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Taranaki Herald, Volume LXV, Issue 145754, 13 February 1917, Page 2

In a letter read at a war loan meeting in England Admiral Reginald Bacon said there was no need to worry about German submarines, as the navy would give them all the worry they wanted. The splendid pluck of the merchant seamen would upset the German calculations at the end of the war as badly as did the contemptible little army at the beginning. It is quite time the public showed more appreciation of the services of the men ou our merchant vessels than has hitherto been the case. The sailors on these ships are fighting our battles just as much as' the soldiers in the trenches; but though they run many risks they have few, if any, chances of glory. The Germans fully recognise the importance of mer.chant ships, for the German Chancellor Told the Reichstag that the new submarine campaign was the only chance of beating Britain. Many complaints are made if there are too few ships to take away our wool and meat and dairy produce, but fow people refer to the fact that there is never a shortage, of men to man the ships that are available. ' Seamen cheerfully take the normal risks of their calling, but ;qt present these have boon enormously increased by the brutal methods l of the German submarines. There is first the chance of being blown to pieces by, the l explosion of a torpedo, while., if that is avoided'the men may have to take to boats already damaged by gun fire ’and itoss about on stormy, wiuti;y ' seas for days, till they are rescued or find i\ watery grave. If saved, and still fit for work, they are expected to, sign on for a new voyage gjvitb all the old risks. The stokers, of whom wo are often inclined to speak disrespectfully, showV special courage, for they run the greatest risk of being killed or injured by an explosion, and have far loss chanoo ■of escape than tlio men on dock.’; One could wish that there were some means of recognising the services of the men on our merchant vessels. Those who have made voyages, some of them dozens, of voyages, through the danger zone surely deserve some sort of modal to mark their courage, pensions if they are disabled, aud pensions for widows it their lives are lost. Some provision for pensions may be in existence, hut we have never heard of it, yet certainly the victims of submarines have died for their country just as much as those who are killed in the trenches.

The Abstract of Statistics just issued hy the Government Statistician contains some instructive and interesting figures relating to the cost of living, which go to show that the people of

this Dominion have 1 more to be thankful for than to grumble at in connection with this subject. As the Acting-Prime Minister informed a deputation which waited upon him at Christchurch a day or two ago/ it is impossible to maintain pre-war prices in war time—tbs very fact of war made it impossible. All that can be done is to endeavour to prevent exploitation afid the Government of New Zealand has met with considerable success in its efforts in this direction. Considering that the Dominion is deriving a much larger income from its exports than it did before the war the increase in the cost of living is not a very serious matter. The trouble is that it is impossible to make it press equitably all round. Taking the three food groups—groceries, dairy produce, and meat—the increase in prices in December last over those of July, 1914, is 25.23 per cent, over the whole Dominion. Now Plymouth is favourably circumstanced, as the increase here is only 20.20 per cent. The greatest is in the cost of meat, which is dearer by 2-1.19 per cent, in New Plymouth and as much as 50.59 per cent, in Gisborne. But meat is one of those articles of diet which may with advantage in most cases be cut down a little. It is difficult to understand the variations in different places; for instance, meat is, as stated above, 56.59 per cent, dearer in Gisborne, but only 5.37 per cent, dearer in Nelson, Dairy produce is 28.87 per cent, dearer in Palmerston North, the centre of a dairying ' district, and only 8.89 per cent, dearer in Hotorua. In groceries the variation is loss noticeable, ranging from 16.93 per cent, increase in Now Plymouth to 37.48 per cent, in Dunedin. The outstanding and important fact, however, is that the increase since the war commenced in these three food groups averages only 25.23 per cent., and much of tliis might be met by economies in most households. But the war ha's not yet brought home to the people generally that any "economy is necessary. Therefore there should be no complaint about the increased cost of living.