Untitled

Lyttelton Times, Volume CXVIII, Issue 18334, 17 February 1920, Page 4

"Plenty of Flour." This notice was written on the window of a leading grocer's shop in the city yesterday, and we are tempted to regard this as an illustration of cause and effect. Last week the " Lyttelton Times" succeeded in directing the attention of the Board of Trade to the situation that had arisen through speculative buying of flour, in anticipation of an increased price being allowed by the Government shortly, following the increase given to farmers for their wheat. As the result of our representations a new regulation was published in the "Gazette" last Thursday forbidding millers to deliver flour in larger quantities than five tons —and this only to bakers with the limit of five tons a week—without a permit from the Board of Trade. The exact effect of this regulation is not easy to discover, since millers appear to be in doubt as to whether it means that their obligations to speculative contractors are merely postponed. When the Wheat Controller arrives from Wellington to-day the position will probably be made clearer. In the meantime, however, the shortage so far as grocers are concerned does appear to have suddenly become easier.

The familiar question of the adjustment of wages to the cost of living was before the City Council last evening. It seems right that the council's workmen should be paid what is known as " the clothing bonus," which the Arbitration Court has fixed as 4s a week, the adjustment being made upon the needs of people who live by wages. No doubt the City Council will fall into line. It is becoming a serious question, however, as to how long ratepayers and taxpayers, very many of whom have to bear the increased cost of living and get no bonuses, can stand the strain which these repeated additions to pay are putting upon them- The suggestion was approved by Councillor Flesher last evening that a married man should be paid "in accordance with the number of his children," but we are afraid that is not quite practical, for it might easily happen that the man with the largest family was the biggest duffer at'his work. However, the system of taxation which penalises marriage and families ought to be drastically amended. Also, the Government ought to reduce the coßt of living.

We are not surprised that the use of Latimer Square by a travelling show wris criticised at the meeting of the City Council last evening, and we heartily endorse Councillor Sullivan's view that the precedent ought to be regarded as a bad one. We had not commented upon this matter before because we did not wish to prejudice the public against the entertainers who were given the use of the square, believing their movement to be a wholesome and ethical one. But we join in saying that it was a mistake to grant permission for the square to be so used, and we sincerely trust that the error will not be repeated. A bad precedent must not be regarded as one to be observed in the future, but as one to be remembered only as. a warning. The Reserves-Com-mittee of the City Council must keep a stiff back and refuse all applications in future for the invasion of public grounds. There was some excuse during the war for laxity in regard to Cathedral Square, but even there the invasion was sometimes rather overdone. '

The City Council got over a difficulty last night by putting it off, but really we do not know how, after a fortnight's cogitation, it can find a site in Cathedral Square for the proposed war memorial. Indeed, the scheme seems to be rather ill-digested. As we understand the position the committee recommended the erection of a cenotaph and Hall of Memories in the square, but now the Hall of Memories seems to have been lopped off by somebody. As to removing the tram shelter, that sort of thing cannot be decided in an offhand sort of way. If the shelter has to go the trams will need to be taken out of the square and some new central focussing place must be discoveredThat, however, involves a much larger policy than the War Memorial Committee or even the City Council is competent to decide. Our impression is that the whole question of a War Memorial has not yet been seriously considered, in a practical way, by the citizens. At all the cenotaph and Hall of Memories proposal has the demerit that the matter of site is in the air.