AUSTRALIAN NEWS BY MAIL

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 28, 28 October 1919, Page 5

AUSTRALIAN NEWS BY MAIL

COST OF LIVING TO BE INVESTIGATED

THE CANBERRA "WHITE

ELEPHANT"

' TRADE WITH NEW ZEALAND Sydney, October 18. The Cost of Living, Replying to a deputation inlroducod by the Leader of ihe Federal Opposition", Mr. Tudor, the Prime Minister I.Mr. William Hughes) said that the Government had decided to appoint forthwith a commission to inquire into tho cost of living. Ho thought tho Commission should consist of a chairman accustomed to weigh evidence, and that the employers and employees should each have a representative. Jf they would like a statistician to be on tho Commission lie would consider the request, but all the necessary information could be obtained by attaching' a statistician to the Commission. 'The same applied lo a professor of economics. He quite agreed that the matter was urgent. Tic thought tho question of the cost of living was the primary cause of tho widespread' movement, or disease, that was responsible for industrial unrest all over the world, and thev must ascertain tho facts in order to give that redress by law which materially obviated "direct action." As to the other matters, his personal view was that the purchasing power of the sovereign should always remain the same. The Government had been considering the question very carefully, and lie did not wish to anticipate its policy, which he proposed to announce in about a fortnight. Tie would like to say generally that it was very obvious that wages were paid out of production, and it was impossible to maintain an imnroved standard of living unless production were such as would enable Labour, and Capital to get that fair interest without which industry could not be maintained. Where lucre was a wido gap between the wages paid and the cost of living the Government would regard it as evidence that action must be,taken to bridge the gap as far as possibleMoving to Canberra. Effective reasons havo been given' by tho Federal Treasurer (Mr. Ward) in the House of Representatives whv tho seat of Government should not be removed to Canberra, for the present, at any rate. He said that the initial cost of establishing oven a temporary capital , would be no less than J3,200,0u0. The] first, data on which calculations might be based was the number of public officers and members of Parliament who would be required to transfer as headquarters staff from the temporary capital to the permanent capital, and after a careful revision of ihe estimates it was report ed to him that the number of married men who would-be required to live in Canberra would be 1090. Tho number of single men totalled 907: women officers in the service, 021. Using Urn foregoing figures as a basis, the total new nonulntinn required to transfer to the Federal cnpilnl would be-.—Married nublic servants, 1090: their wives, 1000. Tho actual number of children under 15 years numbered 1850. The wives and children numbered 2910. with other dependants estimated at 80. JIo was estimating f.lial: at least 10 nor cent, of the married couples would have a servant in their home, thus making another ,100 women Single public servants numbered USBS, and their denendaiits would probably reach IGO. Members of Parliament numbered 111. Boardinghnuso keepers, hotelkeepcrs, and such like, "?70; inter-Stats newspaper reporters, and their wives, GO; clergymen, 5, with their wives and families; doctors, 10, rith their wives and families; various others, 2709, making a total population, on tho present 'calculation, and not including tho persons already there, of 10,260 people. The total necessary cost of making tho capital ready for tiiis considerable population had been set down, after expert consultation, as follows-.-A temporary Parliament House, with a cottage tor the Governuor-General and Government offices, JMtO.OCO; water, sewerage, roads, and' electricity necessary to provide the amenities and conveniences of such a community, iiloO.OOO; telegraph and telephone wires to other capital cities, ,£189,000; tclephono exchange and network which would lie capable of expansion, ,£135,001); telegraphic equipment, .£10,000; completion of the railway with a temporary railway station at Canberra, •£25,000; tree planting and recreation grounds for children and adults, JiWfi'M; schools and grounds for 1500 children, ci' 10,000; 1100 homes lot-public officers and married men at an average, of £%Q, i!i)()U,U(X); hotels, boardingliouses, shops, hospitals, churches, theatre, club room.-;, and houses for the general public, not already included, .il^oil.OOO; and railway fares of officers auu their families, including the removal of tueir elects and the furniiuro of all tlie public offices, iGU.OOO. The total initial cust, there-lore, on tliis basis, of establishing a temporary Federal capital, would be, approximately, i 15,200,000. Tltc figures lie had given represented the resmt of. several months Oi inquiry, and m view of tho fact that they showed that between ,£2,75U,UU0 and J:3,25U,000 would be necessary to effect even a toiiiporary transfer, lie thougnt members would see the necessity for the utterance, in the Budget speech that the Government was determined "as early as practicable," to keep faith with tho Constitution in this respect. In the present stjite of tho finances the Government wished to be perfectly sure of its estimates of cost, and it therefore proposed to appoint a competent committee in order to obtain a full and complete statemeni. as to the cost of an early transfer'to tho Federal capital.

