Wairarapa Daily Times [Established 45 Years.] SATURDAY, JUNE 10, 1920. COST OF LIVING.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume 46, Issue 14147, 19 June 1920, Page 4

Wairarapa Daily Times [Established 45 Years.] SATURDAY, JUNE 10, 1920. COST OF LIVING.

Intimately bound up with the iinances of the State, both public and private, the latter being the finances of individuals, is the cost of living. Before the war it was a struggle, not a demond, for this higher standard of living, and the struggle was slowly having its effect. The standard was slowly rising, and because the standard was rising so was the cost of living. The greater demand for the better class goods sent up the [trice. There is no use disguising the fact that the war brought an un-looked-for prosperity to certain classes of employers as well as to certain sections of workers. Money far beyond their dreams was earned, and it was spent in obtaining what they believed to be the good tilings of life. Brices, went up during wartime because of the falling-off in supply, but the demand was also sharpened because ol: this unlooked-for prosperity on

part of certain sections of the population, and these Jived better than they formerly did. That bred a spirit of , emulation among others, who t ried to compete, and who in consequence declared that their cost of living had gone up beyond what it really had advanced. So because of their competition for the good things of life the cost, went up higher still. What is it that is making clothing so dear/ Woollen manufacturers have declared that their customers will not look at quality with which they were satisfied six years Ago. The demand is for the finer quality all the time, and that demand comes not from the well-to-do .only, but from all sections of the community. That point may be tested by observation. The boots worn in the streets to-day .are of a more showy standard than they were six years ago, the hosiery is of a liner material. Among women, more silk is worn than ever. Yet production has not increased. Probably it has diminished. We know that it is the case with wool, and with leather. Consequently prices, with increased or with decreased production, and with a more insistent de-

mane!, Jiavc soared. The man on a salary or wages thinks that by getting more counters which he calls money he will be able better to meet the increased prices. He will for a while, but inevitably the circle goes round, and the prices go up again. By his very action in demanding more' counters for his work he adds to the number of counters in the cost of his work, and those chunters go on increasing as they how from him through the various manufacturing process and distributing agencies of liis fellows, who use or consume them. He has more moncj and he wants more leisure in which >« spend it. He plans that he will go Ashing all day on Saturday. But there are many other additional men who also plan to go fishing. The boat propiietors find they have not sufficient boats, so the hiring price is put up. And a 'howl goes up among the amateur fishermen of the wicked profiteering of the boat proprietors. The amateur forgets that he too is profiteering, on His own commodity —his labour —because it is scarce. If his labour were plentiful lie would have no chance of profiteering. We are really starting at the wrong end. We think that if we receive, more money we shall advance our standard of living. We can only increase our standard of living by producing more goods, which we can exchange for goods made by other people. If wo have more goods to exchange we shall receive more goods in exchange. We can improve the'eonditions of living, make the real standard higher, but we cannot do- it by reducing hours of employment while all the world needs re-stocking. The world must: be restocked first; we must produce not only sufficient for the year, but sufficient to put by for use when bail times overtake us. We must have a. reserve. When we have that then we can consider whether hours of employment can be reduced or vhethei there can be a large supply of finer goods. If we want more leisure and finfr goods at once we shall only put off the longer their ultimate realisation. ;