cuilty of selling below the fixed prices. 'This ring was evidently woikins in conjunction with me NKJIA. as the makers refused to give any' trade discount to the wholesale house- outside the Merchants Association. The ring had advanced the prices from .£.12 to .£3O 10s. per ton,.and would lake no less, whatever the quantity purebred. To the best of his knowledge, there had been no advance in the price of raw material or labour to just.ty the increa-0 in the price of the commodity, and the rise was. in his opinion, nothins but sheer robbery. ■ Popper, also, was controlled by a ring, and had advanced Id. psv lb. without any adequate reason. Up to two years ago tho price of Now Zealand candles was controlled by the manufacturers and the merchants jointly, but the starting of a now firm, and the action of the Burmah Candle Company in refusing to have their candles controlled by the N.Z.M..A. had brought the price down by ono penny per pound, although there had been two meetings of the Xew Zealand candle, manufacturers he.ld in Wellington recently with the obicct of raising prices. Edmonds's Baking Powder had been put mi a tariff list at the request of the V.Z.M.A.. nml within the last few weeks Kdmcuds had refused to supply a wholesale house in this city on the complaint of a mom tan- of the AVellington Merchants' Association that the firm was not adhering to tariff.

Tobacco. The tobacco trade too was a monopoly which was coninlleil by the N.Z.M.A., si far as the selling was concerned, and the nrice of cigarettes had risen 3s. jirr 1000,' which advance went entirely into the pockets of tho merchants. The toliacco eomnanv absolutely refused to supply, even "f-r cash, anv merchant outside the N.Z.M.A., and this was a direct breach of the present. Trusts Act. The effect of all I hose ciiiroaclimcnts on the retailn-s' m-ofits must, before long, result in a'Wellington Grocers' Association being formed, as was already tho ca=e in the other large centres. The retail prices would then be advanced in accordance with the merchants' tariffs, as was already done in.Chrislrlvtircb and Auckland, end the public would pay the oiper. A strikins feature of the tarill list" was thai, the oolonial-mado goods were i:.?arlv all tariff fostered, and in every ra-i> the number of hands pmployed and Die wages raid were ridiculous when eoiup-ired with (lie amount the country whs paying; to foster them. Short Weight Alleged and Water-logged Butter.

Butter was frequently short weight, and tften contained an excessive amount of in-iisture. He. suggested taking the import ilutv off lm'.ter, and prohibiting the artieles'Mng sold under fancy names. Mr. Fairbairn: Do you think that there is much blending of butter going on in Wellington ? Mr. Bolton: I am sure T have handled one butter which contained at least io per cent, of water. Mr. Fairbairn: Is il easy to deceive (he public with such butter? .Mr. Bolton: The public doesn't know. How can they tell? Mr. ISolton. continuing, said that all brands of New Zealand jam, cxcejit one. were >h<irt weight. J'epper, too, was short weight. .Vow Zealand candles were onlv I.V.iz. in-lent! of a pound, and that represented .63000 a year to (he New /.calami public. Mr. Folton added: "1 have been given to undtTslond (hat some linns are getting their sugar at the same price as the wholesale people. It. is us small men who are paving ill" higher rate. Mr. liolton .--nit! that he would advotate. bv wav of suggesting n remedy, that, there should be an abolition, or a partial abolition, of duly on starch, contiles, matches, corn brooms, soap, and Hour. Even if Hie duty was removed there would need to be legislation to deal with the combinations. The American and the New Zealtuld public, Mr. Bolton doclMed 4 did. not cob-

sumo tho best of their own products. lie bad never seen as good New Zealand chvese in the shops ill. Xew Zealand ns the Xew Zealand chec-e which he- had seen in England. Xew Zealand shipped its best products kept, the woivl for liselt, and then the New Zealand public olu-n paid more for its country's products than the people of England did. Tho same applied to bacon. The supply of eggs II actuated.

"Who Controls Eggs?" Mr. Tregear: Who controls the supply Mr. Bolton: It used to be controlled bv a ring on the fruit market. A icw fruit-'Hwers at Motueka used to direct what'the price should be. If eggs were coming down in price too fast, no eggs came forward until these people thought lit- ~ , -, .Mr. Bolton went on to say that it was practically impossible to get new laid regs o'-en' from a poultry farm. 'Mr. M'Donnld: Fresh only at election times! , ~ Mr. Fairbairn: Wo nave an Adultcr-_ a ted Foods Act! Mr. Bolton: Well, I have never seen on inspector, except a fruit inspector, and 1 don't sleek fruit. The law in this direction, I lhinlc, is a dead letter. \ BOOT EXPERT. Charles John Ward, factory manager for U. Hannah mid Co., boot manufacturers, Wellington, was called next. He .stated that in the last twelve- years the cost of material for boots bad increased on an average bv 33 pur cent., and in the same time there had been an lncrenseiß wages of 28 per cent., reckoning Iho payment* agreed upon that week as the present rate. The trade was not sheltering behind the tariff and the workmen were more efficient than seme years ago inasmuch as 'the men wove doing, work now whiehhey were not doing a dozen years ago. lneie ad been an increase of 39 per cent.- in the mice of sole leather, which was cntireb ! Xew Zealand leather. Leather for which it was proposed 10H. should he charged in 1902 was now Is. 2d. He could not en lorso the statement that colonial manufacturers had nothing,to tear; the public still preferred the imported ar"s'lv. Tregear: That applies to curates--thev import them, too. . Mr. Ward: I«m not an ex P erfc m cur_