Trade with New Zealand. Victoria is faced with the loss of tho entire export trade with Now Zealand unless'some very definite and immediate action is taken to re-establish regular steamship communication between -Melbourne and the main pons of the neighbouring Dominion staies the "Age." J<«. presentations regarding the matter have already been made to the .State Government uy Melbourne merchants, anil a deputation trum the- Victorian Chamber oi Commerce has wailed on tho Prime Minister in order to further .stress tho gravity of the present position. Tho speakers said that since April only two vessels had left Melbourne fur New Zealand. These steamers had only been able to lift) a very small portion of the accumulated cargo. which had now grown to consideiable dimensions. A re. sumption ol' the weekly service was es.-eu. tial. lie suggested that, the Xor Zealand Government should be pressed to make available some of the many steamers of the Union Hleam .Ship Co. which were at present earning coal practically under Government order.-.. Further, it was considered that Huddurt Parker Limited should be asked to make at least one of their steamers now on tho Sydney run available from the port of Melbourne. Other suggestions put forward won that tho Federal Government should make available one or more steamers of the Commonwealth Line if. order to move the accumulated cargo, and that deep-sea vessels trading from the United Kingdom to New Zealand, and calling at Melbourne, should be asked to move some of (he accumulated cargo. Innumerable merchants holding overseas goods for re-exportation to New Zealand had found that under present condition;) it did not pay to I rade with New Zealand. The unfulfilled orders for lea alone amounted approximately (<r ..CKi.OflO. Primary producers were also feeling the pinch very seriously. There wero about 3700 tons of primary products, excluding wheal, awaiting shipment from Victoria In New Zealand. It; seemed clear that if f.'io present position continued much longer Victoria's name would be obliterated from_ the New Zealand markets. Tho Prime Minister, in reply, promised lo consider very carefully the suggestions put forward, lie undertook to 'mi'icdiefply rammuniea.te with Ifuddart Parker Ltd., and the Union Steam Ship Co., and he. also promised to make representations to the Now Zealand Government with reference to rhe question of making steamers available for Hie shipment of cargo from Victoria. Mr. Hughes further informed the deputation that ho would go into the position with the Federal Controller of Shipping (Admiral Clarkson).

Drua Habit in Victoria. Attention has bcon drawn by the insiKiotor of incbriato institutions in his annual report to Parliament, to the increasing use in Victoria of narcotic drugs. In tho statistics supplied it is shown that four chemists, live doctors, thrco dentists, and one clergyman hayo become so addicted to the drug habit that thev had to undergo treatment in Slate institutions. Altogether 40 eases are cited, including 11 women. Details of flie. cases enumerated show that some of tho victims becamo accustomed to using drugs through constant contact with them in their professions or through the administration of drugs during illnoss. Opium, cocaine, morphia, ehlorodyne, laudanum, morphine, atrophine, heroin, and veronal are included in the list •of drugs used. In many cases alarming doses of various drugs were taken bv tire patients. A doctor fiftynine vears of age hart taken morphine since voulh. For two years he had taken 15 grains a day, and is said to have taken as much as f)0 grains a day. When admitted to the institution he was in an utterly helpless state, and if took.six weeks to get him entirely off the drug. A chemist who was discharged as cured had taken cocaine for eighteen months, about eight grains a day, in_t.hn form of a 10 per cent, solution painti'd on his gums. A painter who had' smoked opium for nineteen years was discharged cured. Although the maiorilv of those admitted to the institution are cured of their habit, some of the patients on regaining freedom succumbed to the temptation to return to the drus. Others again leave the institution with no intention to reform. Out of the eleven female cases dealt with six arc nurses. In commenting on the fact that tt per cent, of the total number of cases were those whoso occupation had nlaved a predominant part in the creation of the drug habit, Dr. Jones says that in view of the fact that physicians, knowing well the danger they" incur, have allowed themselves to drift into the habit, how much more imperatively necessary it is for the law to protect and prevent the rest of the community from becoming victims to a. habit they cannot estimate or understand. Dr. Jones again emphasises tho need for legislation to restrict the sale and dispensing of all sedative and narcotic drugs. The open medical prescription containing one or more of these sedative drugs, which entitles a man or woman to go to any chemist and demand its repetition is an instrument of danger.