The Star. Delivered every evening by 5 o'clock in Hawera, Manaia, Normanby, Okaiawa, Eltham, Mangatoki, Kaponga, Awatuna, Opunake, Otakeho, Manutahi, Alton, Hurleyville, Patea, Waverley. WEDNESDAY, MARCH 17, 1915. GOVERNMENTS IN TRADE.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume LXIX, Issue LXIX, 17 March 1915, Page 4

The Star. Delivered every evening by 5 o'clock in Hawera, Manaia, Normanby, Okaiawa, Eltham, Mangatoki, Kaponga, Awatuna, Opunake, Otakeho, Manutahi, Alton, Hurleyville, Patea, Waverley. WEDNESDAY, MARCH 17, 1915. GOVERNMENTS IN TRADE.

A Sydney cable message of Monday's date represents Mr Hall, AttorneyGeneral for New South Wales, as saying that the establishment of a State bread scheme had been his ambition since his childhood. This may tempt some to wonder whether it does not account for what they are • likely to consider its childishness or impracticability, or the character of the project as a child's dream, out of keeping with things as they are workable amongst the grown-up people of the

world. On the other hand, this method of pre-judging may be due to prejudice, which, in its turn, may be due to a self-interest, which does not trouble itself about the interest of the consumer, in which Mr Hall has a, supreme concern, for he says that if the scheme should prove unsuccessful, then his political faith also will be proved to be a vain thing. However, while explaining the proposal to the Labor Council in Sydney recently he showed himself to be full of confidence in connection with it. He said that the Government proposed to take over the business of the bakers and pay them for their businesses on the basis of so much per ton. Incidentally, he explained that to produce a ton of bread, which represented 1345 loaves, under the present method of production, the cost was £2 for labor, and 5s lOd for yeast, salt, fuel, and other ingredients. With a well-equipped permanent factory, however, this quantity of bread oould be produced for £1 3s. Then, in tha matter of the delivery of the bread, there would be no necessity for 20 bread carts to cater for the same street. The saving in salaries, horses,-and harness would reduce the outside cost by one-half. He and his colleagues (said Mr Hall) calculated that the scheme would return interest on the capital invested, and considerably over one per cent into the bargain. At first the scheme is to be worked within a limited area around the State bakery, and the bread will be delivered for cash for one penny less than the bakers have been charging He added, too, that the experiment was being taken in hand under exceptional disadvantages, so that if it succeeded now it had a bright prospect of becoming additionally successful under mor«> favorable conditions. . He explained this state-

ment by remarking that at present bread was too costly to the consumer, yet it was cheap when the cost of flour and wheat was taken into consideration ; and, formerly, bakers made twice the percentage of profit when they sold a two-pound loaf at 3£d than they had latterly been doing with the price at 4d. Nevertheless, the Government's scheme, said Mr Hall, would mean a reduction of a penny per loaf, equal to a saving to the people of £1,250,000 a year —about as much as was taken from the pockets of . the rich in the way of income tax. This is the scheme referred to in the recent messages from Sydney. Apparently the Holman Government intends, if its preliminary effort is successful, to buy out all the bakery businesses in Sydney, and, by means of the profits, extend the principle of State ownership to other cities and towns. Nor is this to be confined to bread, for Mr ■ Holman states that he and his colleagues "propose to create by law what they call 'a market authority' ; having complete control over the whole of the food supplies of Sydney in all directions." With regard to meat, the Government scheme includes saleyards and abattoirs, a central meat depot, and branch suburban depots. AH slaughtering for home consumption IS to be done at the abattoirs, and all meat for local consumption to be firebranclea', showing its quality. The practice of putting discarded fourthgrade meat on the local market is to be prohibited. Meat which is rejected as unfit for export to Great Britain will also be rejected for the Sydney market. It is estimated that Id per lb could be saved by the up-to-date, scientific methods about to be introduced at the new abattoirs, says the New South Wales State Premier. The supply of fish and fruit and vegetables is, like breads to be made a State business. There is nothing new ,in legislation of this kind: it was extensively tried centuries ago not only in Europe but in England. It will at least be interesting to see how it works and how long it will last in Australia. Mr Holman's own last word en the subject is: f"There is nothing to be ashamed of in the policy that the Government has propounded, and if we fail in it we shall perish." It may be, too, that we shall ere long see the principle at work in New Zealand, for Mr Massey has just been saying that, j should it be necessary in the interest, of the people, tha Government will establish bakeries at least in Dunedin, Christchurch, Wellington, and Auckland. "We have (says the Prime Minister) not arrived at this determination without proper consideration. I know perfectly'well that an increase in the price of $he necessaries of life is unavoidable in war time,, but extreme prices must be avoided wherever possible, and conditions made as easy as Aye can make them, especially for people with families. I know that a number of people, many for political reasons, have ,been crying out before they were hurt, and I am not wasting much sympathy on them, but.l know also that a very much larger number are already feeling the pinch—having a difficulty m making ends mcct —and this is the class we are anxious to help." Perhaps the course here spoken of ,may not become necessary, but its bare proposal makes '.he experiment resolved on in New South Wales all the more interesting to the people of New Zealand.