The Stratford Evening Post WITH WHICH IS INCORPORATED THE EGMONT SETTLER. FRIDAY, JANUARY 15, 1915. THE COST OF LIVING.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXV, Issue 12, 15 January 1915, Page 4

The Stratford Evening Post WITH WHICH IS INCORPORATED THE EGMONT SETTLER. FRIDAY, J ANUARY 15, 1915. THE COST OF LIVING.

That vexed problem—the cost of living! i s likely to he even more troublesome in the near future than it is at sent. With the shortage of wheat; bread has increased in price and probably be dearer. Meat went up in sympathy with the rise in a depleted! stock market. Sugar and other necessaries of life have soared upwards for| more or less apparent reasons, not long ago boot and shoe men raised their tariff owing to a shortage ofj leather in the world’s markets. A northern manufacturer, referring to j this latter rise, expresses the view ( that boot manufacturing has beeii| affected by the shortage, and the English manufacturers have been com-j polled to make advances. The Eng-, lish tanners and other exporters have] been prohibited from exporting leather| that is suitable for military purposes.) There has been an extraordinary de-| maud for leather suitable for soldiers’ ( boots, and for saddlery and harness., The readjustment of the markets, ought, it would appear, to give a, chance to the New Zealand manufac-j turer to rise to the occasion, but there ( is much leather used in boot manufacturing that is not made in New Zealand. Much of the “fancy work,” ladies’ slices for instance, has been coming from France, other leathers were imported from Russia, and, hitherto, most of the dye used in the leather industry has been made in Germany. Other leather will naturally rise in price in sympathy with the advance in prices abroad. It is therefore* high time we drew nearer to the “simple life” if we are to stand the strain of the cost of living burden.