COST OF LIVING COMMISSION.

West Coast Times, 19 June 1912, Page 4

COST OF LIVING COMMISSION.

A'THEORETICAL EXPERT’S FIGURES.

[PER PRESS ASSOCIATION.—COPYRIGHTS CHRISTCHURCH, June, 18. The Cost of Living Commission this morning took evidence from a representative of a biscuit firm, who declared that ho had not raised the prices for the last twenty years. He admitted differences in various localities in the discount rates.

Prances Jolly, Bachelor of Commerce, presented a chart showing the rise in wages. Taking the figures for 1896 as 100, those for 1899 and the following years were as follows ;1899, 101.6; 1900, 101.3; 1901, 110.4; 1902, 119.9; 1903, 121.4; 1904, 122.2; 1905, 124.0; 1906, 125.5. The purchasing power of wages had risen from 99.5 in 1899 to 116 in 1910, taking the figure for 1896 as 100.

‘Witness complained that the statistics in Now Zealand were incomplete, rendering calculations unreliable.

The rise in prices in New Zealand up to 1910 was small, only throe per cent compared 32 per cent in the United States, 26 per cent in Canada and 18 per cent in the United Kingdom CHRISTCHURCH, Juno 18. The Commission concluded its sittings in Christchurch this afternoon and left to-night for the north. The sittings in Auckland will open on Thursday afternoon.