WELLINGTON TOPICS

Taihape Daily Times, 9 October 1919, Page 5

WELLINGTON TOPICS

COST OF LIVING.

STILL MOUNTING UP.

People who expected the end of the war, or at any rate the meeting of Parliament, to reduce the cost of living are being sadly disappointed. Prices still are mounting up, and there is no relief for the unhaigty C'onsunl=3r in sight. On the contrary, ‘the current number of the Abstract of Statistics shows an advance all along the line. Between August, 1918, and August, 1919, the price of groceries -advanced on an average from ‘the ‘index figure 1519 (519 points, that is, above the average prices in the four chief centres during the period 1909-1913) to 157-;1.,-dairy produce from 1423 to 1513, meat from 154.7 to 1590, and the three food groups together from 1506 to 1582. Of course, these adVances_ do not by any means represent all the additional burdens that have fallen upon the public since the beginning of the war five years ago. V The Government Statistician has not attempted to follow the increalses in‘ :11.-a.pe*ry. clothing, ‘boots, ‘and the other necessaries of civilian life,'but it is safe "to say these have wdvancedin at least’ the‘ same "ratio ashave the articles of food, ' A A THE PENALTY OFWEMPIRE.

6 The astonishing feature ‘about ‘these figures is the pre-eminence occupied by Wellington in the matter of high-‘prices. The “Empire City” owes much of its trade as ‘the great distributing centre of the Dominion, to" its geographical position, and one might have thought that articles brought from overseas would be cheaper here than in any other part’of the country. But, as a matter of fact, the very reverse is the case. The Index figure for groceries in Wellington for last quarter was 1649, while in Auckland it ivas 1557, in Christchurch 1529, and -in Dunedin 1553. At the outbreak of war the index figure for this food group in Wellington was 1053, and in Christchurch 1064, and by some rnysterious process the retailers here managed to get their prices up to 1649, while the Christchurch priccs have advanced to only 1529. Even such places as ‘Hamilton, Napier, New Plymouth,‘ Palmerston North, Nelson, and Greymouth, which get inany of their supplies through Wellingto sell at lower prices than does this great distributing centre.

RENTS. . Then there are the exorbitant rents the residents of Wellington have to pay for the privilege of liflng under the shadow of Parliament House and enjoying the reflected glories of the political‘ capital. These rents are 299 points higher than the average for the four big centres during the period 19091913. The only other centres that exceed that basis of calculation are Wanganui with 17 points, and Auckland with 4 points. Christchurch is 53 points lower, Dunedin 130 points lower, Hamilton 18 points lower, Palmerston North 82 points lower, Napier 40 points lower, and New Plymouth. 52 'points lower! Taking rents into account, VVell_ington is by a very large margin the dearest place of residence in New. Zealand, its index number in this respect being 1457. Rotorua comes next. with 1386, and then follow Gisbornc. Hamilton, 'l‘-aihape, Auckland, Nelson, Whangarei, in that order. Dunedin is fifteenth on the list of 25 representative towns, and Christchurch -eighteenth. VVHERE THE BLAME LIES. It “'35 Said by a politician the other day that the most damaging critic of -the Government is its own statistician," who, without the least taint of party -or political -bias, publishes monflh affmr month figures showing how lamentably it is failed to conserve the interests -of the publicTf But this was over. stating the position. The fact that prices in éthe three food groups have increased less in New Zealand than they have in any other part of the British Empire, must in some measure be due to the vigilance of those in authority. This much in justice must be conceded. But ‘the failure of the Government to give efieet’ to the‘ legislation of 1914 and its half-hearted administration- of the: legislation of the-_,-foll‘owing year; have allowed certain traders to exploit the public in a 'fashi:on~"‘w‘hich would 1-have --been quite impossible had Ministers started ‘out with the-experience they ‘gained-during five years of war]