COST OF LIVING.

Auckland Star, Volume XLIII, Issue 207, 29 August 1912, Page 7

COST OF LIVING.

B_ECOIu3a_TJrDATIONS BY THE COMMISSION. THE EXISTENXE OF TRUSTS. /By Triegrnph.—rarlia-mc-ntary Reporter.) WELLINGTON, Wednesday. , For nearly three months the Royal Commission appointed to inquire inU questions bearing upon the cost of living has been taking evidence and considering its report. The subject is so wide in its extent that, oven after liberal extensions of time, the members of tho Commission Imre found themselves unable to fully and adequately deal with the thirteen special f|iiestione put to them fur inquiry- The report was completed l»-»fc week, and will be laid on the table of the House of Representatives in a day or two. It will be found that many of the recommendations are thoroughly radical in tone, and that the report is the most exhaustive submitted by any Royal Commission since the Land Commission eight years ago. HEIGHTENED COST AND STANDARD. Answering the question: "Hafi the co*t of living increased in New Zealand during the last 20 years?*' the report, of course, is emphatically in the aflirmaiive, but the Commission is careful to also point out that the standard of livjn" has al.=o gone up in th:it period, and that things once regarded as the luxuries of the few are now almost every day necessaries of many. However, this does not by any means fully explain the increase which has been clearly demon--strated by the evidence. PREVALENCE OF COMBINES. The Commission took p preat deal of evidence bearing upon the alleged existence of trusts and combines in the Dominion. The report, it, will be found, declares that trusts and combines exist to a greater extent than is generally beiieved to be the case, nnd that the influence of their operations upon the prices of necessaries has been more marked than has hitherto been realised. A SUGGESTED REMEDY. __. definite proposal is put forward by tie Commission as a remedy for this •data of affaire. The recommendation is that there should be set up a permanent jfcoftfd of industrial investigation, the functions of which will he to deal promptly .with any allegation that undue jand unfair restraint is being practised in trade to the detriment of the consumer. The proceedings will be private, 'and the Commission. I understand, wild lecommend that this authority should .exercise -wide powers in the matter of sttsurhig evidence. This is practically on the same lines as a proposal put forflr&rd';at the last general election by Mr.'W- A. Veitch (member for Wangairai), who was one of the Commissioners. _Che_ffoposed body .will have nothing to do with matters coming within the __here of the Arbitration Court. It is Ttoderstood-' that the printed evidence w_t contain some important new facta _x_.__g to attempts to control sales and , prices of.imported goods in us? in the ; _oomh_io_ : I. ] ■ - . r BPEEGT OF THE TARIFF. ' . T|fl,_quegtion of -the customs tariff __4"t(S be considered by the Commis- " Eiqil, as it was asked to state "what t' Jisyjieen the effect on prices of tariff ~- (reductions?" The Commission's answer .' jis„T understand, tantamount to a de- ■ (Claratioji favouring Free Trade in all pecessaries of life, not only food, but i ikrtfcing as well. ~,'f.f THE GOLD STANDARD. .- 'ijAfter taking a -considerable amount of Ipvidence upon the point as to the in- "' fiuence of the value of gold upon .the cost of Irving, the Commission came to j the con-lusion that here is to be found one of the causes contributing to the '- present unsatisfactory position. The ■; manual -worker, whose -margin between income and expenditure is slight or nonexistent, finds that the increased output of gold has had a marked effect in reducing I the effective value or purchasing power of money, this being equivalent to an increase in prices of commodities. I THE ROOT QUESTION. The Commission expresses the opinion tthat the great increase in land values during the period of 20 yeajs reviewed by the witnesses has had* an important effect in making living dearer. The report is, I understand, very definite in ' referring to this factor as the root of , ifche whole trouble. Attention is drawn to the huge increment in land values - foflowing the provision of railways, ' Wads and other utilities at the public expense, and the Commission recom- ! . mends that some steps shotdd be taken J ey the Government to ensure, at any J rate in future, that the increased land ' Wines arising from large public works shall benefit the State, not the private ; landowner. J There is evidence of the most pains- l taking work on the part of the Commi3- ' Bon in its endeavour to clearly indicate ' file tendency of prices and vailues during ' >fte last 20 years, and to correctly sum ' Op the conclusions to be derived from * a mass of exceptionally interesting cvi- * dence placed before it- ' ° < V . f