THE Wairarapa Age MORNING DAILY. FRIDAY, JULY 5, 1912. WHY LIVING IS DEARER.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 10678, 5 July 1912, Page 4

THE Wairarapa Age MORNING DAILY. FRIDAY, JULY 5, 1912. WHY LIVING IS DEARER.

Jo conversation with one of Auckland's prominent merchants, a representative- of the 'Star was furnished with some interesting figures to support a statement made tliait the increas'ed cost of living was not due to high wages, or high land 1 values, but lincreased facilities for expert outside the Dominion. "I contend," said the '/merchant,, "th'nt values c-f land went up in proportion as markets were opened up abroad, which enabled more to !)D made off the farms. The same a-casoni also caused wages to advance. I will give you a few instances to .prove what 1 assert. I have been looking Ith'l'ough my invoices for June, 1899, and here' are tin* wholesale prkte-s for that year as compared with 1912. The values for 1899 are given first::— Chaff, £2 10s per ton, now £5 10s; oats, Is 9d and Is lOd per ibuslhel, now 2s lid; wheat, 2s 5d,, new -Is 3d; maiize, 2s, now ss; potatoes, £2 7* 6d, now £G 10«; bran, £3 IDs, now £6; ©harps, £4, now £7 ■10s; Champion flour, £7 12s 6d, now £11; onions, £3 10s, now £ll 10s; lard, in pats 6d .per lb, n.ow Bid; oatmeal £9 per ton, now £l3. Now, these are all articles of farm, produce, over which the alleged merchants' ring could have no effect. Take cheese, for instance. I used to pay Ifarmers 3d pea- lb for similar cheese Itio what 'I have to pay s;|d for this iseason. 'The explanation is that you can send eh::;-se 'to .Lioncton for about 'j|d par lb, and that has opened up a big .market. It is new .markets abroad tan,d. Incircase'd 'facilities for .shipping that have caused this rcinai'ka'ble advance in faii'm prcdiire, and ib iiatuirnilly ifdllow.s .that if the man. on t-lra land is prosperous, 'the whole country ga,ing (proportionately. If you compare the prices' of some imported lines for similar dates, you will notice there lui'S inot been any s&rious advance. 'J'Ca, for instance, is 4d per lb cheaper now than It was in 1899, but that is dro to the roduotirm' in the tariff, and the saano applies to coffee, which is 'ld .per lb lower in price. Sugar (No. 1) was worth '£2 l per ton, and No. 2 £2O per 'ton, but now the rates are £lB 7s fid atad £l7 17s 6d per ton respect iveily. Bicie w-ate £l9 10s per ton, mow it is £l6. Champion's vinegar is a shilling a dozen lower; icing .sugar is £5 per ton 'cheap:™*; jams are 6d per dozen, dearer, alnd currants ha've gone from £ls to £25 10s. Kerosene was 10s per case, but ther 'was 4,s duty. Now, with that duly re-mit't-K.l,* it is still 8s per case. Nes- j

tie's m>!k hi Is 3d per dozen lower in price, and saga and tapioca are/ both about £6 per toil dearer, owing to the rubber boom having caused a lot of plantations ito be used for'growing that article. You will see, therefore, itha-.t wn imported liner.' there have ih'MY.i cmly ftirotma'tiiig changes, but for ■farm produce there has been a substantial vlfJ a'il round., and that is 'not due to the Arbitration Court having raiiscd wagos-, or the laud values 'being forced, up, hut simply boe.uise higher can be got for our produce in ctlier of the world."