The Taihape Daily Times. AND WAIMARINO ADVOCATE FRIDAY, OCTOBER 26, 1917. A NEW ERA DAWNING.

Taihape Daily Times, 26 October 1917, Page 4

The Taihape Daily Times. AND WAIMARINO ADVOCATE

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 26, 1917. A NEW ERA DAWNING.

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

It is little short of cruel irony for Parliament to continue wasting time, and taxpayers' money, in discussing the Cost of Living. 'A Board of Trade was set up to condemn Jonathan and it has exonerated him on every charge, which means that the Board's real functions were to find apologies for high prices, while making the people foot the bill. It may be some comfort to the masses of the people to remind them that the cause of high prices" the Board allegedly established was that there was too much money. If the people had not so much money prices would be lower. Does this not lead one to presume that prices are fixed at what the seller thinks he can get regardless of the cost of production or of the usual control of supply and demand? The report presented to Parliament is an unsatisfactory document, as it gives no hope of the slightest improvement that would be acceptable to the Government. It offers no solution other than that the Government should adopt a similar course to that /followed by other parts of our Empire and by our Allies, but Mr Statham M.P., certainly one of the best balanced minds in the House, is insulted by being virtually told that he is an ass to voice, such proposals. A very great deal of the report is devoted to clearing the producing community from any charge of profiteering but we are not aware that producers have had any such charge seriously levelled against them. In fact the Government has already done with the farmer what the Board now advises should be done with the profiteering middlemen. For, of course, there is profiteering, or the drastic advice which the Government will have none of, would not have been given. The report says there is no profiteering and then proceeds to try and apply the most drastic antidote for profiteering it is possible to imagine. If the House did its duty under the circumstances it would at once end the huge expenditure the Board involves, or it would adopt the advice the Board was ostensibly set up to give. To waste time in exculpating producers is nothing more than throwing dust in our eyes. Government has now fixed the price of everything the producer has to sell, and tie ,£armcjr would not appear in cost of living discussions at all only that he is wanted for profiteering controllers to skulk behind. The whole cost of living busi-