"'So differences in OTP* ?"" w'/oT ed the differencein ite nneo of >JJ /cabiml and imported boot*. A nice sti is I'in 1 be "ev finished boot was demandedl to-das■ thnn was asked for some years i,g °' TIMBER PRICES. James liutcheni timber merchant, who Ins toon for 20 rears in business m JSen Ze lS Uted thnt.tl.oro had I been very little rise in thopr.ee ot U o ton voaw. Twenty-h\e joars ''°° " ■was dearer, 20 years ago about the same ™\oday and ot Ihe time of the deprcssion it had been cheaper than to-da . 0.1 . mtlc lau 'i was used. There was no mcrc «nU' combination to keep the pr.ee of limber up. Every mill sold at its own n" c T ore had been a coi.ib.nat.on soto vears ago, but this had been broken down taeause some of the parties to the, arrangement liad broken it. Mr. Trcgcar: Have.. you nnrl ng o slate to the commission rc-gauling tne C tr°llliffin I don't H,ink it has risen: much. Of course, there are a lot ot amusements to pay for now. FURNISHING CHEAPER. Edward Collie, furniture maker, Newtown, deposed that the price ot .... tar had not gone up considerably in the last Inn-teen wars; it had mtn about 10 pci cent. A "uiiievcnt kind of furniture was mads now; filigree was done away Willi in favour of a plainer style, so people could furnish cheaper now than they could a few years ago. On this account, and through tatter organisation, etc., furniture was cheaper now thau it was ten years ago; and this, notwithstanding that the men worked four hours a week less and received greater pay. Mr. Tregear: So that the public benefit all round. , Mr. Loadloy: Is there, a tendency to an increase in tho lime-payment system? .Ah-. Collie: I did not conic prepared to nrswor that question, but I think it is about the same as it was some years ago. Mr. Fairbairn: Do you think tho timepavnient system helps the trade? Slt. Collie: I certainly think it docs.

. ■ . Jinny pcoplo would be unable to got a homo'togolhor without this system. And they would fritter the money away. ... It would bo too risky for furnishers to give credit for furniture otherwise than oa the bailment system. FRUIT AUCTIONEER. John Mitchell, joint managing director pt Lacry and Co., fruit merchants, staled .that there was- no combination whatever anion,? Wellington fruit merchants with the object of ivguiatiiig the prices of fruit. Mr. Tregear: You don't think there is any question of a ring of retailers who lie low, and do not buy separately, and who divide thecases among themselves? Mr. Mitchell: The auctioneers would not allow it The higher price they get, the higher their commission, mid they look after their own interests. Mr. Mitchell said that it. would be a decided advantage to the fruit trade in New Zealand if cool storage was more general. Mr. Tregear: If, for instance, the municipality took it on? Mr. Mitchell: Oh, the Meat Export Companies provide it. Cool storage, Mr. Mitchell added; would be good for the grower,- and would raise tho price to tho consumer, as piore fruit would bo exported. The present method of distribution employed in Wellington was equal to any in the world. "NO FRUIT RING."

Walter William Jones, secretary of tho Wellington Retail Fruiterers' Association, was flaked how the retail price of fruit was regulated in Wellington. His nnswor included a statement that there was no such thing as u ring among the buyers, nor among tho sellers. The market was absolutely f rl » nlul oncn - Tll ° ,l' r ! ra ,, fruit had not increased appreciably m the last several years. Ito did not think the Chine.-* had anv understanding among l-Mii which amounted to a ring, though it had b"en suggested that they had. He did not think that the rise in rents had caused an incrcn.se in the pries of fruits. Ho "thought that, half (he fruiterers in Wcllin"ton would bo glad to get out oi business; the- trade was not tho paying thing people said that it was. There were I members of the Retail Association, which number included three Chinese. Hawkers did not do the shopkeepers any harm; hawkers only dealt in frmt when fruit was low in price, and then they helped to relieve tho glut. Charles William Howard, a Lower Hutt raarkol aanleneiyalso gave evidence.

LABOUR WITNESS. __ ] "MKX -NEVER OUT OF DKBT." Michael .Tolm Kenrdon, trade union socretnrv, statrd that ho had had about seven vears' experience anions flio workers m Wellington. The unions lie particularly represented wove (ho General Labourers Union and the Plaughtermoiis Imon. Tho uncertainty of work m the country prevented men from going o the rural Sslricts. AVngw for casual l.to»y« were about Is. to K M. P™ £y M" Hnn thev were seven years ago, but the con it ores, would probably rob them o an" advantage. -Many of the lower-pait men in Wellington, were never out ot debt from one year's end to the other; thev were always under mx obign 10n to the grocer, or someone, lie did not. think the average navvy got any more luxury now that he got seven years <igo. Iho navvv (lid not get much amusement he miWi't net sixpence worth ot the pictures ",c" a week. There was greater prospeet of employment "' the city than ill the country. The average weekly wage of (he general labourer m Hip city was £■' Ss-that was a good average. the average rent paid by workers was from Ids per week upwards for a 4-roonirtf Imi'i-o which was not very convenient. Houses that used to be let at l'Js were inw lettin" for las., and those which had been let at Us. were now at Kls. Kent ivn the Wellington workers greatest grievance. Land values ratted rent (o lie <a high. If (he local bodies were sympathetic, iiiiprovemeiit could be made by arranging for work to be uuderlaken at the beginning of the winter, when there was a good deal of labour on (lie market- Tie thought that the Wellington City Engineer had done something'in this direction. , The Commission will resume at ten o'clock this gioruiDg,