COST OF HIGH LIVING.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LII, Issue 17008, 15 April 1926, Page 3

COST OF HIGH LIVING.

INSTALMENT SYSTEM CONDEMNED. FARM LANDS TOO DEAR. Sir Harold Beauchamp, in an interview in Auckland, said that frequently during the past few years his critics had described him as a pessimist. There was no grounds for classing him in that category, “On the contrary,” lie said, “I am everything of an optimist; hut I conceive it one of my duties lo point out the dangers existing through tho riotous extravagance that one secs in this country. Tn this extravagance so .many people find it difficult to bear what they describe as ‘the high cost of living.’ Over arid over again it lias been pointed out that, it is not the high .cost- of living but tho cost of high livrng.”

Sir Harold Beauchamp declared that there were, mativ men in New Zealand with salaries of £4OO lo £SOO a year who owned motor-cars which they used simply , for joy-riding. Many of these ears were bought on the Instalment system, say £lO down and the balance spread over two or three years. In finding money for the payment of. the instalments the butcher, the bakur, Hie grocer, and other tradesmen had to suffer.

•It had been suggested, with the/ object of checking this class of luxury, that the Government should be invited to exclude molor-cafs from the benefits of the’Chattel (Securities Act. It that were dolio sellers would ,in self-protec-tion he compelled lo insist on- I lie greater part of tho purchase money being paid ou delivery, instead of spread over a period of years. The cost of production values ruling to day for primary produce 'compared favorably with those ruling in pre-war days, Sir Harold Beauchamp said, but producers were suffering from the high cost of production and the inordinate prices they had been paying for all classes of farm lands. “There is at the present time ail adjustment.being made in, land values which ought to ameliorate the present conditions,” lie added“lf land values in tins country could only be brought down to a reasonable figure, it would give relief from many .of the difficulties farmers are having in making both ends meet.”