Evening journal., 1916-07-20
FOOD Prices NOW
WORRY BRITONS
Board of Trade Names Com
mittee to Investigate
the Cause
WANT GOVERNMENT
REGULATION


tickets are as yet unknown in Eng
land, the steady rise in the cost of
.godstuffs and the reduced purchas- /
Ing power of the sovereign spent on
food has resulted in the appointment
Of a Board OF Trade committee to
investigate the causes OF the rise in
food prices. This is considered a
step in the right direction but il does
not satisfy the Labor party. A de-
mand that the government regulate
prices by controlling shipping and
treights, Communicating home grown
crops and controlling supplies from
overseas will form the main plank in
the platform Of the special trade
union congress.
Prices vary so much in the differ
ent London boroughs that it is diff
cult 10 say what is the exact change
in the cost Of commodities of gem
eral consumption since the outbreak
Of the war. and the only practical
method is to take the average rise
in price in a large number Of towns
all over the country This is the
method employed by the Workers
National Committee. which has OBJ
tanned some instructive figures re-
garding expenditure on food, in the
standard working class budget based
On / 1,944 family budgets collected by a
Board Of Trade inquiry in the summer
Of 1904. According to the report the
average weekly income OF the families
included is sSs4 and the total ex-
penditure on food is s5.40 or 61 per
cent. of the family income.
In July, 1914, a month before the
war broke out. the cost Of the family
budget rose from $40 to So. When
the war started it rose 10 s696, but
by August ,29, 1914, It had dropped to
S6.66, and the family budget remain
ed at this figure until the end Of Sep
tember when II rose up - cents and
On December / rose TO S7.02.
Month by month from that date
there has been a steady rise till to-
day. when what cost S5.04 in 1904 now
costs the housewife S9.72.
These figures show that since July,
1914, the purchasing power Of $3.50
spent on food has fallen to 1926.
Bread, since May has dropped 2
cents a loaf
It must be remembered that the in
creases in sugar and tea are nearly
wholly due 10 the extra duty.
Since July, 1914. fresh butter has
risen 33 per cent and fish 103 per
cent, eggs 2S per cent and milk 81
per cent. Timed meat fish, fruit and
pears have all gone up cents 10
6 cents a pound, while timed rabbits
have risen from II cents to SO cents
a pound.
A special trade union congress is
to meet In London, and the first and
most important item of its agenda
will be the consideration of food and
fuel prices. The matter has already
been considered by the parliamentary
committee of the congress, and the
following resolution will be submit
ted 10 the delegates by that commit
tee:
"That this congress expresses its
conviction that the government should
at once take steps to regulate the
prices Of foodstuffs and fuel in order
TO prevent the exploitation Of the
working classes"
u further expresses the conviction
that such regulation can be properly
enforced only by a government depart
ment which will have power to COM
Inandeer food supplies and fuel and
distribute them through inunicipali-
ties or other elected bodies; and by
Q) The effective control of mer-
chant shipping to provide the fixing oi
freight rates sufficient to meet in
creased costs without providing enor-
mously increased profits for shipping
companies.
(2) steps to be taken to comman
deer home grown crops, paying a fail
price to farmers. but excluding specu
lation and exploitation. Further
steps 70 be taken to obtain control o.
foreign and colonial supplies as mal
be necessary for the needs Of the
country.
(3) The amendment of the Goa
prices limitation act fixing STANDARD
prices in various areas, by this
means protecting the consumer
against excessive prices imposed b!
coal owners and merchants attempt
ing TO evade the intention Of the act.
Will Crooks, NJ. P, the one Labol
member who is trusted and liked b!
all classes, says:
"If YOU take the industrial classe
all through, doubt whether you WI
find more than 25 per cent. who hav
obtained any actual increase in wage
since the war began. Even thes
hnd the increase more than counter
balanced by the rise in prices. Wha
must be the case with the other a
per cent?
"And remember what this numbe
includes. You have all the old ag