PRICES STILL RISING

Dominion, Volume 14, Issue 21, 20 October 1920, Page 8

PRICES STILL RISING

THE COST OF LIVING PROBLEM MEMBERS EXPRESS ANXIETY "The cost of living in New Zealand during the Inst few months has been greater than nt any time since 1914-,'' snid Mr. D. G. Sullivan (Avon) in the House of Representatives yesterday. The Labour member was speaking on a motion that a Christuhurch petition asking foi a reduction, in the'cost of living should lie referred to the Government for favourable consideration. Mr. Sullivan proceeded to assure the House that the feelings of the workers on this subject were undergoing significant IchangeH. Men who had always stood for constitutional action in the past were saying now that if the Government could not give effective help, the workers must help themselves. Increased wages were not a remedy for high prices, and they always lagged behind. The Prime Minis, ter had said that increased production was the.remedy. But the workers could see for themselves _ that production beyond national requirements in the cas6 of butter, for example, did not mean low prices, If the Government was going to maintain the attitude that the producers were entitled to the scarcity prices of other lands for foodstuffs sold in this country, then the extension 01 the policy of subsidy would be absolutely necessary. Dr. A. K. Newman (Wellington East) said •ho largely agreed with the -last, speaker. . The burning question in. most city homos was how to make ends meet. If' Ministers mixed more with tiro people, instead of living in an exalted atmosphere, they would be astonished at. the strength ol public feeling. Remedies were within tho reach of the Government. The. Customs duties, which were enormously heavy, could be reduced. These duties wero bearing most severely on the people, and were aggravating the evils of high manufacturing and transport costs. The Government could have insisted on the standardised boots scheme being made effective. It appeared to tho public that the tanners had got cheap hides without the buyers of boots securing any corresponding .benefit. Tho increase in the prico of butter, and the threatened increase in the prico of milk, wore most serious matters to the people. Taxes on such luxuries as motor-cars, furs, and wines would have made it possible for the Government to have kept the price of butter down to Is. !)d. .He believed that tho prices of wheat and flour were to rise. Would the Government give tho people an assurance that the price, of bread was not going to rise? He viewed the prospect of wheat costing 10s. a bushel with real alarm. Dr. Newman added that the attention of the Government and of Parliament ought to be concentrated on the cost of living. Tens of thousands of people, particularly those with fixed salaries, were suffering acutely. When was tho advance going lo cease? A continued rise in prices would be "an appalling calamity." Dr. 11. T. ,T. Thacker (Christchurch East) said that, there was butter hoarding in this.country; there was meat hoarding; and there was. going to be wool hoarding. He thought it an enormity that New Zealanders should have to pay .£l2 or .£ls for a suit of clothes made of New Zoaland wools. Milk would be a shilling a quart if Parliament did not watch what, was going on. There were in cool storage thousands of boxes of butter that were simply held to be mixed with new butter aiid sold at 2s. 3d. per lb. Mr. 0. J. Hawken (Egmontj ridiculed the suggestion that an Act of Parliament could lower the cost of living. The difficulties due to the incrensed cost of living, he believed, were in some respects over-estimated. The man who oel'liainly suffered was the man with a large family. But there had nevcj' .been a time when the sinpde man or the man with a very small family had done better. Tf it was not careful, the country would have great difficulty not only in keeping up the price of its produce, but in keeping up the prico of labour; Three-quarters of a million a year was being paid to bring into New Zealand coal that might be produced here if the workers would put forth more effort, or if more men were allowed to work in the mines. For a long time the but-ter-producer had sold at prices far lower than those he should have obtained; and now, when he was to have his due, some members grudged it to him. The petition was stilt under discussion when the 5.30 p.m. adjournment interrupted the debate. HAMILTON ffILMER ESTATE THE PENALTY FOR UNPAID INCOME TAX. Robert of Wellington, recently petitioned Parliament for remis- ' sion or reduction of a penalty for un- ' paid income tax in tho-estate of Hnmil- • ton Gilmer, deceased. Petitioner alleeetl that the failure to mako payment | was duo to his inadvertence, and that ' the penalty would bear hardly upon ' him. Tho Select Committee to which " the petition had been referred by the ' House of Representatives yesterday recommended it to the Government for fa--1 vourable consideration, t The report was adopted. I =