The Chronicle PUBLISHED DAILY. LEVIN. TUESDAY. MARCH, 2. 1915. DEAR COMMODITIES.

Horowhenua Chronicle, 2 March 1915, Page 2

The Chronicle PUBLISHED DAILY. LEVIN. TUESDAY. MARCH, 2. 1915. DEAR COMMODITIES.

In Wellington for many years it was a current joke amongst observers that certain leading bakers attributed each rise in the price of bread to "the increased cost of horsefeed." Sometimes the rises were contemporaneous with a reasonable charge tor oats, but in that went it would be stated that chaff was scarce and abnormally iiigh. Lately this excuse has been laid aside, as all the bakers have had such cause for selling a dearer loaf that it was apparent enough to everybody to be accepted without comment. None the less, it is hard on the public, tor the cost -t living goes up and up. i'or the present the bakers are" justified, bill there nre some other traders in necessities who will have a prospect of reducing slightly the oast of retail articles, although the drop in values so far is too small in the bulk to be apportionable on small lots. Reverting to bakers we note from the latest issue of the London Times that <n January the people of the metropolis were paying 6Jd to 7d for the tour-pound loaf, and that in the period •rom July 31st to Decenber 31st there had been an increase of 13s per 2801bs : n the charge for flour. A note on orices published in The Miller states that chief among the causes contributing to the rise is the heavy freigh charged by shipping compnaies on the millers' raw material. The Miller, which is the orga'n of the milling trade, states that lis 3d was accepted in the summer for the carriage of a ton of Argentine grain to England, whilst last month up to 50s a ton was paid. Twenty-five shillings a ton had always oreviously been considered a good profitable rate. Londoners are getting used to rises: they are affected through the war in almost every line of household consumption. Even coal, of which Great Britan has perhaps the greatest stock worked in the world, is going up in price with regularity. On the London Coal Exchange on oth January the leading merchants deoided to advance their prices of house coal a further Is a toil. The previous rise of Is wa.s made on December 12th last. The reason given for the higher rates is the short supply owing to restricted working at the pits, coupled with delay in transport on the railways.