THE COST OF LIVING.

Taranaki Daily News, 25 August 1917, Page 4

THE COST OF LIVING.

TROUBLES OF THE GOVERNMENT. (By Wire.—Parliamentary Reporter), Wellington, Last Night, The troubles of the Government do not arise solely out of its inability to accept all the recommendations of the Eltieieucy Board or out of its determination to exempt subscriptions to the War Loan from taxation. A matter concerning the working men in Wellington, and apparently the workmen in many other parts of the country, much more closely ihan either of these is the per? pistent in the cost of living. The Juan with a small regular wage and the man with a wage of constantly varying dimensions are both in a sore case as the result of increased prices'and are being encouraged by certain restless spirits to place the blame for all their troubles at the door of the Government. Quite' probably the Government is ii> some measure responsible for what is happening. In its desire to conserve the interests of producers as far as possible it has allowed the prices of meat and cheese and butter to soar higher than many of its critics think at all necessary. But Ministers are pointing out that if the prices of these commodities •were further restricted it would be only fair to restrict the prices of a hundred other commodities. This would mean a social and commercial revolution which they are not prepared to face in W&r time.