COST OF LIVING

Dominion, Volume 14, Issue 36, 6 November 1920, Page 8

COST OF LIVING

NO RECENT INCREASE, SAYS MR. MASSEY . PEAK HAS BEEN PASSED A proposal that c6st-of-]iving bonuses granted by the Arbitration Court should be operative simultaneously throughout New Zealand, arid they should bo based fcpon current prices instead or the average prices of the 'preceding six .months *ras put befor<J the-House of Representatives by Mr. J. M'Conibs (J.yttoiton), wlio asked the Prime Minister a question on tho subject. , ' Mr. Massey said that the announcement made by the President of tho ArliU, j tration Court did not appear to be, definitoi or final. Tho Judge had asked for i objections.. He had said that the bonus of 2)d. per hour would be paid unless Rood caiiso were shown to tho contrary, and would be payable from ' November 1. "I am not satisfied with , tho figures," added Mr. Massey. "I pro- , pose to ask my colleagues to have tho j figures looked into very' .closely by experienced men. I cannot think that there has been an increase in the cost ' •of liung just lately." 1 Tho Prime Minister, proceeding, said • iiliat potatoes were, very much cheaper than they had been in 1919. They had * been sold by the growers for' very low ' prices indeed. Tea had fallen by six- < pence per pound. "The bottom had drop- ; ped out of the market for hides, and ' that must be reflected in the 'prices of boots. Everybody knew the position in regard to wool. Clothing was coming down in price. He believed that tliero < was a decrease already in the cost of i living. Ho had seen a statement that i nfter. the holidays there would be a sub- < stantial fall in tho price of' clothing. < The traders naturally-wished to keep up | the_ prices over the holidays, but he had i noticed that the prices of suits had been , reduced. Mr. Jlassey added that he be- , lieved' the peak of high prices had been , passed, and' 'that living was going to be- ' come cheaper, TRADE WITH"AMERICA . THE QUESTION OTT REPRESENTATION. . The representation iof New Zealand in the United States was mentioned in the House of Representatives yesterday- ; nfternoon by tho Leader of tlie Opposition' ! (Mr. T. M. Wilford), who reminded the Brimo Minister that ho had referred to ' the same matter earlier in the session ' when tho Prime Minister had stated that ' an announcement would he made later. It was a. matter of remark when he was ' in California recently, said Mr. 'Wilford, • that New Zealand had no official repre- ; (witativo there. So .long ago as 1912 he • attended a banquet in New York, when , h prominent financier from' Wall fitTeet < expressed surprise that New Zealand did 1 not recognise the possibilities of business in America, and have proper representation. The difficulty that tlie Prime Minister would havo to face would be to - fix an adequate salary. It would have to bo very much larger that for ■ officials in since in the United States the coat of living was away up in the skie9. For a man to be ablo to 1 live properly and not look like a pauper ] he would have' to receive about iESOOO a yAir.. Mr: Masscy said that the matter had not been forgotten, but no deiinito de- ' cision had yet been reached. He knew that tho salary was a difficulty. It would not bo possible to get a man to renreBent New Zealand properly for less than '.42000 a year, and possibly more would' bs ; needed. Tho question vas whether thoH'ominion should be getting value for the money. _ Everyone could Eeo that im- • changes wero com in ? in ; America. It was not known was to affect ti'ade. and he had thought it wise to see what the changes wero and how they were liTcely to affect tho markets. He himself wag in sympathy With keeping the American market open.

BACKBLOCK SCHOOLS THE MINISTER TO INVESTIGATE. Referring to backbloclc schools in tlio House of Jiepresentativos yesterday, the Minister of Education (Mr. Parr) said lie intended going into one or more of the hackblock districts in the recess to seo for himself the working of the schools. . The problem was a difficult one. Wherp there were two or three families mattered about these districts, with tix or seven children of school age. it wos difficult to know how to .provide fo- tl.ein the same class of instruction, as that given to the children in His large <v.ty schools, with up-to-date staffs. The (-1 v,eminent had already done a great deal for these schools, in-the la-t fniir or five years. -During that time the capitation grants had risen to ,:El2 a head, and was now being made JEIS, the objoct being to induce teachers to nndertakn the work. The 'Education Bill, which had iust been passed, contained a special provision for itinerant teachers to b" paid 011 a special basis instead of 011 thn capitation system. Mr. ~\Y. T. Jennings (Waitomo) suggested that the Minister might also inquire into the disabilities of the settlers owing to the want of nurses and doctors. The Minister undertook to do this. SMALL GRAZING" RUN LEASES LAND BILL AMENDMENTS TO COME • DOWN. Tlio, subject of the small grazing run leases, which was fairly fully discussed when the Land Bill wus before tho House, was yesterday mentioned again by, Mr. K. AVilliams (Bay of Plenty), who asked tho Minister of Lands when tho special legislation dealing with tlio matter would come down, and whether than legislation, when it came, down, would assure that the lessees should have full compensation for tho loss of their right of renewal. ' The Minister of Lands (Hon. J). H. Guthrie) said that beforo the session ended, amending clauses to tlio Land Bill would bo introduced. Ho could assure tilio member, in. general terras, that tho lessees would bo fully satisiied with tlio provision that was to bo mado, and that full justice would bo done to thom. Patrick W. O'Sullivau, of Palmerston -North,, recently 'petitioned Parliament •alleging that he had suffered loss and injurv to his health through wrongful arrest on a charge.of desertion. Tho Dofenco Committee of the House, to which tlio petition had been referred, yesterday recommended it to tho. Government for An f IrtTT