CONDITIONS AT HOME

Dominion, Volume 15, Issue 56, 30 November 1921, Page 9

CONDITIONS AT HOME

GRADUAL DECREASE IN PRICES. An arrival from Edinburgh by tho lonic informed Dominion reporiler that tho economic conditions in England and Scotland were still pretty bad when he left some'six or seven weeks ago. Many thousands of men and women were out of work, and the prospects for the coming winter at Home were the reverse of bright, so much so that many young men were, like himself, seeking fresh fields overseas. He came out under the Dominion settlers’ scheme, which was attracting considerable attention among those able io make a shift. Under this scheme a man had to show that he had a 'billet to come to before he was entitled to the concession in fare. Tn the cases of families wishing to settle overseas, he understood that applicants had io show evidence that housing accommodation would be made available for (hem nt this end. As was anparontly the ease in New Zealand, the high cost of clothes was receding very gradually. Men’s clothing was still pretty high in cost. A tailor-made suit, at a good shoo would cost about £lO. and could possibly be obtained for £8 by looking round, but. prices must go down lower still, for most of the big houses were loaded up with stocks, and tho tweed manufacturing mills in some parts were either working half-time or closed’ down altogether. Germany was very active indeed. and scored because in that country the manufacturers were being helped by their Government instead of being heavily taxed ns was the case in the United Kingdom. Food prices were becoming more reasonable, and property values were receding. Tn regard to residential property, the apex of the market was reached some eighteen months ago, since when there had been a gradual decline in values. Naturally employees in all classes of s ork were resisting the wage-reducing movement, but it was solely on that account that prices all round did not fall more rapidly—one was contingent upon 'the other.