THE COST OF LIVING.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 282, 22 August 1908, Page 6

THE COST OF LIVING.

/VIEWS OF AUCKLAND ~ TRADESMEN. iBT TELEGRAM. —SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT.) Auckland, August 21. It is not umisual 'when an application comes before' the Arbitration Court for an increase in wages for any particular trade to hear the plea "High cost of living" put forth as tho reason, though the logical and obvious deduction is that, with high wages there must necessarily be a, corresponding increase in the cost of living. iJ'or some reason or other it is ' rarely questioned that living has increased. Inquiries by a "Herald" representative failed to discover any marked, increase in' the necessities of lifo. during the last two years at all events.; That the price of. footwear has advanced'with a most aggravating rapidity everyone knows, but in other lines there is little;''if any;"noticeable difference' since 1907. . . ; "Thero is,one.thing very noticeable," said one' grocer.' "Tho working man; does '• not pay up so readily as ho did two years .ago, and tno tendency is for people to livo bcypnd their 1 incomes." " . Tho fact must not be lost sight of that rents have increased > steadily, and though the working.'man may go out of town'to .find a 'cheaper house, ho is still faced with the difficult problem of tramcar "fares to and from his ,work; :. 1 Bread, tho bakers say, is quite as cheap as it was two years ago, and the butchers are emphatic in their opinion that the family steak and onions can be served up at tho same figure if not a little less than it could be two years ago. Moreovor at tho public sales meat is being disposed of at a price that has been responsible.for some little consternation ' amongst old-established ; butchers, who havo .horses and. carts to provide and wages to' pay." Olio butcher went so. far as to say that meat was a penny a pound cheaper' all round ■ than it was two years ago. .■ Gas has been reduced twico within the last two years. ' Another necessity of lifo is clothing, and a clothier informed the reporter that tho only article that showed an appreciable incrpaso during „the same period was blankets, which-had been advanced 10 per cent., and, as ho pointed out, cheap sales havo been quito a.featuro during the past 'year. Tho greatest increase, as has been indicated, has been in boots and shoos, which havo increased in prico by about 15 per cent, all round. It is held generally that tho cost of living is no moro expensive than it was in 1906."