WELLINGTON NOTES.

Hokitika Guardian, 28 February 1919, Page 4

WELLINGTON NOTES.

THE COST OF LIVING

WAGES AND PRICES

(Our Special Corresj/ondent)

WELLINGTON, Eeb. 2<5.|

The little discussion between Mr. Justice Stringer and Mr. Reardon at the sitting of the Arbitration Court concerning the relation between wages and prices has caused comment hero. The P resident of the Court seems to I have implied that the Government was attempting to shift its responsibility in regard to'the cost of living on to him self and his associates on the bench, and the representative of the workers appears to have cordially agreed with this view. “Are we to go on increasing wages in sympathy with the. cost of living, till something breaks ?” was his Honour’s inquiry, and “Yes, till something breaks or till Parliament sees the futility of its legislation’’ was Mr Reardon’s reply. The question and answer scarcely settled the' matter in the mind of the public, but they'set many people thinking very hard.

THE GOVERNMENT’S ATTITUDE. It is a little difficult to ascertain the

Government’s attitude towards the blunt- proposition put before the Arbitration Court. Mr Massey’s portfolios during his present* visit to London arc not distributed just as they were during bis former visit. From this it is as-

sumed among politicians that the Prime Minister was not too well pleased with 'Mr MacDonald's ellorts on the Former occasion to stay the advance in the cost of living. Ministers do not talk outside of things of this sort and it is not suggested that Mr Massey is less concerned than the Minister of Agriculture is for the interests of the consumers. Simply they differ as to the means that should be employed. It is an open secret that the National Cabinet is sharply divided on the subject and that the Government has no policy that can be accepted a.s an expression of its collective mind.

THE BOARD OF TRADE. The popular tendency is to blame the Board of Trade for what is happening, or perhaps, one should say for what is not happening. Rut the Board of Trade has no initiative of its own. It simply makes recommendations to the Government and the Government decides whether its recommendations shall he adopted or not. Its investigations as a committee of inquiry have been of very considerable value and its services towards adjusting the prices of certain commodities, particularly sugar, butter and bread, have been of distinct advantage to the community. How much more it might have done, for good or for evil, had it been endowed with executive powers 3io one can say. But as things stand there is no conclusive answer to the reiterated assertion that equally good results might have been obtained by a slight extension of the functions of the Government Statistician. A CONFERENCE PROPOSED.

The “Dominion,” dealing with the feature of the problem which eonfronts the Arbitration Court suggests that New Zealand with advantage might follow the example of the British Government in convening a conference of representatives of Capital and Labour to consider the whole question of wages. The conference it has iu mind is one representative of organised Labour, of employers, and of farmers, the last-named being included “as an important section of the community entitled to special representation.” The scheme in its present shape is a little crude, and it is not easy to see what practical ends the conference could he expected to reach, hut there is a growing disposition among the local section of sane Labour to place more reliance . upon friendly negotiation than upon compulsory arbitration.'