THE Wairarapa Age MORNING DAILY. WEDNESDAY, MAY 4, 1910. LIVING IN AUSTRALIA.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 10035, 4 May 1910, Page 4

THE Wairarapa Age MORNING DAILY. WEDNESDAY, MAY 4, 1910. LIVING IN AUSTRALIA.

j Complaints have' been made from ! time to time regarding the increase in the cost of living in Australia since the establishment of the Commonwealth ten years ago. The "Sydney Morning Herald," as the result of Bn independent enquiry, finds that the > cost of the necessaries of lift" is estimated to have advanced by an averi age of about 20 per cent, hi Aus- ! tralia between 1900 and 1910. Wages and the cost of living have both increased. Whether the- average of wages throughout the State or the average cost ol living has advanced faster is difficult to determine, but among retailers the general opinion is that the rate of increass in each has been the same, the one increase being the cause of the other. The investigations have unearthed sorce extremely interesting details. On all hands the rise in the price cf meat is

ascribed to the growth of cold-storag< an- meat preserving companies, tbc tariff having nothing to do with it, A comparison of two contracts ahowi the following:—Beef, 1899, Ifd pei lb; 1910, 3d; mutton, 1899, ljd 1910, 2£d; chops, 1899, Ifd; 1910, 2Jd; pork, 1899, 4d; 1910, 7d corned beef. 189iJ, l£d; 1910 3d. That is to say, a household that lives on beef two days in the week, ahc pork one day, .pays 63 per cent, more to-da,v than it did ten year; ago for the same quantity. Milk has risen from 2gd per quart to 3|d bread from Id per lb to 1 l-16d; anc poultry from 3s 6d per pair to 4s. Articles of everyday consumptior that have not risen are vegetables, rice, condensed milk, cheese, tea. and coffee, Butter has fluctuated fron i yeai to year, and has not necessarilj increased in price; but sugar has risen from 2d to 2Jd. Until quite re cently soap had remained stationary, but, according to some' tradesmen the Pure Foods Act caused some oi the lower-priced Australian soaps t< be raised. The price is now 4d, as compared with the previous price o; 2Jd. Good candles used to be Qhc per 3b. The tariff raised importec candles to B£d; but it is claimed thai thesu have been replaced by the loca! article, and that the price has not risen. The case of clothing is said t< be the same—the Australian-madt article has taken the place of the im parted article, and the price has re> mained unaltered; nut the price oi the better qualities, which are still, in almost ev?ry case, imported, has increased considerably. For instance, the £1 Is boots of ten years age are still £1 Is, but they are Aus tralian; whereas the £1 5a boots now cost £1 12s 6d. and are imported. There has, however, been a genera! rise in the price of boots. In regard to shirts, socks, ties, and umbrellas, the sa??ie comparison, as between local and imported makes, holds good. The price of suits is stated tc have risen slightly owing to industrial awards. Cheap woollen clothing shows a slight increase; but the price of all cottons has increased enormously. All blankets, except locallymade, which are very larely used, iiave gone up 40 per cent. Of all tha advances, however, the most striking is that shown in coal, large coal having gone from 13s a ton to 18s 6d, and small cosl fro'vi 8s 6d to 14s Gd. Furniture, the cost of building, and rents have all increased.