AUSTRALIAN NEWS.

Taranaki Daily News, 29 April 1918, Page 7

AUSTRALIAN NEWS.

! Australian Cable Association. Sydney, April 27. The Red Cross drive to date lias realised .■eiflii.GO!), of which £23,275 has been obtained by street collections. The total amount is expected to reach .-£400,000. PRICE OF GROCERIES. Melbourne, April 27. The Inter-State Commission's report on price of groceries finds that higher prices are due, amongst other causes, to wasteful methods of distribution and the heightened spending power of the community, to the Government's large war expenditure, a contributing cause being the dominating position occupied by the associations of wholesale merchants. As instancing the absurd waste, unremunerated effort and capital in, connection with small grocery businesses, the report states that 69 6f the repreIscntative shops in the metropolitan area with a. turnover of £403,000, are conducted at a liett loss of £1874, and only 39 made a nett profit of £76 each. The commission recommends co-opera-tive enterprise, with the view of cheapening prices. They found evidences on the wholesale ■ and manufacturing side of trade organisation developing rigid exelusiveness, and threatening to harden into a monopoly.