WHAT MAKES LIVING DEAR.

Taihape Daily Times, 30 September 1918, Page 3

WHAT MAKES LIVING DEAR.

To the shrill protest of the housewife as to the increasing cost of goods the gruff deprecations of the importer are a fitting accompaniment (remarks the “Otago Daily Times”). A detailed statement shown to us as to the extra charges on a consignment of English enamel ware recently delivered in Dunedin may help the public to understand why they have to pay more for their saucepans arid dishes. The consignment consisted of three cases. The actual cost of the goods was £llO, as against £46 10a in 1913, and on top of that increase the importers had to pay 20 per cent, duty on the increased value. The freight charge is now 5s per foot, against Is per foot before the war. Insurance has gone up from 1 per eent. to 4| per cent. In 1913 the manufacturers delivered the goods at Port Chalmers; now they refuse to deliver, and instead of doing this themselves, they delivered to the importers’ Birmingham agents, which means an extra charge of 2| per cent., and the importers also had to pay railage to London, £2 15s 6d, and cartage to the docks, £1 18s 6d. These tacked-on expenses are stiff eno'ugh, but what

seems to be the crowning super-charge is 70s each for the cases. They are of the roughest wood and make, and

not at all gigantic, measuring only 57 x 43 x 40 inches each, or 119 cubic feet the three. For cases one-third smaller, before the war ,the firm used to be charged 7/6 each. On that scale the charge for the three now imported is seven times as much as in 1913!