Cost of Living

Horowhenua Chronicle, 29 August 1916, Page 3

Cost of Living

MR LLL. M.J*. WAXES JN DIG. ANT ■Speak.ng to .. Clurißtekuicii Siar reporter on Friday lust, Mr. Ell, M. ' expressed himself .strongly with regard to the 'action of those dairy farmers who have raised Lhe price of butter. He said their action was utterly stilish and unpatriotic, following as it did on the passing of the Militiary .Service Act. which requires the manhood of the country to give up the priceless possession of human life for the country. In view of the sacrifice that thousand" of our men are making, said Air. the taction of the dairytarmers is a disgrace to tho community, and it is the plain duty of the Government to *oiii mandeer the whole of the cheese and butter output of the country, fixing a fair price for tho producer.

produce s'tould he supplied to retailers on the strict condition that not. more th 1 1n a price to be rlcided on bv the Government should bcharged. the. Government st iiill!:' t:n; t''a! ai'_\ violation m! th>> condition wmed bar a

retailer from receiving further fl'ippl'is. I'arli i.lent had given the ('• ■ vernmont complete authority io deal with matters of this kind, and the Go vernmeut should not hesitate to exercise flio power

Mr. Ell states that the Board ot Trade recognises the butter problem as one of the most difficult with wlrch it lias to deal. At present the N dairy companies are asking, or rather demanding. Bijd for cheese, and it this price is conceded it will involve nil increase in ihe price of milk and of butter, as the price of these two commodities is to p very large extent regulated by that, of cheese. Tf tho price fixed for htlt-ler is not equivalent to for cheese, it wi'l'iMevitablv follow tßat the factories will devote thenattention to the nrmufaeure of cheese ill place of butter, and by this net inn will defeat an endeavour to fix prices for butter and milk.

Continuing. Mr. Ell said that 'be action of the Colonial Sugar Refining Company was most commendable, compared with the selfish notion of the dairy-farmers. In Londo'n on' June 3 the wholesale price of sugar was give" as 5.7 d per lb., whereas the retail price of sngiar over the counter today in Ohristchurch was 23d. f ! lie Government experienced little difficulty in inducing the Colonial Sugar Refining Company to agree to a proposition fixing the price of sugar for a considerable period. Mr Fill was at a loss to understand why similar action had not heen taken in the ca~e of hotter and cheese. « Acting on the suggestion of Mr Tsitt. the local members of Parliament, with the Mayor, will meet the Board of Trade on September oth to discuss tho cost mf living.