COST OF LIVING.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 12086, 15 August 1917, Page 4

COST OF LIVING.

STATE' SERVANTS' PETTTICWtf. MORE RELIEF REQUIRED. [From Our Correspondent.] WELLINGTON, August 14. Several petitions were presented i 4 Parliament this afternoon signed bj State employees, urging the Govern* ment to give further relief to small salaried workers owing to the high cost of living. The petitioners state: — 1. That since the outbreak of tvar th< cost of living has increased to Bucb, an ex« tent that persons in receipt of email remu« aeration are Buffering serious hardship. 2. That the circumstances of the time ara not such as to allow free play to the ordinary conditions of trade and industry, aa ha* been shown by the experience of Great Bri tain and other countries. A number of similar petitions ar« being sent to Yv r ellington from all paxtg of New Zealand, and it is understood that they bear nearly twenty thousand signatures. It is the intention of the Council of New Zealand State Servants to ask Parliament to set up a special Select Committee to hear their case for an increased war bonus. The movement is backed by the Amalgamated Society of Railway Servants, New Zealand Public Service Association, Post and Telegraph Officers' Association, Now Zealand Educational Institute, New Zealand Railway Officers' Instil tute, and Locomotive Engine Drivers'! Firemen and Cleaners' Association. Mr Craigie read a letter from the State Servants' Association asking fol a Select Committee of investigation to enable the petitioners to put their case fully before the House. Mr Massey stated that so far as he was concerned he had no objection to a committee, but as there were certain difficulties in the way he was not prepared to give a definite answer straight out. However, he would give a reply in a few days. It would be a very good thine to ventilate the whole subject and let the people concerned get some idea of the difficulties in the way of what had been asked for. AN INVESTIGATION. COMMITTEE SET UP. [From Our Correspondent.] WELLINGTON, August 14. Just lie fore the House rose to-night the Prime Minister obtained leave to set up the following committee to inquire into and report on the cost of living:—Messrs Massey, Bollard, Craigie. Dickson. Guthrie, Hornsby, Poole, Sidey, Statham, Veitch and Wilkinson.