COST OF COMMODITIES

NZ Truth, Issue 510, 27 March 1915, Page 5

COST OF COMMODITIES

PEOPLE PROTEST AGAINST THE PLUNDERBUND SOCIAL DEMOCRATS DENOUNCE SQUARE DEAL How McCoombs Macerates Massey's Masters

''Truth" had expected the old Opera House, Wellington, to have been crowded on Sunday night last, when a meeting of citizens was called by the Social Democratic Party for the purpose of protesting against the continually increasing cost of necessaries of life since the outbreak of war. There was only a fair attendance. Whether this was due to the inclement weather, or is an indication of the apathy of the people, or that the S.D.P. does not cut much ice with patriots m war time, the fact remains that unless the people rise up m earnest protest against the iniquitous impositions of the exploiting rings and combines, the Massey Government will continue to do nothing to intervene m "the prosperous trade" being transacted by* its pals and patrons, and the price of food and other necessary commodities will rise to greater heights. ' The people should roll up m thousands at every opportunity to enter their protest. If this is not done, Mr. Massey and the merchants will be entitled to conclude that the people DON'T MIND BEING PLUNDERED at this end of the world whilst their fellow creatures are being murdered^ at the other. ' - The speakers at Sunday night's meeting were Harry Holland, representing the S.D.P., Mrs. Donaldson, the Housewives Union, and Mr. W. Maddison, Labor Representation Committee. Mr. C. H. Chapman, Labor candidate for the Mayoralty, presided. Mr. Holland was the principal speaker, and he laid down as the principle of his argument that there was no justification 1 m higher prices of commodities unless there was a rise m the cost of producing those commodities. He quoted figures to show the prices of the necessaries of life before the war and at the present time. Hospital figures gave flour at £9 to £10 a ton, now it was £18 to £19, bread was 3d 2lb loaf, now 5d and 6d, oatmeal was £13 ss, now £21 a ton, though the New Zealand yield had. been 40 bushels' per acre and there was no shortage, a rank injustice to the many Scots m the Dominion. Soft sugar had risen from £14 10s a ton to £19 10s. In these circumstances he agreed with the British Socialists' paper "Justice," which claimed there was no right to shoot traitors at the front WHILE THERE WERE TRAITORS WITHIN. He regarded Mr. McCoombs, M.P., as the only Labor man at present to do things. He had compiled chronological information from the columns of the daily press which showed day by day tt\e developments m the increase m the prices of food and the action taken by the Government, from the outbreak of war to the^. present time. Mr. McCoombs's data showed that no shortage of wheat was discovered until after the war broke out. On August 6 Mr. Massey said he had reason to believe there was sufficient wheat and flour to supply, the population until next April. On August 28 the Foods' Commission was appointed, and on September 30 Mr. Massey quoted Its report which suggested a fair price for wheat as 5s 3d per bushel and flour at £13 per ton f.o.b. at Lyttelton, Tim-, aru, and Oamaru. It, found evidence that most of the large millers held considerable stocks.' The Commission did not fix the price of bread. On October 10 the Chrlstchurch "Star" reported that the Food Commission had LOST THE SHORTHAND NOTES taken of evidence, and on the 15th Mr. Andrew Falrbalrn complained to the press that, though he had given evidence lasting three hours, he had been unable, after repeated requests, to get a copy of his evidence for revision. The Chairman of the Commission dented that the shorthand notes had been lost. Nevertheless Mr. McCoombs said that from statements made to him ho was convinced that the reporting arrangements made for the Food Commission constituted the gravest scandal, and that the Government had the best of reasons for hushing up the. facts. Meantime Mr. Massey was busy receiving deputations from Farmers' Unions and Millers' Associations. Ho set about ordering supplies from abroad. On November 30. Mr. Massey. m the course of an electioneering speech at Hawera, snid: I want those who may hold stocks of wheat to understand that the Government will purchase at a fulr price, nnd that they will not be allowed to keep supplies locked up to tho detriment of the population. The Government will not allow any storing of wheat supplies for the purpose of exploiting the public. After the elections, on January 21, the ! farmers asked the Government to remove the restrictions as to the price of wheat. On February 5 the Board of ABriculturq made similar recommendations. On February 8. when it was known definitely that Mr. Statham, Government candidate for Dunedin Central, was elected, the Government DECIDED TO REMOVE THE RESTRICTIONS on the sale of wheat. Mr. Massey said: | The producer* aro entitled to the fair market value of the article they raise, and to pay them le.HH than this would be to confiscate part of their earning and diHcouniKo the cultivation of wheat In the future. Cure will, however, be taken that no exploitation takes place. On February 10 wheat was selling at 7s a biiHhfl. On February 16 the Go- j vornment'B attention was directed to . tho fact that millers wore, charging ' £16 per ton for Hour pronumably manufactured from wheat imported by tho l Government at f>« 3d per btmhel and sold to millerH at 5h S»<l. the country bearing the U>*s «f 6d per bunhol. On February 24 there wn« a further advance m the price of flour, making tluj price £16 IO» per ton. nnd bread lo l<o 10d per -lib loaf. Mr. Mnwcy explained that the new arrangements mnriu with the millers wn» that the price nt which f hey must soil tlio Hour was banod on £ M 10 " for flour ground from Canadian wheat alone, but when

