AN IRRESISTIBLE TIDE

Otago Daily Times, Issue 23299, 17 September 1937, Page 10

AN IRRESISTIBLE TIDE

RISING COST OF LIVING INADEQUATE CHECKS APPLIED (From Our Parma mentabv Reporter) WELLINGTON, Sept. 16. Criticism of what he described as the Government's failure to keep down the cost of living was expressed by the Leader of the Opposition (Mr A. Hamilton) when speaking in the Address-in-Reply debate in the House of Representatives to-night. ~,-.-■ A "The Minister of Industries and Commerce (Mr D. G. Sullivan) promised to keep the cost of living down," Mr Hamilton said, " and with that object in view he introduced a Prevention of Profiteering Act last year. ' wonder how it is getting on? He was going to fix all prices and impose a penalty on anyone who exceeded them. Mr Sullivan: The Act permitted traders to increase their prices up to a point equal to the increased costs. " The Act does not say that," Mr Hamilton replied. "A man must appeal and receive a permit before he can put his prices up." Mr Sullivan: That is quite wrong. That had been the Minister's effort to keep costs down, Mr Hamilton continued, but he did not think it had been successful. The Minister might just as well have tried to keep the tide back. A famous king had once tried that and had got pretty wet, and there was no doubt the Labour Government was getting pretty wet to-day.