Rangitikei Advocate. MONDAY, JANUARY 28, 1907. SECOND EDITION. EDITORIAL NOTES.

Rangitikei Advocate and Manawatu Argus, Volume XXXI, Issue 8725, 28 January 1907, Page 2

Rangitikei Advocate. MONDAY, JANUARY 28, 1907. SECOND EDITION. EDITORIAL NOTES.

p.moxg the vast masses of statistics nnually published by the t/overnaant we look in vain for any definite latement as to the general tread of yages in this country, and also for dear information as to changes in ■lO cost of living. One authority ells us that in the last few years ■vavus have advanced 8 per cent, and ■be"cost of living 20 per cent, while mother would put the figures in the reverse order. Wo know that wage. 1 iiave advanced and that the cost of Living has increased, but we have nc i rustworthv information as to liom -iy mi the changes have been. Al other civilised countries publisl statistics of this kind at regular in ixrvuls, and as our Year Book is ii ■ orally packed with information o cverv description wc are led to the rather disagreeable conclusion hurt iI.G Labour".Department deliberately wrmres. cs the publication of statistics .vouch might furnish weapons for p„jse who arc of opinion that our e ho u' legislation is not quite so c ; as'its admirers would, have us to believe. It is true that such miri- dcs can only give us a rough a'lprosinu’.iion to too truth, but if , '*ey lire drawn up year after year on tig; suit 1 plan they olfer data woich mav fairly bo compared. Thu British Blue Books for example show tire changes in industrial wages in La-ms of monov for each year, and wc room the lie-urns for each period of live years from l-'W. if the wages r.u- the v ars KssiMspi are reprosmted bv 10d it is seen that in the next iwo'cmial periods they would be renresenle iby Kid,d and 110. d. Of comae the money wages arc not so important as wnat cconcmmis call ihe real wages, in other words what the mon.-y wages will buy, and the Blue .Book again informs us that for jSjrj period-; ”above mentioned the is al '.vag.-s were represented by too Hgurm I;..";, lUd.d, 110-9 respectively. Tiume idles prove that between Ihsi) and 1;)00 wages steadily rose and prices fell. Money wages rose on the a-.a rage 10 per cent., but owing to lower prices the workman was hi) pgr cent, bettor oil at me end of the period than al the beginning. BY look In vain for such statistics with regard to Yew Zealand. The data could family bo obtained, and one of the clerks in Mr von Dadci,oiVicu could without dilliculty work them into the usual form. The a'Js nice of thews figures is particularly to be regretted as they would draw a i ten lion to the distinction between iiiojiev wages and real wages. At lev-ant the labour party min to iiave entirely railed to grasp the vital im.noriance ‘of this point. The’ clamour constantly for more pay un conscious of the'fact that higbo wages are of no real importance i prices rise in the same or a greate wtL'. We require some clear in formation as to the changes in th nurclia'ing power of money fron W;., to vo.-tr before we can definite!; conclude whether the working man i anv bet:... r ol’t now than he wa twenty yews ago.