GOING SLOW.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXX, Issue 3560, 27 June 1912, Page 5

GOING SLOW.

THE COST OF LIVING COMMIS-

SION.

INTERESTING EVIDENCE

[PEE PEESS ASSOCIATION.] AUCKLAND, June 26. Interesting information in regard to the coal business was given before the Cost of Living Commission to-day by Mr. Geo. Winstone, of the firm of Geo. Winstone. Ltd., coal merchants and carriers, who said that the .business had been established for over 40 years. The cost of distribution had increased considerably during the last 18 years, owing to an increase in the price of labor and horses, and there was an increase all round. Generally, men worked harder 20 years ago than they did now. He was, sure of that fact-

Mr. Veitch: Is there an Association of Coal Merchants in. Auckland? Witness: No; but there is an Association of Coal Dealers.

They want the best prices they can I get? They do not make anything like an exorbitant profit—in fact, they don’t made a fair profit. Dealers pay merchants 24s 9d per ton net for house coal and receive 31s uer t-ou net, leaving a margin of 6s 3d per ton. Witness went on to state that it hardly paid to sell in smaller quantities, owing to the cost of cartage. Sacks .were a big item, the average life of a sack, being three trips. Are there any complaints of shortweight coal? . . None at all. Now the association lias a membership cf 214, and was formed 13 years ago. When the association was first formed, one or two I dealers had appeared before it, as it was alleged that they were selling undcr-weiglit, but since then there had ntot been a single complaint against a member of the association. To the chairman: His statement about men not doing the same amount of work as they used to do only meant to apply to few. and not to men generally. His own employees, for instance, were a good body of . men-