A BURNING QUESTION

Hokitika Guardian, 5 November 1918, Page 1

A BURNING QUESTION

MOKE LIGHT ON HIGH COST OF LIVING. (N.Z. Times.) While other members of Parliamnet have been vigorously criticising the Government about its failure to ileal with the cost-of-living problem, a member of the Legislature Council, Mr. H. L. Michel last week saw fit to declare that the Government was not to blame in this respect. A few of his points were that many of the commodites that had jumped up in price since the outbreak of war were imported into the country and therefore the Government was not to blame. Again, - the producers of New Zealand should not be compelled to accept less than the retail price otherwise it was sheer robbery. Labour people, he held should have formed their own co-operative stores. Dir Michel gave some astounding fisrures to the Council. Recently he had imported from the Old Country a ton of carbonate of soda to cost £6 5s (the same amount would cost £l2 to day). To land this amount it cost over and above the cost price £2l 3s. “And what are you going to sell it at?” inquired a member amidst great laughter. “I will let you have it at 10 percent, on what it cost,” promptly replied Mr. Michel. The speaker then added that owing to the abnormal price of tin it cost producers as much, for the tin as for the goods tliev contained. “Even more.” observed another member.