COST OF LIVING.

Taranaki Daily News, 31 August 1922, Page 6

COST OF LIVING.

DISCUSSION BY COURT. “MORE HOPEFUL SPIRIT.” The fluctuation in the cost of living was the subject of brief reference in the Arbitration Court at Wellington, when Mr. W. T. Young, secretary of the Seamen’s Federation, questioned whether there had been ■ any decline in the prices of ordinary requirements. His Honour. Mr. Justice Frazer, stated . in renlv that according to the last figures issued by the Government Statistician the food index number was 42. In 1920 it stood at 78.97. and clothing was even higher. Mr. Young referred to the fluctuation in Australia. His. Honour replied that there was a different method of computation in Austrai lia. only certain groups being taken. The New Zealand Court worked on all the ; groups, and now covered practically everyi thing affected by the cost of living. The Board of Trade in Australia was now workI in a on an all-food index. Mr. Young: The Prime Minister said at . Feilding on May 9 that we were now around the corner. | His Honour: We hope we are around it ’We do not criticise political speeches on | either side of the House, and when the j Prime Minister makes a statement of that I character we do not contradict him. We ; leave such statements out of our calcula- ! tions. As far as I can see, things are I improving, although we have some distance 1 to go before the normal level is reached. ! There seems to be a more hopeful spirit in the country, and it is a good thing that I such should be the case. There is no use |in going about with our tails down: we should rather get our tails up in the air. I Things will probably then come along all I right. I Mr. Young said there had been a decline in the cost of clothing, but there seemed to be a correspond’ng decline in quality. His Honour admitted that there were some shoddv articles on the market. For instance, he noted a verv considerable fall lin the ovality of first-class standard articles. “If vou take clothing generally,” i he remarked, “you might imacne the drop j has been more than it actually is. on aci count of the quantity of shoddv materials. 'We arc trying to avoid that bv confining i our attention to standard articles. Our figures probably show a much siualler drop i than many people would expect, and they i may be less in regard to clothing than I the mar. in the. street might imagine. We i are trying to be quite fair in our calcula-