COST OF LIVING.

Sun (Christchurch), Volume VI, Issue 1643, 21 May 1919, Page 6

COST OF LIVING.

FURTHER DECLINE IN MARCH. STATISTICIAN'S FIGURES. (Special to The Snn.] WELLINGTON, May 20. The Government Statistician reports that the cost of living, as indicated by the index numbers for the three food groups (meat, groceries, and dairy produce), showed a further decline in the month of March. A declimfwas reported in February. I The Dominion weighted average for [the three food groups in March was [1505, as against 1522 in February. ;The March number represents an increase of 40.659 over the number for July, 1914. The course of the index numbers is shown in the following table:— July, wu 10:0 January, 1915 11/7 January, 1910 1236 January, 1917 1359 January, 1918 1427 July, 1918 .. 1-191 August, 1918 15(17 September, 1918 ~ 1509 October, 1918 1514 November, 1918 1537 December, 1918 .. .... ;. 1003 January, 1919 1553 February, 19J9 .. .. .... 1522 March, 1919 .. ..--.- 1505 "The data from which Iho rent index number is calculated is collected only half-yearly," says the Government Statistician, "and if the last-ascertained rent index number i (February, 1919) be combined in its proper proportion with the index number for the three food groups, it is found that the war increase in food and rents since July, 1914, is 28.18 per cent. It is not practicable at present to calculate index numbers to show the increase in retail prices over the whole of the domestic expenditure, of a household, but the three food groups and rent, in regard to which the above increase of approximately 28 per cent, has taken place, cover the most important and necessary items in the average domestic expenditure, and form more than half of the total.*'