WHY PRICES ARE HIGH.

Taranaki Herald, Volume LXVII, Issue 16545, 20 September 1919, Page 11

WHY PRICES ARE HIGH.

SHOUT SUPPLIES—LOAN MONEY, j I 1 REMEDIES SUGGESTED. i i j The reason for the prevailing high ( prices, said Professor Meredith Atkinson j recently to the members of the Melbourne Housewives’ Association, was not to bo found only in Australia. It 1 was a world-wide problem, and it was j probable that Australia was finding it | less difficult than the nations who were i in the vortex of war. The fundamental j causes of the trouble wore in the first i place the shortage of supplies, and, ‘ secondly, that wo were living on hor- 1 rowed monkey, which was circulating j without productive results. .Money was j merely a commodity, and if there was ! plenty of it its value lessened, and 1 automatically prices went ifp. Every ; country in the world was suffering from 1 tile enormous increase of money in cir- I dilation. • These w ere the true causes ; of the high cost of living, and local 1 pi ofitecring was only of minor importance. Nevertheless, t here, was no, doubt profiteering existed, and it should be rigorously punished and prevented. The war was the main reason of present conditions, which could only be modified by a return to a normal state of affairs. The productions of wealth would have to bo immensely increased. The chairwoman (Mrs. Dowing) said that the ordinary mo n and women ; lacked understanding of the situation. “Stop the profiteer” was the world’s catch cry. She recommended a “stop waste” campaign. She asked Professor Atkinson if we should not economise in live stock and oat loss meat in order that export trade .should ho increased Mrs. Cameron said that young Australia would never submit to less than throe meat meals a day, no matter how unnecessary they were. Professor Atkinson expressed the opinion that what was needed in most i Australian cities was the establishment of well-regulated public markets. An- ; other great benefit to weakly wage-earn- . ors would bo the organisation of thoir , own co-operative stores. In both those . points Australia was the most backward ! country in the world. The Australian ' wage-earner concentrated on politics to the detriment of Ids own comfort and economy. There was not a suburb in Melbourne where co-operative stores could not flourish. They were established on definite linos throughout .England, Scotland, and America, and fail- ] urrs averaged only ono in 50. : Mrs. Vial asked why it was that.j people were able to pay the high prices, j and whether a return to normal condi- : lions would mean less luxury? i Professor Atkinson said that the fact 1 that the shops were as full as ever was not a proof that ihe average man and woman had enough to live on. There : were thousands of families in Melbourne j who had continual difficulty in making both ends meet. Miss Currie said there was littlo doubt that undue profiteering flourished. Professor Atkinson agreed with this, but said that profiteering was not such a strong factor in tho high cost of living as some people would make out. If the housewives of Melbourne would combine and select a .genuine case of excess profiteering, and would make a direct attack against it as some of tho housewives did when the price of meat was unduly raised, they would probably win out as the American women did. There was no doubt that if Australia was to escape from tho far worse conditions which were affecting the rest o£ the world she must increase her primary products. The whole world needed wheat, wool, and moat, and these wore tho main products of Australia.