GOING UP

Evening Post, Volume CXXVI, Issue 77, 28 September 1938, Page 12

GOING UP

GROCERY PRICES

"RISE WITHIN MONTH"

1935 AND 1938

Housewives have noted a decided i increase in the price of those gro- j ; ceries which figure on their week- : ly biDs since the Labour Government came into power, but they are due for a further shock shortly, as it was stated by employers in the grocery trade interviewed that there was no possibility of avoiding further rises in many articles owing to the hampering effects and additional costs brought about by the last award. It is iiot easy to arrive at comparative figures in the' case of all groceries over a period, because there are fluctuations and the employers have endeavoured to keep the indispensable staples as stable as possible. Then again each shop has its own "catch" lines, but the following figures, taken at September, 1935, and September, 1938, show that since the Labour Government came into power, there have been substantial increases in the cost of food the people cannot do without. Best butter has risen from Is lsd to Is 4|d; bacon (good rashers), from Is 2d to Is 4d, to Is 4d to Is sd, with Is 7d for middlecut rashers; ham, from Is 5d to Is 8d; honey, from BJd per lb for cartons to from 8d to lOd in bulk to Is to Is Id for first-grade cartons; sugar, from 16s 2d to 18s 6d per 701b bag, and from 3d to 3Jd per lb; and flour, from 3s 4d per 251b bag to 4s. Pennies have been also tacked on, either per pound, single article, or in the shillings-worths, in the case of such generally-used ihings es pearl barley, caustic soda, tinned cream, some cereal foods, tinned fruits, jams, jellies, and soaps. In the case of shil-lings-worths, one gets two pounds less cheap rice, and in jellies six instead of seven. LEGISLATION'S EFFECT. For this position former awards are blamed by the employers. One claimed that, taking the reduction of hours from 48 to 44 as equal to a 10 per cent, wage increase, the trade was faced with a total of 28 per cent, increased wages. That was not the only increased cost, because increased costs similarly suffered by the manufacturers and merchants (in cases where the employers did not deal direct with the manufacturer) had to be passed on. Only grocers in a large way were able to cut out the merchants. "There is no doubt we will have to raise our prices in the end," he concluded. The opening and closing hours seemed to be the subject of great dissatisfaction to the employers, and it was thought by one that they had led to some restriction of trade, particularly in the matter of the late closing night. Without a spread of pay days, the bulk i of the trade was done on Fridays and 8.30 p.m. did not allow the public much more than an hour to do their shopping after dinner. One large employer characterised the award as the worst ever issued in New Zealand, and the clause definitely fixing the hours of every employee as the most irritating ever introduced. All employers must forward a list of the names of their employees with starting and finishing times in each case, and such times must continue for six months, unless by agreement between the employer and the union, whenever exceptional circumstances arise. "What happens when there are sickness, days off for weddings, or deaths?" he asked. "It means that in such cases, or where a man has to go into a Territorial camp, the employer cannot substitute another man unless his hours are identical' with those of the man who has to be away. A man whose starting hour is 8.45 cannot replace one whose starting hour is 8.15. It means that an employer has to be down seeing the secretary of the union every day." "The cost of a number of lines has gone up in which the retailer is carrying the difference," said another. "Lines costing from 4s 9d to 5s a dozen have gone up by 3d a dozen, yet the price of 6d retail is being thus carried. But the prices in view of the new award will have to be adjusted. It is costing thousands of pounds a year. I have had requests to put up butter, | flour, and sugar from all over New Zealand, and prices are certain to go up again within less than a month. "I can see the cost of living going up another 10 per cent, on legislation which has already been passed, and if the trend continues next year, the cost of living will go up 20 per cent."