THE COST OF LIVING

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 84, 3 January 1920, Page 5

THE COST OF LIVING

UNRAVELLING MI'STE'RIES. It will bo welcome, news to housewives that the profound mystery of ild. for a ieel of cotfon is to be probed remorselessly, says an English paper. Mr." M'Curdy, answering rritieisms of the Profiteering Act made by tho Consumers' Council, said that it was perhaps unfortunate that the public were for tho moment so interested in tho petty retiiil transactions that came before tho local tribunals that they forgflt tho much moro important work of tho Central Committer There was .nothing' petty or retail about the work of tho Central Committee. Tho Central Committee was (liming high. They had started by inquiring into throo of the greatest monopolies which affect the consumer—sewing cotton, tobacco, and soap. Sewing cotton was being investigated by a sub-committeo presided over by "a director of im important tatilo business, assisted by Mr. Sidnoy Webb and othcre. They meant to find out nnv a reel of cotton liosis 7;d. "I thiuk," said Mr M'C'urdy, "(lint bur inquiries are already affecting prices. Tho other day we wired to Scotland to ask for some costs of a curtain quilitv of yarns. The next day the prico of that yam, by a remarkable coincidence, fell from 3s. 3d. to 2s. lljd." Similar conferences had been held for tho purpose of examining, tho prices jnd profits of blankets, brushes, men's and women's ready-made clothing. The conference on men's clothing, to lako an illustration, included rauresentati <"es of the textile operative;* of the Garment Workers Union, tho Anti-Sweating League, and "of woollen and worsted manufacturers. , A separato conference of a similar character dealt ivith .women's clothes. I'l hardware .they were commencing ■their investigations upon such (!or.ie;lic itenifj as galvanised buckets, tin kettles, enamelled pails, iiro shovels, iron, tin an/1 copper saucepans. .Ui's. Koows, if tho Consumers' Council, io over tho conferenrci which deals with tlp r 6 articles.