The Chronicle PUBLISHED DAILY. LEVIN. SATURDAY, APRIL 17, 1915. COST OF LIVING

Horowhenua Chronicle, 17 April 1915, Page 2

The Chronicle PUBLISHED DAILY. LEVIN. SATURDAY, APRIL 17, 1915. COST OF LIVING

I'lic Hon. Mr Miissi'v'b undertaking to have enquiry made into the increased cost of living in \ew Zealand, and the (■auses therefor. is comtOi'ti 11 lc for. head* el families. Hut to have effective results the enquiries nmsl be followed by legislative action. either hy regulations I l amed under an existing statute or by the parsing of a new act to meet the emergencies that may arise. The sub-" ;ect ol the cost of living is a difficult ine to <" pe with, lor so many rises have been made already in the price* ' I primary and .secondary produce and niannlaelures that hardsnip is sure to he inflicted on non-contributing parties to the state of affairs existing, no mattter what precautions be taken. I he trouble should have been grappled with at the beginning of the war. when certain schemers were at work to enhance unduly the selling prices of ceroals and fat stock- more especially "heat and its milled products to the end that dishonest profits coukl he ■■••aped. These have been reaped with noticeable result, and now the reckoning is itpoii the population. Had I lie Government lieen insistent upon the maximum price it fixed for wheat, a lot of the trouble would have been avoided. Certainly there were .serious difficulties to overcome: buT the issue of amended regulations, would have met the need. As matters stand now quite a number of subsidiary industries dependent upon the by-products of wheat have been put to serious loss during the last six months, ,*ind upon these the incidence of new regulations will press hard. None the less, if the public weal demands it, there should be ■no failure to make the regulations; and once tfiey "are" made they should be insistently administered and maintained. Alterations, in reason, may become necessary. but any .suggestion of an abrogation such as (hat which followed on the Governmental ukase concerning wheat should be steadfastly resisted by the Government in the light of their oast experience. The conditions prevailing in New Zealand to-day are if a kind that will result in "the rich becoming i ichor. :nid the poor poorer." and wo have the aftermath of this foretold in Goldsmith's woll-fcnown lino Til faros the land, to hastening ills a prey, 'Where wealth accumulates and nv-ii . decay."

11l an American paper boots with aluminium soles are advertised. It is claimed that such soles will outwear steel and are very light. A total of 338,900 cubic feet of gas was manufactured at the I'oxton gas works for the month of March. The receipts were £151. The Gisborne Times reports that the local Defence Office is expecting an nr. gent call lor more men, and all men registered were asked to turn up for [ medical examination last Wednesday. I .Shannon milk -suppliers - Messrs Gardiner, Butts, Pope and Gill—announce that owing tn the increased cost of cow feed there will he slightly increased charges for household supplies of milk this winter. Details are adrtised. Alter the departure of the 7.15 p.m. train from Paekakariki to Palmerstoil yesterday the body ol a man was found on the line. No details of the accident or of the mail's identity have been received. \ esterday alternoou a boy named I'iehard Thompson, son of Air J. ~\V. Thompson, of Kevin, met with a serious accident. He was riding a pony near the Levin (school when ho fell off and uas kicked on the head by the animal. lie was unconscious for some hours, but hi.s condition shows a great improvement this morning. Ihcre nas a huge attendance of tioopeis at tli (_?< Druids' ladies' night last evening in the Druids' Hall, file dance-was a success and soldiers and civilians had a good time. Mrs Kairs suplicd the music and several of the troopers played extras. . Messrs E. S. Lancaster and B. Judd acted as M's.C. An excellent spoils -programme will be galloped, through next Wednesday, on the AYeraroa racecourse. by the "<>"• in camp there. An adverinent on the matter appears to av. on page 3. The public already :s evincing keen interest in the gathering, and ;i big muster may be anticipated a.s certain. Ihe tomato crop in this district ha< been almost a complete failure this year. The high winds in the early part ol the season delayed the growth the plants. Later nn the hick of -unshme retarded the ripening of the l and this neck's frosts did such damage that growers will have to trans-f'-r their hopes to the l!ll<i crop. Sam Laaglord. negro pugilist, retires from the ring next month, and uoes on to the land. || r told a New ork newspaper man that lie intended - r """ vegetables like John L. Sullivan does. In other phrase, paraphrasing the words of an old negro minstrel song "he takes down the shovel and the hoe. and gives boxing gloves their final go" -on 31st: April" '"It will be no Adelina I'atti retirement." he says, "but a final turnMown."