Price justification

Press, Volume CXI, Issue 32524, 6 February 1971, Page 14

Price justification

Sir, —Your leading article about wages and prices is tod optimistic. The National Government will never live up ,to its responsibility to deal with the root causes of inflation because it has no wish to offend the business tycoons by imposing measures that would be unpopular with them. Unacceptable measures can be imposed only on the general public, apparently. Inis reveals the one-sided nature of the National Government which has been deliberately fooling with a serious situation for too long. Whatever measures the Government imposes on the country in future will be unpopular because we are gradually coming to the point where our native democracy will be replaced by a mild form of dictatorship—namely rule by Order-in-Council. It is to be hoped that the people will wake up and realise this before the next election.— Yours, etc., ARTHUR L. WALKER. February 5, 1971.

Sir,—“Accountant” has failed to tell us that executive expense accounts are covered when prices are fixed by vested interests. Competition is being reduced by take-overs and mergers, but “Accountant” has also not mentioned them even though monopolies use wage rises as an excuse to increase prices. The Government’s price justification schpme has not only come far too late, but is a poor substitute for price control as rents are not included in it. Rents take an everincreasing slice of the wageearners pay packet.—Yours, etC ” DISILLUSIONED NATIONALIST. February 5, 1971.