COST OF LIVING

Waikato Times, Volume 122, Issue 20494, 10 May 1938, Page 9

COST OF LIVING

HOUSEWIVES' EXPERIENCE ADVANTAGES CANCELLED OUT (By Telegraph.—Press Association) WELLINGTON, Tuesday. “ The Prime Minister made a great parade of statistics—even totalisator statistics—in his endeavour to prove that prosperity Is here, and has come to stay,” said the Hon. A. Hamilton, Leader of the Opposition, in his speech last evening. “ Two or three housewives could show him In a few minutes that his arguments are just about as stable as a house of cards,” lie continued. “ Mr Savage, of course, cannot be expected to know much about household budgets, but any man who makes bis wife a liberal housekeeping allowance, will tell him that, hardly a month goes by without his wife coming to him and saying that extra money is needed to square the household accounts. This is no exaggeration, and it is the reason why the women of New Zealand will not support the Labour Government. “ Women, as a rule, take a pride in managing their household finances, and if they budget for a slight surplus every month —or every week—what husband would blame them? But to-day, in spite of all their skill, their budgets almost invariably show a deficit, and one of their greatest triumphs is denied them. This psychological reaction is important, but far more serious is the fact that tiie increase in the cost of living has more

than cancelled out all the advantages ; which Labour claims it has given to ! the people. “ The housewife sees, too, that : prices will continue to rise. On every hand she hears that Labour conditions are forcing up prices, and that in- ■ creased tariff protection is required ; for locally-made goods. Under such conditions, flic rise in the cost of liv- ! ing cannot be checked, and the pur- • chase of the new lint out of surpluses from the household budget, must be definitely postponed. ” Women probably have a greater sense of money values than the , majority of men. and they know that a pound note to-day will not go nearly . as far as it did three years ago. They are Hie financiers of the nation—not Mr Nash —and they deserve far more consideration than has been shown I linn by the present Government.