WELLINGTON TOPICS.

Taranaki Daily News, 17 October 1916, Page 6

WELLINGTON TOPICS.

IHE BOARD OF TRADE. . (BLUFFING IN EARNEST,' (From Our Own Correspondent). Wellington, October 13. It is rumored that Mr. James Allen gave the most cordial .support to Mr. McDonald's butter scheme, '''ratably the Minister of Defence realised that i? the Government allowed the local price of such a commodity as butter to mount up to a figure that would be practically piohibitive so far as a large section of the community was concerned, his recruiting efforts'would be sure to suffer. F.ven a bigger trouble was looming in the distance. It was whispered about the city while the negotiations were ii. progress that if the -waterside workers were required td handle butter that had been placed beyond the reach of their own families they would raise a protest which would take a more formidable shape than stop-work resolutions r.nd letters to the newspapers. For the time any catastrophe of this kind has been avoided, and it is quite possible that the successful regulation of the price of butter may lead to a demand for the regulation of the price of meat and, of other commodities. A precedent lias heen created which may produce far-reachinj results.

COST OF LIVING*

Butter is not hy any means the only article on the New Zealander's somewhatl usurious list of "necessaries" that ha.s gone uj: to an abnormal price since the beginning of the war, but ii -the action of the Government save? the publie only twjpenee a, pound on this one commodity it will put nearly £4OOO a week into the pockets of the consumers. Every housewife lenov.o they need it sadly enough. Since July, 1014, according to the Government Statistician, the increase in the prices in Auckland ho.; been 10.53 per cent., in Wellington 22.8-! per cent., in Christehurch 14.05 per cent., and in Dunedin 15.09 per cent. The increase in the prices of dairy produce has been in Auckland 30.05, in Wellington 25.10, in Christehui'ch 25.C3, and in Dunedin 21.55; and the increase in meat in Auckland 13.04, in Wellington 17.0(1. in Chri'Stchureh 20.0!), and in Dunedin 21.03. Why the increase in the price of I groceries should be so enormously larger in Wellington than it is in Chrr.tcluircli no one, except perhaps the members of the Merchants' Association, can toll, and why dairy produce should he dearc-r ir, Chri.stchurch than it is in this much-ex-ploited city is a puzzle beyond the comprehension of tile most erudite oconoist. But in Wellington the cruellest burden of all placed upon the wage earner is the huge increase in house rents. While 'house rents in the other three cen-. trej have materially declined during the course of -the year tl*o=e in ■Wellington have increased from M to 25 per cent., and seem still to be going' Up. The lation aimed against this evil last session appears to lie no more effective here thau'the anti-shouting regulation is ; ,aid to be elsewhere.