A WARNING.

Hokitika Guardian, 14 April 1926, Page 4

A WARNING.

COST OF HIGH. LIVING. AUCKLAND. April 12. .Sir Harold Beauchamp, in an interview, said: “Frequently during the past few years my critics have described me as a pessimist.. 'There are iio grounds lor classing me in that category: on the contrary ! am everything of an optimist, but 1 conceive it one of my duties to point out dangers existing through riotous extravagance that one sees in this country. "In this extravagance so many people find it dilHcuft to bear what they describe as the cost of living. Over

and over again it Ims been pointed put that it is not'the high cost of living but the cost 01. high living.” Sir Harold declared that there were many men in New Zealand with salaries of £4OO to £SOO a year., who owned motor-cars which were used simply for joy-riding. .Many of these cars were bought on the instalment system, say £lO down and the balance spread over two or three years. In Jin ding the money for the payment of (he instalments, the butcher, baker, grocer ; nd other tradesmen had to suiter.

It had been suggested, with a view to checking this class of luxury, that the Government should be invited ,to exclude motor-cars from the benefit of the Chattel Securities Act. If that were done sellers would, is self-pro-tection, be compelled to insist on a

greater part ol the purchase money being paid on delivery, instead of it being spread over a period of years. “Tile cost of production and the values ruling to-day for our primary produce compare favourably with those ruling in pre-war days,” Sir .Harold said, “but the producers are suffering from the high tost of production and tlie inordinate prices they have been paying for all classes ol farm lands. There is at the present time an adjustment being made in land value, which ought to ameliorate the present conditions. If the land values on this country could only be brought down to a reasonable figure it would relieve many of the difficulties farmers are having in making both ends meet.