The Manawatu Herald. Thursday, November 4, 1915. AN OLD ECONOMIC PROBLEM.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXVII, Issue 1468, 4 November 1915, Page 2

The Manawatu Herald. Thursday, November 4, 1915. AN OLD ECONOMIC PROBLEM.

TiiK attempts made in New Zealand and in other parts of the Empire since the beginning of the war to fix the prices of various commodities have early historical precedents. According to Professor Osborne, who delivered a lecture before the Classical Association at the Austral Salon at Melbourne last week, the Emperor Diocletian issued an edict, fixing the maximum prices for commodities and labour in the Roman Empire in the year 301 A.D, Historical research had shown, said the professor, that no more comprehensive list of commodities, or ol avenues of labour, could have been compiled than was then set forth. In a flowery preamble, the Emperor declared to bis subjects that he was compelled to take the action of limiting prices, because of the greed and avarice of speculators, who took advantages of the blessings of the gods and increased prices, not only fourfold or eightfold, but sometimes to such an extent that language could hardly be found lo express it. The penalty provided for a breach of the edict was death, and the Emperor ingeniously forestalled any objection to the severity of that penalty by pointing out that an easy way to avoid the punishment was open by Observing the edict. The list of commodities for which prices were given included every known cereal, even down to grass seed and carroway. There were three sorts of beer, different quality wines, oils, fish, all manner of birds, from geese to sparrows, animals from the ox to the dormouse, and vegetables and fruit of every description known, and sometimes in varying qualities. It was iu the limitation of the maxi' mum rates for the workers, however, that the edict had its most interesting aspects. As an indication of the thoroughness with which it was prepared, it may be mentioned that boat builders received two rates of pay —60 pence (about is) a day if the vessel was for the sea, and 50 pence it it was for a river. There were rates tor day labour and rates tor piecework. A barber received 2d per head, and a teacher so much per pupil per month, according to his standing and the subjects he taught, all of which were set out. Even lawyers’ fees were limited, and writers were allowed to receive only 23d per 100 lines of the best quality, while second-grade matter earned only 2od per zoo lines.