THE OUTLOOK.

Press, Volume LXVI, Issue 20027, 8 September 1930, Page 13

THE OUTLOOK.

TO THB.EDiTOn 0» THE PBES3. Sir.—Of all the articles in The Few for sow time I place Professor L. T. Gxblin's at the head of the class. He shows clearly that Australia has been living far beyond her income, and in this we are w the same boat. The Dominion's income .is not nearly sufficient to pay the interest on. the country's debts, and also, mv the large increase in salaries and pay ine ''"Sf , th Arbitration COT r loans have been floated to lake up the deficiency,.

and commpn senso tells us that this must stop. AVith regard to thc Arbitration; Court and.the cost of living,.tho cost of living story /lias been dead, a long time. Wages and salaries are far m excess of the cost of living compared with 1914 The average cost of living is now'stated to be 43 per cent, above pre-war, but I sec Christchurch is only 37.1. ... ' : \s for wages the minimum wage on this side of this Island was seven'shillings per day'for! unskilled labour until about 1895, when the Is per , hour, or eight shillings per. day, was paid : in many parts, and this gradually spread over this side of the Island, and remained. at that up to and after the war started. Since then the wages and salaries in all the sheltered industries have advanced far beyond the estra cost of living mark, and as a mat er of fact while the average cost of living for the whole Dominion is 4o per cent higher than pre-war prices, Christchurch''is only 37.1. higher. Therefore men working on relief works at 14s per day are getting 75 per cent, more wages than they would have had in prewaF to pay 43 per cent, extra costs; Bn d a very large number are getting ?rom 75 p£ cent, to over 100 per cent, above pre-war wages and salaries to pay this 43 per cent, average (and 37.1 per cent. Christchurch). Naturally you

.will hive.a large number of unemployed in Christchurch when living is. so much cheaper than in many'other parts of the Dominion, while th.e same rate of wages is paid as in those districts where living is more costly. Then, with regard to the ,land. In England: the "Journal" of tho Ministry of Agriculture-' reports that the increase'percentage over 1914 . was 34 per cent, for, farm products. After necessary allowances, they are much the same here, while almost everything the farmer .buys' is almost double in cost. I have read the letters-of farm labourers and farmers published in The I'kess, and think -tliey are stupid to quarrel with oach other. They should join forces. They are both in the same position, neither getting a fair share of' the country's income, and they never will while . the combined sheltered people are getting an unfair share. ' The horrid mess the United Party have brought about, especially after getting.into power on promises never possible to carry out. shows that the position is becoming more difficult every day. Had they not raised the relief work wages, instead of having 16,000 men casuals they could have had 18.000 for the same money ; and had they made a Bmall cut in the salaries of civil.servants they would have had sufficient to have kept the men on that they are dismissing, and at the same time we should not he

threatened with a poll-tax like a parcel of coolies. The only way put of our troub.loa. is to put the Reform Party in power again.—Yours, etc., ' GEORGE LEE, Templeton, September 6th, 1930.