THE COST OF LIVING.

Press, Volume LIX, Issue 11456, 15 December 1902, Page 7

THE COST OF LIVING.

SOME CAUSES OF ITS INCREASE. (n cro» sncux. bstobtul) The fact that the coat of living ha» >- erased v«y appreciably ***** *• few yearn fc one with which the average houeehoMer is only too weU The reasons for th* increase are perhaps not «o widely known, although the tocreased price of one that wUI -uggeet itself to many, v I» addition, the drought to Australia hae had the effect of enhancing the prwe of etoct, and meat is jjow much dearer. A represen. tative of "The PreaT interviewed * number of leading tradesmen and others, and obtained from them their opinion* Oμ tIM causes which had led to the increased cost of Jiving. > . _ On the reporter staling hia business to Air Allan Hopfcina, and asking ab*ut house rente, that gentleman remarked that' he hoped hb questioner would not, aa on a previous occasion, elevate ha eyebrows when he reiterated his statement, made five years ago, that there etiU exist* a demandfor houeee, and a thousand new houses were wanted. Every day large numbers were applying to him for houses, and the supply was far short of the de-. mand. Aβ compared with eeven years agu, he considered that house rents v were at present 20 per cent, higher, and this applied, proportionately, to all classes of home property, whether they pOeeeseed aU modern improvement* or not. The limited eupply of houisee, the exp#wion tousinese, and the inorasse of population were, be said, the causes of the present etate of afiaiisw :

Mr C. L. of M«esre Deassiey and Lone, considered that house rente at present are at least 10 per cent, higher tnah they were five yeara ago, wlwlst houses are. in brisk demand- l Mr Ge«rge PayJing, when asked how the price of groceries had affected the cost at living, eaid that the leductione in the tariff bad reduced the price of the neccs* caries of life, so that at present groceries, were being sold at a lower price than some years ago. So tar ac imported groceries were concerned the tendency had been to reduce rtrthsr than increase the cost of living. All loml* of dried «nd tinned fruit* are nc*r cheaper than they were 1 eighteen months ago, owing partly to the removal of duties and the large fruit crops. On the other hand, flour and fcftcon had in* creased in price, but he thought that the decreased prices in other lines, euch oe tea and sugar, very nearly compensated for the increase -in the price of local product*.

Mr F. A. Cook said that, speaking generally, groceries had not increased in price to, an extent that Appreciably raised the cost of living. Sugar is the same price m it was twelve months ago; currants, he believed, are cheaper, whilst all. kinds of timed frnit not increased in price. Kerosene is now Is per tin leas than it was twelve months ago, whilst candfce are no dearer. On the other hand, flour, bran, wheat, and all grain products, with the exception of such proprietary lines "as semolina and self-rawing flour, - have gjmost doubled in price. Butter is practically the same price at present as it was"a year ago, whilst cheese, although the wholesale price has risen, is still , sold at the same pric* ta a yfcdr ago, ' Bacon and bam* have gone to** tremendous price, and are practically 2d to 2Jd per pound dearer than at this time last year. Eggs are at •present,'owing to the higher price of chfck. wheat aod sharps, from 2d to 3d per dozen dearer than a'year, ago. Chfckwbe&t last year was sold at 3a 3d per bushel, the price, just How is 6»; and sharps -lest year were Is 2d per buihel, and at present «• I*. 10d. With the exception, of Jocai products, there fa, said Mr Cook,' practfcafly no advance in prices as compared -With Jaet< vwtr. ' ■Mr T. Kincaid said that all local products,' suoh a« flour, oatoeal, butter, oheese, I fans and bacon, had considerably increased in price as compared -with a yew ago. The scarcity, of pigs made it'almost impossible to obtain hams and bacon except at very lugdi priote. When a farmer had pigs to sell *t w*» practically, a matter of paying the price he demanded. He considered that' bams and bacon are at'present* at least 25 .per cent, higher, than they were this time last year.' If meat were cheaper the price' of hams and (bacon would bo considered almost proliibitive. ' Asked regarding the effect-of the rise in the price of meat on the cost of living, Mr J. Knight said that compared- with this' time bet year mutton wtm a penny per pound dearer; indeed, all classes: of meat could be reckoned one penny peiylb dearer. Beef which last year !be had bought at 21* pet IOOIb,. sow cost him Ms/ and, practically, the price of beef wae one-third more than lost year. The drought in Australia" was responsible for the advance" in the price, of meat. In part years, when the Canter* bury supply of beef was short, North Islantt euppies could be obtained, but this year, owing to the high prices ruling for stock in Australia, this has not been the case. He estimated that it would'be about two years before Canterbury wae fully stocked with beef. The demand* of foreign markets kept the price of mutton' firm, and tie had been informed that there i« on order 40,000 sheep for shipment to a foreign market other than the English market. pork, he said that the "price today- i« from ssdi to 6d, as compared with 4d to 4£d this tkme last year. Until recently as much, as 6Jd per lb wae given for J?ort' Mr Lane, jun., of Messrs H. B. Lane and Son, , said that without going into details, mutton is at present front Id to l£d dearer than it was this time twelve months ago, whilst beef had risen from 3d and 7d per. lb to 4d and Bd. As to pork, he considera that it is at least.l|d per lb dearer than it wan a year ago. * The price of potatoes at present is about 50 per cent, feigner than it was hut December/tmt this is considered only a temporary matter, and it is stated that by the New Year tire price will be practically thejsame as 2a*t yfcarBegafding the effect of the Tise in the price of bread, it i« pretty generally conceded that it has appreciably affected the cost of living. .'Bread has in the past been sold as low as 4d and 5d per 411? loaf, aid at present the -price, except' from certain shops, is 7d per 4ib loaf r 6d bemg the cash piao* baker* outaide the Master Bakers' Association. Hhe present system of chejging "the Bame price deKvered as for cash ie not looked upon with favour, and is generally conmdered unjust to cash, customers,, and Sβ dicouragiog thrift. Two or three; beken, who have larg«e jmop trades, bave broken away from the Associafaon, and are charging 6d per 4fl» loaf. . :