COST OF LIVING.

Taranaki Daily News, 18 October 1917, Page 7

COST OF LIVING.

NO EVIDENCE OF EXPLOITATION. Mr. C. A. Wilkinson, speaking in the House on Monday on the coßt of living report, §aid that aa a member of the committee he felt disposed to pay a compliment to the chairman of the committee, who had shown the utmost impar tiality to members of the committtee. The committee's report showed, at any rate, that there was 110 easy way ta induce the cost Jiving. vraafd tike to Hit feport referred back, but he believed that Clause 1 should also be reconsidered. The Controller could not fix •prices unless he had ability to pay out funds. The report of the committee probably forecasted a great extension in State enterprise in the production and sale of foodstuffs. No (firect evidence, however, was given to the committee of exploitation of the public. In fact, the contrary was shown t'o be the case. He protested against the idea that there should be a levy made upon th- producer to create an equalisation fund. It would perhaps be well enough if the producers were left with a fair return for their goods. In the'case of the butter levy, the worst objection was that the levy was made upon cheese producers, who were not concerned in the price of butter at all. It was said that the Consolidated Fund could not bear the equalisation cost. How then could not section of the community bear it?

An lion, member: They are making more money.

Mr Wilkinson said that if farmers charged a fair price for their own labor it would be found that the cost of .production was in reality higher than the price realised. Farmers, were getting increased prices on account of the war, but the cost of production had also increased on account of the war. The profits of .the farmer had been curtailed in one direction and another, and when the farmer in New, Zealand was asked to take less than the prices paid to the Canadian farmer, and to the British farmer, it was not fair that he should bo blamed. The average wage of the Wellington wharf laborers was higher than that obtained by any dairy farmer in the country. He wa3 glad to hear the Prime Minister say that he would he no party to any scheme which would work injustice to the producers of the Dominion. Mr. Wilkinson insisted that the increased prices of foodstuffs produced in Ne* Zealand I were not the main factor in the increased cost of living. The prices of all imported goods had advanced. He hoped that if the report went back to the committee no unfair charge would be imposed upon the farmers.