I mixed with New Zealand wheat bought at a higher price, then the price of the flour would be allowed to increase m strict proportion. The millers agreed to this. It was very considerate of such a gang of speculators. In reply to the suggestion that the Government might fix the price of flour and bread by milling and baking, the Prime Minister said that NO EXPERIMENT OF THAT SORT appeared to be needed. Mr. McCoombs had shown that the Government had purchased some 585,000 bushels of wheat from Australia and Canada. It had cost the country 6s 3d a bushel and was sold to the millers at 5s 9d. The Government loses £1-4,---875 at this rate of 6d per bushel loss, and the millers gain at the rate of at least Is 3d per bushel, or £36,562, and the commpn people foot the bill. Mr. McCoombs showed that the total exploitation m regard to the necessaries of life easily EXCEEDS £2,000,000 PER ANNUM. It is over £1,000,000 on flour alone, and we are threatened with the further increase m the price of bread to Is per four 1b loaf. "If the Germans," said McCoombs, "were to descend on New Zealand and demand an indemnity at even half this amount, the whole country would be up m arms at once." Mr. Holland pointed out that the increase m prices was not confined to flour and bread. Meat had risen 50 per ! cent.; sugar, and other foodstuffs had I also jumped up. Clothing was increasing m prices, so much that the fate of ; poor Chidley, m Sydney, awaited the I people. He admitted that Mr. Carey had presented the case of higher wages , for workers to the Arbitration Court I very ably, but' he (Holland) would not j have asked the Court to hear applica- | tions "if they thought (It." He would have told the Court that awards must be lifted m line with the cost of living. :If that was not done the workers, through their economic organisations, should see that Is was enforced. As to Mr. Maßsey starting State bakeries, he ' was putting the cart before the horse. The first thing he would have to do would be to PROCLAIM ALL. WHEAT THE PROPERTY OF THE PEOPLE. He could then open automatic bakeries and supply bread at 3%d a loaf. The present system was even too ridiculous for the Inmates of Porirua. The meat works were overflowing and slaughtermen were being discharged, yet meat was going up m price; the same with sugar. A war tax was proposed, and it was certain to come. He. wanted to see the men with banking accounts, like Solomon had,, pay their share. One way to prevent further impositions on the workers was for them to throw aside all petty trivialities, link up, make a , solid attack on the 'Tories, and take possession of Parliament m the interests of all New Zealand. A WOMAN'S VIEW. Mrs. Donaldson moved the following resolution: "That as the present war crisis has been taken advantage of by unscrupulous exploiters for the purpose j of manipulating the prices of foodstuffs ' so as to wring greater profits for themselves out of their fellow-citizens durj ing a time of national trial, and as this I process has already produced unnecess- | ary hardships rxmong the mass of the people and is likely to continue m accentuated form if private exploitation is unchecked, this meeting of citizens calls upon the Government to Immediately assume possession of the wheat, flour, ! and meat supplies of the country, to establish a permanent and Independent court with power to enforce maximum prices of sale of nil commodities; and to ensure by State enterprise that sufnj cient wheat is grown In New Zealand 1 next season not only for the people of this country, but for the purpose of exportation at minimum price to assist ihe people of Britain." She said the question was of the most vital importance. She had come m contuct with a number of people who THOUGHT THEY WERE PAYING | towards the cost of war by the present i high prices. That, of course, was not so. Payment for the cost of war would come later on. She had visited the Gear Meat Co.'s works a few weeks ago, and had been informed there that ?.he chambers wore stacked to overflowing with meal, yet prices for meat were rising:. When prices rose it was hard to get them down again. They could see how j Mr. Massey was looking after the in- \ t crests of his class, and she thought it was time the workers sent more men of their class to Parliament to look ' after their interests. She told of an Instance of the Government reducing wages, how shipping freights had risen 400 per cent., and people having to dispose of their fowls on account of the high price of chick wheat. If tho Government can commandeer meat for export. It could do the same with respect to all necessaries of life for tho people. She claimed it was time drastic steps were taken. Mr. W. Maddison seconded the resolution. He considered the present Government's square deal to the workers was taken from the bottom of the pack. The Food Stuffs Hill was ONK OK THK WGGNST HM'FFS ever imposed on the community. It was misleading m tho extreme. To all InteiUH it \va» designed to regulate food stuffs, but nothing hnd been don". How could the workers be blamed If they turned round and said they would not i handle the Roods of the exploiters? The following motion by the chnirman was also carried :—"Thnt thin meeting condemns attemptH at defraying expenditure ftrisintc out of the war by means of street collections and other Homl-chnritable methods us being beneath the dignity of a democratic country, and demands that a graduated war tax be imposed upon lnnd and Incomes to meet all war expenditure."