COST OF LIVING.

Auckland Star, Volume XLIII, Issue 141, 13 June 1912, Page 2

COST OF LIVING.

_ ~Wo__E_3 _E__D_. _s______D _EAT_ CO____3___ _ry Te_g_ph-—Press __o__to_) _ Ctatmned from page 6.) C____GHTJ_GH, this day. When counsel for.. a witness subpoenaed by' the Cost of Living Commission stated this morning that his client declined to give evidence, the chairman asked if any reason could be ~ stated. Counsel replied in the negative. The Chairman: I only ask because counsel in Dnnedin refused evidence on behalf of a client, declining to state his reasons, and then wrote to the newspapers giving reasons which he refused to give the Commission. The principal witness this morning was D. G. Sullivan," representing the Trades and Labour Council, who gave lists of prices of various articles. He ' paid a higher standard of comfort was j needed by workers because of speedingup in factories, where greater energy was demanded than formerly. Tbe conditions for unskilled labour were worse than 20 years ago, but the artisan was in a_ .better position. Men would go into the country if the conditions of life and wages there were improved. Failing improvement, it would be useless to import labour, because immigrants would speedily drift to the towns. He thought the chief factors in the increased cost of living Were' tbe higher cost of clothing and higher rents. With education men demanded a better degree of comfort. He advocated increased State competition as a means of reducing, the cost of living.