RETAIL PRICE INDEX

Press, Volume XCIII, Issue 27912, 8 March 1956, Page 15

RETAIL PRICE INDEX

LOWER FOOD COSTS IN FEBRUARY MEAT, VEGETABLES, AND EGGS CHEAPER A decrease of 10 points was recorded between January and February this year, according to the consumers’ price index released by the Census and Statistics Department. The decrease was caused by the following moyements in the various sub-group indices: meat and fish, a fall of six points; fruit, vegetables and eggs, a fall of 45 points; and other foods, a rise of two points. f Further reductions in meat prices—particularly beef —occurred in most towns, and fish prices remained steady. Seasonal fruits and vegetables were relatively cheaper in February than in January. In the non-seasonal section, onions- and potatoes decreased in price. Biscuits and cakes contributed most of the increase in the other foods sub-group, said the department. The index for fuel and lighting showed no significant change over the last six months, the one-point movement between January and February resulting from increases in coke prices in some towns. At the base period—the first quarter of 1949 —food represented 34.22 per cent, and fuel and lighting 3.86 per cent of the total expenditure covered by the consumers’ price index, said the department. These were the only groups for which prices were collected each month, the complete all-groups index being a quarterly compilation. The index for Christchurch increased from 1644 in January to 1661 —the highest figure for the four main centres. The movement of the index in the other main centres was:— Auckland. 1640 to 1622: Wellington, 1654 to 1647; Dunedin. 1663 to 1657.