PRICES, PROFITS AND PLUNDER

NZ Truth, Issue 811, 28 May 1921, Page 1

PRICES, PROFITS AND PLUNDER

In spite of his protestations, "Motueka Resident's" great faith m the Board of Trade appears to be unshaken. Just as well someone believes m the ipoor'old "Bored I" i: :: :: Restaurant- keepers have not yet given the public the benefit of the reduced price of meat. Most of them are buying their meat at wholesale prices at a much lower figure even than the public is now paying. The hash-houses were auick en'dugh to doss on the increases to the public, but are tardy m giving the public the benefit of the falling 1 .prices. It Is good to note, however, that a Wellington social organisation which supplies meals to young ladles has reduced its meal prices from Is 6d to Is 3d and from Is 3d to la. ti 1: m A local body chairman m Wellington recently put the following point to a public meeting: A baker who sells a loaf of bread weighing: five ounces when it should weigh six is liable to prosecution for defrauding. la the man who Bells his physical strength for eight hours and supplies you with half ' his energy m the same category or is he not? To say the least, Is it honest? Is It honorable dealing as between man and man or is it dishonesty? It Is a problem that demands a. solution If the Dominion is to prosper. The speaker overlooked the fact that if the worker is selling his physical strength "short-weighted^" he has been taught this little lurk by his dishonest employer. If the worker gets full-weighted pay envelopes, there need be no question about the fullw eight of his physical energy. i: :: :: "Prices are coming down here, so we are told," writes a "Truth", correspondent from Sydney, "m fact they say that they have fallen with a mighty thud m some things. Few of us have heard the thud, though perhaps boots and shoes are Is a pair less than a year ago. Serge, cloth, and all kinds of flannel and woollen gdods for winter wear appear to be as exorbitantly priced as ever, and if there Is any chance of the bottom falling out of the wool market, the effect is not visible this side of the Equator, Our winter olothes are going to cost us just as muc-h and the 'comfys 1 for the youngsters will be just as dear and | scarce as formerly. Having cast an optic round, I've concluded that some people think that if they say a'thing often enough we shall, believe it. no matter how absurd and erroneous it is. Food prices are decreasing. According to the papers there is a glut of ' meat, which' oannot be sold at any price. The suburban retail butchers have certainly cut down prices a penny or so, but there Is nothing like the reduotion there should be if the wholesale prloes quoted are correct. The populace would soon eat up the slut, if zfteat was retailed cheaply. To talk about glutted markets while chops and steaks are lOd per pound is ridiculous."

» Why is kerosene being sold at so many different prices? Some firms won't sell less than a tin, others charge one shilling for a pint bottle (or what goes as a pint bottle), while others, again, charge from tenpence down to sixpence for the same sized bottle. There must be a nice little^, .profit on a tin of kerosene retailed at a bob a bottle. n i: >t Judging by figures published recently m Australia, there has been a terrific slump m the values of sheepskins and hides during the last several months. The price of boots are slow to follow th« slide of the raw materials of which tney are made. Since lost year the fall m the price of boots has been from twelve *o forty- six per cent The Highest fall, that of fortysix per cent., is represented In the price of football boots, the next largest decrease being twenty-nine per cent, m box. calf boots.. These declines look fairly respectable until we are told that for the same period the decline In sheepskins amounted to about eighty-four, per o«nt,, and m hides •eighty-one per cent, . II II it "Motueka Resident" returns to the attack against "Queerist" m referring to the price of 'bread m Motueka, He' writes: lam rather surprised 'with your comment on my answer to "Queertst" m your columns of last issue, I always take "Truth" as I know you are always out to find things that are not square and show- them up to the public; which is quite right, i You say I must , be troubled with somnolence as nvell as "Queerist," I may i be, but was not m that state when Nelson Jumped the Straits In the night. And I took it for granted that you j knew also. Now, do you really think that the local and Nelson bakers would be bold enough to charge the same price as the Njorth Island, without the consent of the Board of "Trade? You laugh "Ha, ha," at the mention of their name. I bold no brief ,for them, j I can assure you, and they may be a sleepy crowd, but if the Nelson and local -bakers had made the price of broad to suit themselves, the Board of Trade would have come to light lively enough,' and the effect would have been trouble to the bakers? When "Queerist" found the "mare's nest," m- i stead of saying the local bakers should; be brought to book, he should have woke up the Board of Trade and put them on the track of the wrong- doers. Perhaps he was not properly awake from his long sleep. It is many months since the Board of Trade fixed the price of bread for Nelson to be the same as for the North Island, owing to freight to this part of the South Island. I may say that bread should be much cheaper, but the Government is the! fault. They rule the bread trade. Well, Mr. Editor, knowing you like everyona to set a square deal, a genuine one, not a Maasey square deal, I am , suva you would not sign up for Nelson bak» I ers to have less profit than any ether bakers m the country. Thanking you for your valuable space.