A PRICE COMPARISON.

Auckland Star, Volume LIII, Issue 86, 11 April 1922, Page 4

A PRICE COMPARISON.

"Slump in prices" is a phrase commonly heard in these days, and it has a solid, to many people a tragic, basis of fact. Tt is often forgotten, however, that the "slump" has boon a fall from an abnormal level, and that, in epite of the "evil days" on which it has fallen, this community is, as regards prices, bettor off than it was before the war. There are in the. new "Year Book" some constructive tables bearing on this point. Notwithstanding the fall in the prices received for our produce abroad, the Dominion's exports for the year ended June, 1021, were valued at £46,525,284. The figures for the calendar year W2l arc not so favourable— £44,828,416. The value at 1014 prices of these exports for the period ending June was £27,717,533. The difference is striking. What is equally striking is the fact that in the calendar year 1914 the value of exports was £25,084,717. That is to seven years our exports, measured by the price standard of 1914, have increased by less than two "millions. This would seem to indicate that during this time the development of the country has not been very vigorous. The great difference between values to-day and values in 1914 shows that the Dominion is far from being bankrupt, and suggests that we have greater troubles than falling prices—reckless finance and inflated >*and values.