COST OF LIVING ABOUT WESTPORT COAL

Evening Post, Volume LXXXIV, Issue 8, 9 July 1912, Page 3

COST OF LIVING ABOUT WESTPORT COAL

A FRUIT AUCTIONEER'S EVIDENCE. Before the Cost of Living Commlgeion yesterday, Wm. A. Flavell, branch manager in Wellington for tho Westport Coal Co., replying to the chairman, stated that the Dunedin manager of the company had already practically said all there was to be said in regard to tho matters referred to by Mr. Muuro. Tho main point of that evidence was that a monopoly existed among tho shipping companies. I£o noticed that the manager of his company had iaid that they were quite free to charter to where they liked, but that the U.S.S. Company did the bulk'of th«ir carriage. It was most important they ehould have regular shipments so that there should be no broken times at the mines. It was not possible for the Westport Coal Company to supply the Railway Department with the screened coal it required. The demands of the household trade would have to bo sacrificed to do bo. During the Newcastle coal strike the Railway Department accepted unscreened coal from them and they drew also on their resources. Tho Westport Coal Company's output would be greater had they the miners. If the people would take th* supply as it came from the mine the cost be cheaper. Screening and handling made it dear. Screened, unscreened, and "small" coal were chiefly supplied in Wellington. "Small" coal was sold under contract, for steam purposes, un« screened for ships' bunkers, and screened for* household uses. Unscreened and "small " coal were respectively 4s and Pa low«r -in price than screened. Household coal now was 34s a ton delivered, and wholesale 25s a ton on the wharf, wharfage and weighing paid. The cost of delivering coal in Wellington was very expensive. WHY TIMBER IS DEAR. Charles K. Wilson, M.P. (farmer in the King Country), said it was fallocious to cay timber prices were higher to-day because of thb existence of rings. Tho extra cost was due to higher wages and the enormous cost of procuring timber from having to go "way back." Better access to the backblocke would lower the coet of necessaries to settlers, and greater facilities for getting produce io the towns would cheapen living in th«> centres. The Government should carry fruit to the towns at a minimum rate. FISH SUPPLY. Robert Samuel Alward, Wellington manager for the Wellington Trawling and Fish Supply Company, gave evidence. "If a glut of fish come»," he was asked, "does the public get the benefit vi it?" — "Certainly not. Our prices are based on a regular supply. The extra fish would go into the freezing chamber until there was a scarcity. Witness said -there was a loss last year on the Wellington shops, and a balance-sheet was produced by him in support. A FRUIT AUCTIONEER'S DEFENCE. Federic Townsend. of Townsend and Paul, fruit auctioneers, said he would like to submit evidence that showed that the fruit auctioneers bad been placed in a false position by previous witnesseß. Mr. Boucher should have gone into other fruit lines than apples. Mr. Boucher also had advised tho circulation of information as to the state of the markets, but this was already done by the associated auctioneers. Reports were sent direct to the growers. In addition to that telegrams regarding the markets wer« sent to the newspapers in the various growing districts*. It had been a caoeful study of the auctioneers to submit every information 'to the growers. Regarding statements beforo the Commission about 'Frisco fruit, it must be remembered that these apples were imported during the "off" season. The auctioneers were taking big risks ip. bringing it to the country and deserved some recompense. Up to two years ago there had been a lo&s recorded on these shipments. Sacks of" vegetables could always bo emptied out on to the floor for examination before purchase. A witness had complained that he lost on winter vegetables; but as a matter of fact, a prudent dealer made his profits in tho winter. Sine© witness had been in business here — twenty-five years— seventeen firms of auctioneers had "thrown in the sponge." This year apples had sold as low as 3s per case, and during glut seasons they might go for 2s. It was possible to buy Jonathan and Stunner apples for 3d per lb, permains and others at 2d per lb retail, on the local markets, but Mr. Boucher had said 6d per lb was the price. Nothing like 100 per cent, was obtained for apples. He wanted to point out that 6d was not the ruling figure for fruit per lb. COLLECTION OF STATISTICS. Malcolm Fraser, Government Statistician, said that in the collection of statistics some of the departments collected their own figures and facts. He submitted in camera somo suggestiom for the better collection of statistics. BOOTS COULD BE CHEAPER. John Hutcheson, for sixteen years a" bootmaker's machinist, and secretary of the Boot Operatives Union, said that some of the best colonial hides were being shipped Homo and were coming back tanned as English hides. Retailers were as keen as ever in pushing the imported boots, though the public were getting to demand the local article. There was a great reluctance to brand the local article so that it could be sold as imported. All shoddy, both local and imported, should be plainly marked as such.