PRICES OF COMMODITIES

Otago Daily Times, Issue 24530, 12 February 1941, Page 11

PRICES OF COMMODITIES

TO THE EDITOR Sir, —“ Whither Bound” will soon find that fruit is not the only thing that is soaring out of the reach of ordinary working people. Well, we put this Government in office and must suffer for our mistake. We must realise that we are under the thumbs of dictators—dictators who have not yet kept one single promise to us. They are mak-

ing things terribly hard lor poor working people, but of course some are benefited by our hardships—the wharf labourers, for instance, and public v/orks people, but all cannot be engaged on t]icir jobs, so we might as well cheerfully pay our terribly heavy taxes, not for any war effort to save New Zealand, but to provide the wellpaid voters with as much each day—or oait day—in wages as most of us get In a week. This is the Government’s love of justice, “ Once bitten, twice shy,” should appeal to us all, even to the wharf men and public works men. The goose that lays the golden eggs will be dead sooner or later, and where will these "nearly £3 a day” people be? Well “ into the soup,” just like the rest of us. Our only hope of being able to live our own lives, earning what we can, and being able to use it as we like, is to make sure of putting in a Government, the members of which will have some sense of honour and some business ability. Fantastical promises are no good to anyone. We require sensible promises that can and will be kept. Don’t let us be the laughing stock of the present Government by swallowing wholesale its poisonous soothing syrup.—l am, etc., Awake at Last. tO THE EDITOR Sir,—May I suggest to your correspondent “Whither Bound,” who says that recently his wife, contemplating the purchase of some raspberries, was staggered by a demand for the fantastic price of Is 4d per pound, that a very simple but quite effective remedy could have been applied. That remedy is simply that of going elsewhere for the fruit, which has, during the past season, been selling at a figure much lower than that mentioned. Comparisons of values in New Zealand and America seem equally unfortunate. Even those with an elementary knowledge of these matters know that comparisons of this type are of no value unless used in relationship to other costs.—l am. etc.. Raspberry.