A WORKER'S COMPLAINT.

Timaru Herald, Volume CVI, Issue 16309, 10 August 1917, Page 3

A WORKER'S COMPLAINT.

To the Editor of tlie '•Timani Hcruld.' - ' Sir;— Kindly permit 1110 a. little, space with regard to a lew criticisms irom the working 111:111 s point- o: view, upon the Budget" of 1917.' First let us deal with conversion---. Mere wo have the amount of £':.'. 133,0U9 which has been borrowed piacti-.-ally all from 'tho fat. iiuiii, bearing an interest- of 4.V per cent. "Why I s n y the fat man, is because tli': working man even tinder normal conditions finds it impossible, even if amalgamated throughout New Zealand with other workers, to raise Mich an amount. Xow let 11s go back to the first'issuing of the debentures. The Minister of Finance kindly asked the poor worker to invent tfis for five years. for which ho would receive 4.1 per cent. Xow I would like to ask where Sir Joseph thinks the working man is likely to have a, spare I6s after paying for all the necessities of life, food, clothing and fuel etc. Ho knew as well as us workers that- such would never he . the case, hence the man with the money would come forward and reap a heautiful fat purse in. retain. Very nicely engineered again to assist the mone.-.-ed man. who, if he has any patriotism at all in him could and should help his country which has brought him in all that monov. by 1 en-d----ug it to his country free of interest.. But no, that is not patriotism from his poirfc of view. Also, by making it free of income tax he not only receives 4J bufc 6 or 7 per cent, interest, whilst the poorer investor only receives his 4 \ per cent-., and it- also makes it possible for capitalists of other countries to step in and receive these huge x profits. Secondly, wo have the stocks on hand. Sir Joseph tells us that most merchants arc heavily stocked as compared with last year. He says quite 35 per cent heavier, which we are perfectly safe in calculating 50 per cent, heavier. This he says is the case with soft goods, china, fancy goods, tobacco, etc. Then again ho states that the retail shops are also over-stocked. Now if such is the case, why the rise in the cost of living as at present, which can safely be placed in almost every line at 49 per cent. ? Perhaps wo can look for that solution in this light. - Commodities have risen with such, rapid strides that the average family cannot afford to buy them, which I think is the Correct solution—hence the overstocking. But what we would like to know is, 'why this terrible .advance in the first place? Profiters again, and their patriotism in helping their country by bleeding others white. I might mention that I noticed in to-day's paper that they are going to raise the price of tobacco and cigarettes—the only comfort the poor worker has after a. day's work—presumably because they are overstocked, or cannot obtain supplies. Bat I see no mention of raising the price of cars or putting a heavier tax on them, because they arc something essential, for the big man at least. I also notice a nice little tax of 3d per pound on tea because that is something' essential for the poor worker. Thirdly, let us refle-t on public health. Sir Joseph says that the necessity of conserving child life to meet tlie ravages of the v.ar lias received attention. 1 am a married man with a. wife and three little children. Now my average earnings throughout the year can safely bo stated at 37s 6d per week. After paying for food, clothing, fuel and tobacco (one tin per week) wo have insufficient for which to pay the rent, which has had to stand aside for the last- ten or eleven months. I should like to know how more children are to be encouraged until such times as our present Ministers cither pass legislation to reduce the cost of living and give us all a fair chance to live, or else give to the parents a bonus, not of £3O, as Mr Craigie suggested, but £SO for each and every child born of working class parents during the war.—l am, etc., STRUGGLING WORKER,