WELLINGTON TOPICS

Taranaki Daily News, 13 July 1917, Page 5

WELLINGTON TOPICS

RAILWAY GRIEVANCES. Wellington, Jury 11. It is rumored that the refreshing candor of the members of the deputation that waited upon Mr. Masscy, Sir Joseph Ward and Mr. Herries lask week to demand the restoration of some of the discontinued train services is likely to lead to interesting developments in the Railway -Department in the near future. Mr. Wilford, Mr. 'R. A. Wright and Mr. W. H. Field when they said, in effect, that the restricted train services mere the result of a petty quarrel between the Railway Department and the Defence Department in which the former was trying' to inflict as much inconvenience as possible upon the public were simply echoing the common talk of the city. Of course 1 , Mr. Herries, in duty bound, warmly defended the high officors of his department from the imputations cast upon them, but Mr. Massey and Sir Joseph Ward evidently were impressed bv what was told them by the various speakers and it is not improbable more than one of the services will be restored. It was put to the Ministers verv plainlv that the railways were not controlled ,by the general manager, but by an officer of more commanding personality who had a grievance against the defence" authorities and was relieving his feelings by "taking it out of the public" in such ways as his ingenuity could devise. COST OF LIVING.

No Minister of the Crown Ims yet vouchsafed to explain to Mr. Wilford why in New Zealand, with its twentyfive million sheep and its two and a-half million cattle, and with its stores literally overflowing with mutton and reef, "we nre paying so much for our meat"; but the Government Statistician in his latest Monthly Abstracts has thrown some, lurid light on the subject by showing how prices ho.ve advanced since the beginning of the war. The movement •began some months before the actual outbreak of hostilities. During the period between 1900 and 1913 the index number indicating the average price of meat in twenty-five representative towns of the Dominion >was 1000. At the end of July, 11)14, on the eve of the rapture with Germany, the figure had increased in Auckland to 1258, in Wellington to 1090. in Christelmrch to 1070, and in Dunedta to 1058. In Auckland and CtoMtchuich there were Blight 4e?

delineg in prices daring the first twehs months of tlie war and in Wellington and Dunedm the increases vara comparatively moderate; but since BJaj, 1915, the advance has been unintcrnspfie4 aud rapid. In Auckland the inda?« number now stands afci 1490, in Wellington at 1339, in Chrlstehuren at 1420 and in Dunedin at 1397. • WHAT IS HAPPENING. That meat is selling at a lowor price in Wellington than it is in any of the other large centres is popularly attributed to the operations of one of the. freezing companies which haß entered the retail trade and made an enormous success of its venture. In the prkos of dairy produce and groceries and the rates of rents. Wellington is the dearest town in the Dominion, but in the price of meat it is, according "to the Government Statistician, the cheapest, with the sinble exception of 'Blenheim, whose index number for this commodity, which stood at 1045 on the eve of the war, has advanced only to 1257, while the Dominion average which stood at 1070 has reached 1'367. In Hamilton the pro-sent index number is 1388, in Gislborne 1518, in Napier 1495, in New Plymouth 1552, in Wanganui 1578, in Ta.iha.po 1604, in Palmerston North 1552, in (Jrcymouth 153(5, in Timaru 1408, in Oamaru 1830, and in InvorcargiU 111-60. Many people are quoting what has happened in Wellington in respect to meat as an illustration of what might have happened in other centres'and in respect to all commodities had the Government taken hold 'of the position at'the beginning of tho war and applied the'necessary restrictions to the operations of private enterprise, but of course tho subject is too controversial for discussion here.