QUEENSLAND COST OF LIVING

Evening Post, Volume XCVIII, Issue 144, 16 December 1919, Page 11

QUEENSLAND COST OF LIVING

THE LATEST FIGURES.

In this election there have been many references to the cost of living in Queensland.; Questions which have beertJ raised here were put recently to the Bulletin by a correspondent, "Veritas," as follow : —

If the Ryan Government has brought Queensland to such a state of ruinplease tell me: —

(1) Why is the cost of living (according to Knibbs) so much cheaper in Queensland than in every other capital city of Australia?

(2) Why is the rental of dwelling-houses fully 20 per cent, cheaper than in any other capital city of the Commonwealth? (3) Why is the purchasing power of a sovereign so much greater, in Queensland than in any other capital city of the Commonwealth? (4) How is it that the Queensland citizen has more money per head to his credit in the State Savings Banks pro rata than the citizens of any of the other States of the Commonwealth? If,you can show how you reconcile your statements with the above facts you. win. .-,--.. The Bulletin replies as follows: — Then we win. For: — (1) Knibbs's latest figures are for September, 1910 Food and groceries which in 1911 cost on the average in the six Australian capitals 1000 shillings cost in September 1613s in Melbourne and 1730s in Brisbane. Living,' apart from house: rent, is therefore not "much cheaper in Queensland"—it isn't much cheaper even in Brisbane—than in every other capital city of Australia. In the outside towns of Queensland it is dearer than in Brisbane. And, as shown above, Brisbane is dearer than Melbourne. It is also dearer than Adelaide.

(2) House rent is cheaper in Brisbane than in any other capital of Australia except Perth. This is because 19-20ths of the houses of Brisbane are of flimsy wood. Ronts are even cheaper in' the Solomons, where the houses are of still flimsier nipa. For the same reason, because the premises are mostly jerry-built wood arid iron huts, rents are cheaper in Broken Hill than in Sydney.- They are cheaper 'still in Silverton, which .is an abandoned town. ' Cheap rents are not a sign of prosperity. . (3)' Apart from house accommodation, Brisbane, had to - spend last quarter 34s 7d to. get what Melbourne could buy for 32s Id.

(4) Queensland has not more money per head in the Savings Banks than any other State. Both .Victoria and South Australia have more: South Australia, £29 7s ; Victoria, £24. 8s sd; Queensland.; £23 16s 9d,. ;. ,-

So the trouble about . the "facts" of "Veritas" is that they don't even start to be facts! But here are some. In 1914 groceries and food which cost 1091s in Melbourne could he had for 1078s in Brisbane. Last year Brisbane, instead of being 13s cheaper, was 29s dearer. Where the increase in Adelaide was 3395, in Brisbane it was 4175. Including house accommodation, where the cost of living in Perth has advanced 149s since 1914, in Brisbane it has advanced 2555. Finally, the percentige increases in food and groceries from July, 1914, to September. '1919. of the five principal towns of each State (including the capital town) were as follow : — Queensland .. 62.6 per cent. New South Wales . ;... 51.4 per cent. Tasmania 48.0 per cent. Victoria ...„..i............. 45.5 per cent. Westralia 38.0 per cent. South Australia 35.7 per cent.. Mr. Ryan's, champion appealed to Knibbs. ,- There is Knibbs's reply.: