THE OTAKI MAIL. Published on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. MONDAY, AUGUST 1, 1919. EDITORIAL NOTES.

Otaki Mail, Volume 26, 4 August 1919, Page 2

THE OTAKI MAIL. Published on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. MONDAY, AUGUST 1, 1919. EDITORIAL NOTES.

Proposed New Koad. The Wellington Automobile Association is actively interesting itself in the proposed new Toad from Paremata to Paekakariki, which lias been brought prominently before the public of late. Traffic over the X’aekakariki hill is increasing daily, and accidents, some of them fatal, have unhappily been of frequent occurrence, and will increase in numbers as time goes on, while the present road is the only one available, and even experienced drivers find this road a strain on their nerves. .Steps . are about to be taken to render this road safer, but this at best, can only k be ajJtcmporury expedient. A new route is urgently needed, and it is already i provided by nature. By leaving the present road at Paremata, bridging the Porirua harbour, an excellent road line is available through Plimmerton as far as Pukerua. Thence the road would follow the sea coast for several miles and join the existing road at Paekakariki. This portion of the road would undoubtedly be expensive, entailing as - it would a concrete wall to protect it from the sea, but there is solid rock foundation all the way, and in any case heavy expenditure is justified on a great permanant national highway. The Automobile Association has issued circulars setting forth the advantages that would accrue from the proposed road, while a plan of the existing road and the proposed new thoroughfare puts the position so clearly that it makes a convincing claim for the project. The present: road over the Paekakariki hill rises to a height of 840 feet above sea level, while the highest point of the proposed new road would be only llTd feet. Not only so. but the Paremata - Pukerua - Paekakariki road would be much straighter, and do away with the objectionable and dangerous twists and turns which make the Paekakariki hill such a nightmare to motorists. Still another strong argument in favour of the Pukerua route lies in the fact that this would shorten the distance by four miles or more. Such a road- as that proposed would j prove of enormous advantage to Wellington. the Otaki and Msmawstu districts, and to the whole Dominion, as it is an important link in the main arterial roads ox New Zealand. We are glad that the Automobile Association is taking up this matter so energetically, and cordially commend the scheme to all local bodies and the Government for support.

Profiteering. The columns of the Wellington papers have been freely used of late in discussing charges of profiteering, made by the Bev. J. G. Chapman. While it is probable that there is a certain amount of exaggeration in some of the charges made, and probably some of the information given regarding the enormous profits made is not altogether reliable, there can be but little doubt that exploitation or profiteering Is being carried on to a very large extent, resulting in the farther fattening of the “fat man” and the. undoing of the worker, who has been hard hit by the increase in the cost of. living. One of the specific cases that is being discussed freely in the Wellington papers .is'the ceorthottgiincrease is the cost of i tailor-made clothes. The Kev. J. &■ Chapman is backed up by 3lr M- -T. 1 Beardou. who claims that the increase 1 which the journeymen tailors received i as- the result of the - last award war : •'’uiyulent to about 2s 6 & on a suit of «: -dtereas the tailors have in- i 1 clothe*, ~*-t 3ji.ee from about £5 j e cleared ths ff —- - ---■» *.

j 10s to £S 10s upwards. This assertion, I I coming from a man in Mr Reardon’s 5 i \ position, certainly makes it appear that E the public are being exploited. At the j same time, it would appear that tho I wholesale firms are getting much bigger profits than the retailers.. Take the same line of business —tailoring. A gentleman who has had wide experience of the manufacturing of tweeds, T etc., as well as the retail “rag” trade, but who is now a sheepfarmcr, inform- ' cd us recently that certain cloths used for men’s suits, which before the war cost. Kiilors from 10s to 12s fid yard, r were now being sold as high as 38s per ( yard. Now, this same material con- i taius approximately one pound of wool i per yard, and the farmer is receiving only about Is fid per pound for his j wool—about double what he received in j few years ago. "Wages have increased ( about .30 to 40 x’er ceut. Even allowing that tho total cost of manufacture was doubly—and we arc told that it is not nearly that —the cloth could be sold at from £1 to 255, whereas tin: actual cost is 50 to 75 per cent more. Surely there is something wrong here, and tins is one of many similar cases. The wonder is tiiat we do not hear more of profiteering in these times, when the cost of living has increased to such an alarming extent. Parliament lias a stern duty ahead of it to grapple with ~ this question in a determined manner, and unless this is done there will be serious trouble iu New Zealand ere long.