The Taihape Daily Times AND WAIMARINO ADVOCATE TUESDAY, JANUARY 9, 1917. FUTURE COST OF LIVING.

Taihape Daily Times, Issue 219, 9 January 1917, Page 4

The Taihape Daily Times AND WAIMARINO ADVOCATE

TUESDAY, JANUARY 9, 1917. FUTURE COST OF LIVING.

(With which is incorporated The Taihape Post and Waimarino News).

It is frequently being asked, "how will the war affect the cost of living in the future?" If experience gained from past wars can 'be relied upon, the future cost of living will be much higher than it was before the war commenced. There is some probability also that the present cost of living will not be reduced very much by cessation of hostilities, and labour

organisations in various parts cf the

world are seriously considering whether it is not now advisable that broadly organised action should be taken towards bringing wages more into line with the cost of what workers need. In Britain, labour has come into its own; current labour is now placed on an equality with that of the concreted kind, and so long as no un-

due, or unreasonable interference with the new order of things takes place, there will b. 3no strikes. In New Zealand other conditions prevail; here, there is an undercurrent of dissatisfaction that may be fanned into a conflagration at any moment by indis-

creet action of some person, or persons, callous and indifferent to the rights of others. The cost of living in New Zealand is the absorbing subject around which all the rumours of labour disquiet revolve. Luxury and riches are flaunted in the streets

of cities as well as in country centres of settlement, and labour naturally asks himself why this should be while

he can scarcely make his income clothe and feed his family, even where •he is able to work full time. Of course there are exceptions towards both extremes, but it is not" the exceptions but the condition that is general among the masses from whence the , trouble arises. Labour is conferring.

and is exhaustively discussing its present and future. To arrive at an approximate idea of the future past experiences of the world after war are being recalled, and it has not yet been shown that there is much variation in such experiences. Going back more

than half a century, to the Crime

War, we find prices in the sixties were high; that they gradually went down until the Franco-G-erman war, which resulted in very nearly doubling the cost of all necessary commodities. It was the abnormal increase given to the cost of living that caused a long period of labour unrest. Periods of high prices have been proved to be either due to war or to war's after effects, and it has just as truly been established that periods of low prices have resulted from continued peace.

In a country like New Zealand, it is quite understandable why war should exercise such an influence on prices, parliamentarians and newspapers are daily proclaiming it. The money and the men that would, in peace, be employed in opening up new land, making closer settlement, extending roads, building bridges, constructing railways, improving already producing areas, erecting factories, are'being devoted to war, an appalling destruction of both taking place, leaving fewer men to produce and less capital to be devoted to production. Production will not be on a level with consumption for several years to come, and prices in consequence will rule high. Fortunately for us, New Zealand is a producing country; the shortness of food among the peoples at war creates an extraordinary demand and prices respond accordingly; but here again

we arrive at the cause of the labour unrest that has yet to be dealt with. There seems no justification at a time of unprecedented riches why one section of the community should be compelled to suffer additional hardship while others have additional riches heaped upon them, and this is how the great federation of labour in this dominion is forced to view it. We are at a stage when consumption in the Empire is out of all proportion to production. For years capital will flow into this and into all producing countries until the disproportion is overtaken, and it can only be after many years that this stage can be reached, but the hardships that result could be lessened very largely by a plentiful supply of the means of transit. Australia has realised this, and has laid the foundations of a shipping line to be owned in its entirety by the people. If New Zealand does net act similarly, her people will be hampered in their production from the want of a plentiful supply of reasonably priced shipping; their produce

will be accumulating for unduly long periods in stores, while that from Australia will be reaching the Home markets as fast as State-owned ships can possibly carry it, constituting a great handicap to the New Zealand producer, and, in fact, to New Zealand generally. The persistent rumours of labour unrest and strikes are all closely connected with this question of the high cost of living, its causes and probable duration. To deal with it effectually, there must be no tinkering; it is something that calls for distinctly honest, able statesmanship; the political cobbler can only bring about that condition that will rob New Zealand of its opportunity to participate in the riches that must for very many years continue to flow into producing countries. A capable Government will ensure a fair division of the inflowing wealth, so that none may feel the pinch of want, while a Government whose policy is tinctured with greed and exploitation, caring little whether workers sink or swim so long as they can gratify ah abnormal greed, will land the country in industrial strife that will mean the loss of millions of money from overseas markets. Surely, it is time we realised that labour is in earnest, and that its cause is just. The place for Red Fed. Sabotage is in places of detention, but it is vitally important that our legislators should see that no labour upheavals intervene to affect New Zealand's opportunity to participate to the full in the years of high prices for produce that all previous experience has shown to invariably follow any great war. After the war there are long years of peace and plenty at our bidding, which greed and exploitation will endeavour to rob us of.

The third ballot under the Military Service Act was drawn in Wellington yesterday.

On December 1 there were 64 patients in the Palmerston North Hospital. During the month there were 82 admissions and 93 were discharged. Three died, and on January 1 there were 50 inmates.

The Rotorua arrived at Auckland on Monday with sick and wounded soldiers under Colonel Bowles. They include men who fought in the Somme push and at Armentieres. Thsre are no cot cases.

The mail train this morning contained no less than twenty carriages, and is claimed to be the longest train drawn by a single engine that has left Auckland. It was crowded with passengers returning from their holidays.

