WELLINGTON TOPICS

Taranaki Daily News, 15 March 1917, Page 6

WELLINGTON TOPICS

COST OF.LIVING. MOUNTING UP. (From Our Own Correspondent). Wellington, March 12. It is scarcely necessary to remind the average housewife that the cost of living continues to mount up with the prolongation of the war, lmt the la-it number of the Abstract of Statistics, the useful little brochure issued each month b\ the Government Statistician, contains some figures bearing on the subject which will enable the rest of tiie community to appreciate the magnitude of Iter troubles. Mr. Malcolm Kra-rr lias set out the facts of the position with admirable clearness, tracing the rise of prices in three food groups—groceries, dairy product? and meat—from the beginning of the war down to the present time, in each ( of twenty-five representative towns in the Dominion; bub apparently some of the newspapers in commenting upon his table showing the percentage of increase have not quite understood its meaning. Tile percentages are calculated from the local prices before tiie war in each case, so that a town where prices were low in the first half of ] !'il 4 may be represented as having a larger percentage increase than a town where prices were high during that penod, though the actual increase mav be substantially less. • LOCAL PiUCES. As illustrating this point the cases of 'Paiincrsfon NoHli find Gisborne may be taken. In July, l!)l-i, according to the Government Statistician, Palmerston Xortli was selling the commodities included in tiie three groups at lower prices, taken as a whole, than was any other town in the Dominion, while Gisborne was among the towns in which prices wen h:gh. But Palmerston North having brought its prices up to the average war level is now s*!iown 1o have increased them by 35.7S per cent., the largest percentage increase in the list, while tii.sborne, where prices are now higher than anywhere else in the country, is credited, wiih an increase of only 30.72 per cent. The best view of the position is obtained from the-)table sliowiig how much money is required in cuch town to pur-

chase a given quantity of eoni"wdH ; os which could be purchased before the vai for a sovereign. I'n's phries me twenty-five reprosencaidtowns i:i the following order:—Blenheim 25s 2</ 4 t\, Diuicuin 2."s *%&, Nelson •!•>? n'/.d, Timaru 25s 7%d, Ashlmrton 2">s IM/jd, New Plymouth 25s 11 1 /, d, Christchurch 25s 11'4<1, Wellington 26s 3y«d, Mastertaon 2fis 4y s d, Auckland 2Gs 3d, Palmerston North 2Gs ">%d, Invercargill 2fis 5%d, Hamilton 2fis fi%d, Napier 2fis i : ;4d, Oamant 2fis S%d, Wanganui 2fis »%d, Dannevirke. 2(is lflyjd, Gore 20s 10-J/jd. Greymouth 27s 2 1 /;. d, Whangarei 27s .T/.d, Hotorua 27s 3%(1, Wailvi 27s lOd, Taihapc 27s and Gisborne SSs 3V|d. ' The great bulk of the increases tool; place during the first year of the war, but tlje're have been gradual increases ever since. THE RAILWAY COMMISSION. The member for Ihitt is not the only person here '.surprised by a statement attributed to Mr. E. 11. Hiiey in a report appearing in one of the local papers of the evidence he gave before the Hallway Commission in Christchurch on Saturday. ''At first," summary of the General Manager's remarks runs, "he regarded Mr. Wilford's statements as rather frivolous, and wrote to Mr, Herries, offering reports from responsible ofiicers, and said lie did not tliiiiK an enquiry was necessary. When the papers were laid on the table and Mr. Wilford repented his statements ami said lie believed the statement of his informant as against tin. considered statements of jtlie responsible ofiicers, lie, with other ollieers of the Department, asked for an enquiry. lie considered it would have been unwise not to have done so," Evidently Mr Hiiey was under an entire misapprehension as to what really, occurred. M,r. Will'ord spoke, as he was compelled by the absurd rules -of the House to do, before the reports from the responsible officers were laid on the table, anil he was followed by the Miii-

ister, who assured him that when lie saw the papers he would he perfectly satis-" fied. Of jCourse, the member for Hutt had had no previous opportunity to see the papers, and when they were accepted by the House he regarded 'the incident as closed, till lie heard of the appointment of the Commission which he had neither sought nor suggested. MEMBER FOR HAWKE'S BAY. ■Sir John Findlay, the new member for H;, who's Bay, returned, to Wellington this evening and received the congratulations of his friends upon his victory. The contest seems to have been a very strenuous one from the first and to have kept the candidates and their active supporters hard at work till the very last vote was recorded. The poll was larger than was generally expected in the district, there being i feeling abroad that both the member of the I.ahor party and the rank and ! le of the Reform party would ahstaii. fn.in voting, but it still fell a long way hort tile returns at the general eh. on. Sir John made, an excellent imp: 'oa in the platform whenever lie spoke, iid 'S local friends are confident of his g able to hold his seat when he is I t known in the constituency and lia/s -hi an opportunity to dissipate the ra ..,er narrow parochia'ism that was so largely explo ted during the campaign. On this point and upon the popular assumption that he is to he offered a seat in the National Cabinet Sir John refuses to be drawn, hut he declares his aspirations go 110 further than to win the approval of his constituents and to fill the place where he may render the best service to them, to the Dominion and to the Empire.