LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Dominion, Volume 14, Issue 31, 1 November 1920, Page 5

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

NEW ZEALAND WAR MEDAL

Sir,—ln these days when every man who bas been in a military camp and had a khaki uniform given him tiinks himself entitled to tt pension, I would liko to ask you to advocate, the cause of thos> men who either as volunteers or militia served in the Maori AVftr, but owing to an absurd regulation then in force, to the effect 'that only those men who had been actually under fire, as it was called, wei\) entitled to receive a modal, have never been gTauted any recognition of their services; yet by garrisoning redoubts, doing scutry-go, attending drills, n|id performing other military duties they helped to win the war just as much as those to whom medals wero given. I am not a member of the Home Service league, and do not believe in trying to screw a cash bonus .out of the Government, but I do think some kind of badgo might be awarded to the Maori War men—there are not many of them kft nlivo now—to s'tiow their children and grandchildren that in a time of stress und when the. country required their services they did their duty.—l am, etc.,

NEMO. REPLACEMENT COSTS Sir,—Might I draw attention to two news'-items in to-day's paper. Item I.—Brisbane tea merchant* applied for a postponement of the date on which prices were to bo advanced, so that they could got rid of stocks bought at a higher price. Item 2.—An Auckland tea dealer said that thi? drop in price (at Auckland) was a purely local mutter. "It was the result of the 'exhaustion of stocks acquired by merchants at the higher rates existing some months ago." Now, Sir, we have heard a great d>al lately on thie. justice of selling'goods on a basis of "replacement value." Apparently the rule only holds when the markiit is rising. At all events the Auckland tea dealers have apparently been holding prices up until they had unloaded tlwir stocks. It sounds suspiciously like profiteering. Perhaps the Board of Trade will look into the matter.—l am, etc., CONSUMER, Pahiatua, October 29, 1920.

COST OF LIVING Sir—The thanks of th&-public are dne to you for the full report, which has just come under my notice, of a court case in which the 'business methods in a land transaction in the city were severely criticised by the presiding Magistrate. Is th." public justified in assuming that this is the only case of tl'Jekind? House property has advanced in price to such an extent that it makes one wonder if only the legal fees are demanded from the long-suffering public. Tew people who suspect that they are lieing overcharged will take legal proceedings, tfence the chances of exposure are small. Thanks to the few wk> have the moral courage to do their duty by showing tip such firms. This inav account in measure for the high cost of living, but the law of supply and demand does not applv, and the common law does not seem to-bother.-lam.efco..