THE COST OF LIVING. A PULPIT WARNING.

Otago Witness, Issue 2722, 16 May 1906, Page 34

THE COST OF LIVING.

A PULPIT WARNING.

QpROU OUB OWS CoaEESPOKDENT.)

WELLINGTON. May 1*

Some little time ago I mentioned in n y telegrams that there were indications of easier times in some of the towns on the West Coast of tho North Island, indicating especially Palmerston North as a place where the depression was being felt. Tlie special correspondent of the Post now telegraphs that the Rev. Mr Harper. Anglican minister, preaching yesterday, said: — ''We had every indication of a slack lime and depression. There would be — th^re were now — more men out of work than for many jears past. The cost of In ing was very much higher than befoie. Rents were abnormal, and our labour legislation was steadily narrowing the avenues of employment by artificially raiding wages and re-tricting the employment of apprentices, with the result that employers could not employ feo many hand'?. Young men and boy« v--ere turned off. and fell back en their families, or became competitors in th» casual market, and as the co=t of producing increased the cost of the articlps produced to tiie consumer rose, and while the few benefited, a la.rge majority, consisting of workers with fixed salaries or casual lal.ouvers. found it far harder to live, and if out of work found their savings more rapidly used up. Now. add to thi< fact that it was given out at Home that work was plentiful and prosperity very marked, so that many were findinjr their way to <ur shores, some even being especially a*-i?te<J to come just at the wrong time of (lie 3'oar. and any man with op^n eyes could see whpt would be tho rc»ult. A large addition w<-u!d be made to seekers f < r casual v. ork m->t at that time when work v,a= wi'i? Father-, of families who wore feetiicl in niir mu^t aii'l were* in many ( a~os domic all they rrmli! to Day off the

burdens incurred in prosperous times to enable them to possess homes cf their own, o. who were living in rented hou-3-cs. with families to feed, would find, if out of work, that ihoy had many more competitors in search for labour. Were m«n n^epar^d to give their time and care and study to devising the right means of help? Those duties were not satisfied by paying rates. They were not satisfied by a method of s*-lf-arlvcrtisement adopted by our rulers who, in our name, send gifts from the public funds to sufferers all over the world, 3nd allow our Maori white brothers to suffer at our doors."