COST OF LIVING

Waikato Times, Volume 119, Issue 19886, 15 May 1936, Page 7

COST OF LIVING

N 0 EXPLOITATION. GOVERNMENT'S DETERMINATION. WILL UL'ARD \YOBKERS‘ INTERESTS (By Telesraph.—Preu Association) \VELLINGTUN, Thursday The determination o! the Government to prevent. undue more." In the can of llvlna u tho result of the pollcy of Improvlng the standard of llvlng of the workers, wan expressed by the Rlom. Hon. M. J. savage, to-day.

He laid the Government wee determlnud to use Its power under the Board of Trade Act to eee mu workers who received an Inoronse In wage: or eelarlee would be eefeouerded lgelnu any Inlflclel Increase In the con. of Ilvlng.

What the Government aimed at was increased buying power, and that could not he achieved it’ costs rose in exactly the same proportion. it was the Government‘s ultimate intention to achieve its object by agreement-s with other countries, but in the meantime it might be necessary to bring that about by means of tariffs. The Government would not hesitate to protect local industries it' that were deemed to be necessary in the in—terests of the masses. UnJustlflod Tnlk. He did not admit. that the talk of in—creased costs as the result. of industrial legislation was justitled. but the Government was alive to the possibil—ities of the situation and was prepared to meet it it" necessary. Mr Savage also said one of the objects of the Hon. W. Nash‘s visit Home was to negotiate an agreement by which New Zealand would take British products in preference to those of other countries, which were not importers from New Zealand. it was conceivable, however, that there would be goods it would be necessary to im—port from America, and at present the Government was not being dogmatic over the position that would apply in the near future.