The Cost of Living.

Lake County Press, Issue 2697, 30 August 1917, Page 5

The Cost of Living.

TO TH« HDITOK. Sir, —The sovereign is now worth only 138 Gd. as compared with its value before the war. So great has been the inorease in the prices of commodities. Hence the bonuses to civil servants. But these servants are not going to be content with a bonus amounting to a few shillings per week. Some of them are already demanding a great reduction in the Customs Tariff and taxation of the uuearned increment in the vnlue of land to make up the deficit in the revenue. A writer in the civil servants' jo'urnal points out that this is the only possible way of dealing successfully with the problem. In my opinion he is right. As the matter is one of very great importance to many thousands of families who are hardly able to pay their way, I would suggest a conference of representatives of the Civil Service, the school teachers, and the working journalists to consider the economic and fiscal questions and make recommendations to the Government. The ordinary labour unions, like the organ of the Socialist party, are quite incapable of dealing with such matters, which are far above their heads. Thus far Labour in New Zealand has been led by very ignorant wharf lumpers and the like. It is surely time the educated workers took up the Labour and Cost of Living questions, issued a manifesto thereon, and commenced the organisation of a political party for strenuous action at the next general election.—Yours etc.,

Pjioamicsa.