las it is apparent that the CoVerninent will do nothing by adopting the met- \ hods proposed by the Board of Trade, they set up, it is a little short of a scandal to go on involving further expense. A telegram from Wellington yesterday opens up a new vista of thought. It brings very forcibly to the mind of everyone that while trading vultures are to be given the utmost freedom to charge what they like | for any necessary of life they individually or collectively control, the labourer is not to enjoy similar rights. It stands by the high prices of the necessities of life, and further, that they are prepared to introduce, alter and invoke any legislation and regulation to compel labour to sell his services at just what the vulture crowd like to pay for it. It does not seem dignified or honourable for the Government to plead that it is impossible too fix a reasonable and rational price for articles necessary to human existence, while demonstrating conclusively that it can, and will, regulate the price of the labour the masses have for sale. Such an attitude will seem to most men to be the height of inconsistency and so it is regarded by Members of Parliament of every colour, reform, liberal, labour, and independent. Prices of necessaries of life and wages are travelling along an Archimedian screw, ever revolving upward, one never overtaking the other. Strange to say, our Government does not hesitate to essay the stoppage of the carrying upward of wages in the ever revolving screw, while it contends that to touch the other would' bring disaster, in fact, Ministers say it cannot be done. So it is that the one has got such a long lead over the other that the masses of the people stand dl'mayed and chagrined watching the disaster bring ; ing phenomena. Prices are being carried upward by the profiteering screw, without hindrance, while the Government has clutched hold of wages, hanging on and retarding that upward movement that is natural. As wo gaze at the disappointing process we are consumed with wonder as to why the motion of the screw is not stopped altogether,- or if the Government is powerless to do that, why it does not hang on to prices, keeping them down as well as wages. If they can stop one from being whirled up, why not the other? Of course everybody knows that both are much too high up the screw already, and -to revolve • the screw the reverse way for a time would do an incalculable amount of good. So long as the present course of evolution is permitted to continue, so long will the Government find a clamour for an increased allowance to soldiers dependents. Customs duties may be levied ad infinitum, but this is only one of the byways of profiteering that keeps down wages, and limits the purchasing power of any increased allowance made to wives, children and other" dependents of our fighting men. Mr Massey even went so far as to say that men of Second Division- were not playing the game because they were urging that their wives.and families should receive a living allowance. It is indeed depressing tha,t any one of our community should suggest, ;even, that husbands and fathers should cast their lives into the fight for our freedom and right to exploit when they know that the miserable pittance offered ; to their wives and children would ire--! "uuce them to a condition of semistarvation. It is the same old opposition to pay labour a living wage, while giving full fling to the greed of profiteers. Yet another telegram that came along yesterday brings a ray of hope, showing that the Employers' Federation is superior to the Govern ment. It sees that a rough blind road has been followed in the past, that ever the precipice is the chasm at the other end, unnoticed till on its very edge. This great body of employers has now realised that there is an end to the Archimedian screw and when high prices reach it they will be set free, distributed by the storms of pubTic opinion, resulting in price chaos. Labour is left still toiling up the screw Avith the Government load of repression and high customs duties, political exigencies rendering them careless, and blind to what must be the ultimate. The Federation of Employers" nave seen their folly and are now taking steps to create a closer connection with labour. The Executive of the Employers is anxious ts find a basis for partnership with the Trades and Labour Councils. We are particularly graft fied with this effort to stop the screw from revolving, because our readers will know that this journal has urged on two or three occasions that producers, labour, and the whole country generally, had everything to gain by a closer and better understanding between the two parties upon which the whole of our national super-structure stands and must look to for the riches that will maintain it as ai glorious object lesson to the rest of the world. Employers are certainly entitled to the country's heartiest congratulations and encouragement in their efforts to stop the screw and bring the two classes of producers,, 'whom; /nature put together, into a closer, more amiable and amicable relationship. If the Employ. era persist with the work they have

to scrap all Cost of Living Commissions, Government regulations of prices and wages and save all the huge sums of money involved in their upkeep. Our faith is in the course we have so

often advocated, and which the Federated Employers have seen the wisdom of adopting Our supreme hope is that they will be met in a corresponding spirit by the Trades and Labour Councils, whose co-operation in pror duction and trade is now being sought A relationship dictated by nature seems within sight, we perceive the dawn of a new era of economic peace and prosperity.

FIFE AND DRUM BAND. The parents and residents of Taihape as well as the members of our district's military organisations, have good cause to be thankful to the Com- , niandant of the Feathcrston Camp, for allowing Drum Corporal Atkinson to come and give the the- drummers of our embryo Fife and Drum Band an orthodox initiation into the mysteries and art of drumming in its useful connection with such movements as our Senior Cadets and Boy Scouts. Our people owe a double quota of thanks, as, in addition to lending an iiv structor, the Commandant must have selected the man from the Featherston Band that was best equipped by nature and study of his art to lay a sound foundation to the drumming part of our band. Corporal Atkinson has an instinctive sense of duty, and that sense of duty is strongly exemplified in the splendid results he ha~s achieved with our young, raw matterial in the short period of one week. Drummers are not made in a week, however, yet we almost fear to ask for an extension of Corporal Atkinson's help. If it can be done without any accusation, or thought of a charge of overreaching being levelled against our community, we .would like to suggest that if the Featherston Camp Commandant, after learn-, ing from Corporal Atkinson, just the position he is leaving the young players in, can see his way clear to allow- us an extension of that capable instructor's services his generosity would be fully appreciated. It is not in the best interests bf_ the drummers, or of the correctness of" methods in drumming, that any other instructor .should be employed \beforc the teachings of Corporal Atkinson are well-grounded and beyond being damaged by heterodoxy. We are,' at ' least, sure that the Camp Commandant will see the half-way House position our drummers will find ±herr| selves in when Corporal Atkinson takes farewell of them at the final lesson to-night.