COST OF LIVING COMMISSION.

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume II, Issue 175, 9 July 1912, Page 2

COST OF LIVING COMMISSION.

Wellington, July fe At the Cost of Living Comtaiinion to-day a statement war made' that ■ Gecrge Gccrge. director of the Aucki land Technical College, had written .requesting the withdrawal of hi» i evidence c:i the ground that it conI tnined many errors. i Fergus Alunro. of Westport, gfcve ; evidence that an agreement existed, ■ nt rolled by the Union Steam Ship I Company and affecting all the sm*lil- r companies, to carry the'Output of mines at a rate fixed between i themselves. _'. . Frank Thomas Moore, dealer in live stock, meat and timber, made a

j statement regarding a combine of

incut companies in the North Island for the purpose of fixing prices to lie paid to growers of cattle, sheep and lambs. The combine was formed about twenty years ago. For ten years -be system was ip operation in v. very open manner, but during latter years secret methods had been adopted. Charles Kendall Wilson, M.P. (Taumarunui), farmer, said the cost of carrying food. etc., to the back blocks was sometimes as high as £l5 a ten. and that raised the cost of living. William A. ITavcli. branch manager in Wellington for the Westport Ccnl Company, said he could say nothing further than Ihe statement bv the managing director of his eompnnv in Dunedin in reference to Mr. Munro’s statement that there was a monopoly in the shipping business, and th-".i i' was impossible for outside ships to get supplies. Robert Samuel At ward, Wellingt< n manager <>f the Trawling and Fish Supph Company, said that if a glut of fish came to the market the public would certainly not receive the benefit. Frederick Townsend. f, f Townsend and Paul, fruit anti produce merchants, said that the !• ruitbrokers Association did its best to keep growers advis: d of the state of the market. Alfred Longnmre. land and estate agent, raid there had been no decrease in the selling value of city bmdness propert're. but suburban values bad dropped very considerably.