EXTRA EDITION

Evening Post, Volume CIII, Issue 72, 27 March 1922, Page 8

EXTRA EDITION

COST OF LIVING

ACCURATE, COMPLETE FIGURES

SPECIAL EFFORTS MADE,

In the course of his opening address to the Arbitration Court in the Waterside Workers' dispute to-day Mr. W. G. Smith representing the employers made reference to the fall in the cost of living and the drop in food prices. Emphasis on the food figures drew an inquiry from Mr. J. Eeardon, on the Bench, as to rents. What sort of index were foo<l figures, he asked,.ns to rent? His Honour, the president of th? court (Mr. Justice Frazer), then observed that the court was getting from the Government Statistician figures on every group, and- that was what the court would work on. Two of the groups about which there were no official statistics—clothing 1 and miscellaneous expenses—had been recently the subject of a. very muclv- more complete investigation than in the past. The court this time hoped to have about as accurate a survey of the movement of the cost of living . as possible, and to bo able to say that they had about the best and most complete figures obtainable anywhere in the world. Every effort had been made to secure figures as accurate as possible and they would 1 be quite fair to both sides. As to food, he could say they, were coming back to the position when food was a better index than it was twelve months ago.