COST OF LIVING

Evening Post, Volume LXXXIII, Issue 153, 28 June 1912, Page 3

COST OF LIVING

COMMISSION SITTINGS IN AUCKLAND. TBZ IELEOBAPH— PRESS iSSOCIAXIOM.] AUCKLAND, 26th June. The Royal Commission on the Cost of Living continued its investigations today. Mr. James W. Wiseman, Baddler, said that during tho past few years there had been a steady rise in the price of leather, probably about 10 per cent. Labour had increased in cost by about 10 to 15 per cent. He did not know of any method by which certain sellers favoured certain customers. Professor Hugh William Segar, of, Auckland University, said the cost of living in New Zealand had increased during the past twenty yeare, but this\ increase had not been any more marked in New Zealand than in other Englishspeaking countries. As a whole, it was, he thought, certainly less considerable" than in Canada and the United States. The standard of living was dependent in part on prices of commodities rather than the reverse. People were buying commodities of better quality, and hay-< ing to pay luore for that better quality than previously for an inferior quality, they got the impression and complained that thuige , were getting deurer. The' rise in the price of land m Now Zealand had nol/ contributed to the rine in price of commodities. Tho increased cost of living was mainly due to the great increaso in the currency of tho world, as compared with tho increase of its trade and commerce. Mr. Alexander C. Caughey, of tho drapery firm of Smith and Ca'ughey, deposed that, so far as New Zealand goods were concerned, the profits derivable had decreased considerably owing to preferential tariffs. With regard Lo clothing generally, better goods were being sold, tho people not being satisfied with goods that they were content with ten years ago. He did not, however, say that this was not good economy, for the goods lasted" better. Mr. Samuel Wing, manager for R. W. Halliday, meat merchant, said that the cash' retail prices for meat showed a slight reduction over the period since 1903, but ' there were continual slight fluctuations. Cost of delivery had increased considerably. Witness said that there was a Butchers' Association in Auckland, but his firm did not belong to it. Mr. George George, director of technical training for the Auckland Education Board, considered that there had been no change in the cost of education during the last nine years, except, of course, that occasioned by the infroanc*