In the second race at Oomoto to-day (says the Greymouth Star of the 3rd inst.) the horses were very fractious at the start, Hymetus being particularly troublesome. He bolted once round, and was with difficulty pulled up. One of the attendants eventually obtained a large, stick to act as a "persuade," and made a wild blow at the animal. The twigs on the end of the stick caught in the animal's tall, and the colt did the five furlongs of the race with a 4ft stick dangling from his caudal appendage.

J The country between New Plymouth ( and Waitara is looking drier now than

it has done at this time of the year for a decade or more.

The Hon. James Allen stated last night that he had received word that the 19th Reinforcements, which have not yet reached their destination, are all well.

The average amount of coal hewed daily by a miner is six tons, said Mr. E. S. Wight, managing director of the Pukemiro Collieries, in giving evidence at a sitting of the Aucklanc Military Service Board.

The Minister of Agriculture has instructed the Crown officers to proceed with the requisitioning of sheepskins, and hopes to be able to deal with hides in a day or two.

On December 22, Reuter's correspon

dent at The Hague reported that in the Second Chamber the Minister for War stated that since the beginning of the war he had always felt that Holland's time might come any day. She was thoroughly prepared for such an eventuality.

A kindly spirit was shown by the Greymouth waterside workers at Christmas, when they remembered the needs of the dependents of their comrades who are now at the front. They gave 10s to each child whose father is in the firing line. The sum presented amounted in all to £lO, one family receiving £2 10s. :

A wee lassie, on a recent Sunday, attended a church at which communion service was held. The fairness of the proceedings did not appeal to the little one, for directly she reached her home she rushed to her mother and indignantly said: "What do you think, Mother, They gave all the grown-ups a teeny-weeny piece of bread and a drink and they didn't give us children anything. ''

The Matron of the Taihape Hospital acknowledges with thanks the following gifts: —Magazines and photograph views of Taihape, Mrs. P. Tomlinson; case stout and ale, Main Trunk Brewery; a goose, Mr. W. Williams; flowers. Mr. Begg; magazines, vegetables and flowers, Mrs. E. Deadman; Xmas cake, Mr. Milne; fruit, Hop On and Co; flowers, Miss M. Stringer; papers Salvation Army; fruit, Mrs. A. Williams.

Two young men of military age, both from Wellington, were arrested in Napier on Friday evening by De-tective-Sergt. Ward and Police-Sergt. Fraser, on charges of uttering seditious statements in a local hotel the previous evening. One of the men is a member of the Wellington Waterside Workers' Union, and the other is employed in a wool store at Wellington. When arrested both men stated that they were on a holiday visit tc Napier.

With the duplication of freezingworks there is an increasing demand for fattening lands in the Wanganui arid Main Trunk districts. A number of properties have recently changed hands, including "Ann Bank," at Turakina, the property of Mr. B. P. Lethbridge chairman of the Rangitikei County Council. The property, with the exception of the homestead and 90 acres, which Mr. Lethbridge retains, has been purchased by Messrs O'Neill Bros., the price being in the vicinity of £60,000. The new owners of "Ann Bank" propose going in extensively for the fat-lamb trade.

Canada is giving away her rich soil in free 160-acre grants at the rate of an English county per month. Official returns just to hand show that during the month of July 1398 homestead entries were made for free land grants of 160 acres each in the four western provinces of Saskatchewan, Alberta, Manitoba, and British Columbia As usual, the largest total is under the heading "American," there being 240 of these, the majority of whom settled in Alberta. One hundred and fifty-eight were English, 50 Scottish, and 21 Irish. The number of individuals represented in this total is 3233. Last year the. total homesteads for the same month was 2032, a falling off this year of 634, which is fully accounted for by the absence of so many men with the colours.

In the course of a speech at Gisborne, the Minister of Agriculture said he believed this was a time when the farmers' unions should be revived to assist organising labour. The Government had recently taken the census and hoped to have the agricultural labour portion of the returns avail able early in January. When they were available they would be able to go on with some system of organisation. The subject had been discussed by Cabinet only recently, added Mr MacDonald, and the several departments .concerned and the farmers' unions were to be asked to start organisation on these lines. He did not think there would be much difficulty in finding out the position in regard to labour.

The next Taihape stock sale will be .

held on January 17. Those interested will note the date.

The estimated population of the Dominion at September 30 lasjt is put by the Government Statistician at

1,092,502

A large number of lambs were put throguh the Taihape Freezing Works, which were opened on Wednesday last. Four butchers occupied the board, and it is expected that this number will be doublea this week.

The Buick motor-car has achieved a reputation second to none, and is aptly described as being one of the finest on the market. Messrs R. Wilson and Co., sole agents for Taihape, have an advertisement on page 1 of this issue, giving particulars and prices of the latest models.

Sparks from an engine of the Christ church-Culverden train were responsible for many fires and much damage yesterday. At Sei'ton and Balcairn grass paddocks were swept, and near Amberley Mr A. Payne lost a fiveroomed house. 30 acres of wheat, ten acres of oats, and 15 acres of grass seed. McAdam Bros, lost 20 acres of wheat. At Todd Bros, a threshing mill was only saved by back-firing. The progress of the fire was stayed by the Kowai river. The damage would probably have been greater but for the efforts of all present at the Amberley stock sale, who rushed to the scene in motor cars and headed off the flames in the middle of McAdams' oat crop.