FANCY PRICES

New Zealand Times, Volume XLVI, Issue 10686, 4 September 1920, Page 7

FANCY PRICES

BLOCK BUTTER SUPPLIES QUESTION RAISED IN HOUSE: i COMMITTEE TO BE SET UP. Had tho Prime Minister heard 'tfie many complaints from, retail butter dealers and from a number of labour unions that they were unable to obtain supplies of butter? asked 3lr R. MeCallum (Wairau) in the House of Representatives without notice yester- • day afternooi}. : ''The fancy price which our producers are getting from tho Home Government, through the Prime Minister, has simply blocked tho whole of the j supplies to the local retailers," said the- ihonouraible gentleman, ' and I have had many requests in regard to the matter; and will the Prime Minis? ter say whether butter is obtainable for local retailers, tflid at what price ?" Mr Massey replied that he- had not had many complaints—only one or two The Director of Agriculture (Dr. Reakes) had reported only two days ago that, so ,f at as he was able to judge, the Government had enough butter in stock -to last till the end of the present month- A year or so ago there had been a great shortage of butter in the Dominion, and he had therefore advised the Government to keep back more butter than usual this year. That had been done; and consequently, it was possible to go further into the new season with the butter than usual. There should, he repeated, bo sufficient to last to the end of the month. The Government was hot out to make profit; and their price would not be increased to the Eublic until the supplies were c.:austpd. Colonel Mitchell < Wellington South): What about afterwards? Mr Massey: Ah! That is another story. COST OF LIVING. ANOTHER S~PER CENT. CREASEIn the House of Representatives yesterday Mr J. McCombs (Lyttelton) called the attention of the Prime Minister to the fact thflt, as shown by the "Monthly Abstrnat of Statistics,*'. tho cost oi living iiad, during the past month, risen 40 points. That» he said, meant 49-fiftietns of a shilling, or practically a 5 per cent, increase in one month. Would tho Prime Minister, he asked, in view of this alarming rate of increase, favourably consider the • setting up this, session of a special committee to go into the question and make recommendations to the Government for dealing, with tho problem, which lias not been; dealt with hitherto? ~-.-.,-,,■ ■ -. . - r --i Mr Massey: I propose to committee next week to deal with the butter question, and have no objection to the committee going further in tho same direction —a Parliamentary committee, of. course.