THE COST OF LIVING.
• ' [To The^Kiiiior.l ■Sir, —Aa there ha© been a deal of 6aHt about .the cost of living- lately, llefc ma show you Aiow things were oventhirty, years ago. 1 was. then ; in, the employ .of Messrs Cockbua*n-Hood and Walker, of Glendonald. In those day«s i could not get a pound-.of tea, for lose than 3s; suga,r was 6d per lb; match;<s, 6d per dozen; euri'ants, 7d pelr ib; jrafeins, 8d per lb; flour, 18s porewt..; -2Gb ifoaf elf iforeadi, 4d. Other things were equally as dear. As for meat, betif steak was 9d, and chops )>d. A bottle of vinegar cost lfi. I have had to pay -as 'high as 2s 6d ! for'■butter; that'is, in t:he' winter.- Factory '.butter was unknown. Now, this was in tlia day® when, everything we had 1)3 'buy : was equally as' dear. Wages.were then n-ot 'more than Cs per cay for a good man. We never • iin these days h<hrd any .discontent •about t'he cost of living. IS r ow t-lia-t | 'lth.e ( wages are 9» jper day and up-' iwarcfo, people aire crying ooi»b about t-b? cif livrng. 1 would like to know ■what they- have to complain about. Supposing -we have to pay a penny a pound ihoire fclr meat nmv, we know <wih»t wo have to eati "But thirty yeacs ■' ago • we wcce not so sure on tlm. point. -Many a story might': be told about the bull bsef of those /Jays.; It is a pity the' people cainwcfb be mo-re conlfcent, cepe-ciaHy now they. are'getting. 3s per day move than, ever they did. It is the bad system of Unionism (that" causes a3l fih-3 trouble, iin, 1.877, in Asb.burfcon, ; you could 'buy a doUible-if'UiTow. plough .fcr £lB. | i\ T <rw':you lhave ; got' to pay about £25 for -jit. I say it is ha,rd on' the poor, (ttruggling and upon. al'], merely on'acctfttnt of tile Union's b'ad system. This is what is the, trouble. —I am, etc., ~ Wm. DOWNES. (The Toiler), v South Road, Ma'stertoii., June 26.
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Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 10670, 27 June 1912, Page 5
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337THE COST OF LIVING. Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 10670, 27 June 1912, Page 5
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