Tam not satisfied with Chris Balfour's re ply to Mike Polley's lettar on living stan dards in Red Weekly of 27 March.
Apart from tax bites reducing the percontage of average earnings, we should re member that: lal Included in that percentage for the past year are the incraases in London allow ances for teachers and others; (b) during that twelve month period many groups of workers had a chance to obtain larger settlaments to catch up on price in creases in previous years under the Tory Government. In faet, if by magic we could коср pri static It could take un to two years or more for wage increases to be paid to compensate for increased living costs prior to such magic point. Pressure for higher wages follows price increases; Icl the Cost of Living Index Includes items which, It at all, enter into the budgats of only the tiniest minority of amployees Decond-nand holls Hovoes Is an axtreme example. If an Index was compiled reflect ing the increased living costs of employees the percentage would be far higher-ask any shopper:
Idl) the decline in quality of many goods. Clothes never last as long in they did, and need to be replaced at shorter intervals about avions Take shows some Bre not anen repsirable; the synthetic materials used these days ars, gemerally speaking. not as healthy for the feet as lesther: others come to pieces land will the shops always replace them?).
electric shaver which had lasted him ten years the replacement neaded ricą i 19731 Cars are another example: compare today's cars with pre-war makes which also roflects itself in motor insurance costs): And is furniture as sturdy as it was? lel interest ratas are not included in the Cost of Living Index: (r) if sinemployment is rising, soma wage increases are at the expense of redundancy and a lesser number of amployees are get une wages which make up the Duerat Tol there is a tendency to pay much higher wigit to younger people to deter them from changing jobs: If the average percent age incraese for the nuclear family was or could be-arrived at, it could he lower.
Тлеки кпос он вист со посни та!
to more wives going out to work, with all the extra strains that ontaik. In my opin ion, comrades Polley and Balfour have taken too narrow a view of this matter. -BUNNY EASTON, Southalt. BIRMINGHAM RALLY- Against the No doubt there are other factors, but where living standards have risen, it is due