Producers’ costs rose 21.9 p.c.

Press, 28 February 1980, Page 22

Producers’ costs rose 21.9 p.c.

PA Wellington Figures released by the Statistics Department for the year to December 31 showed a 21.9 per cent rise in the level of prices producer industries paid for goods, and services (excluding labour) during 1979. This General Price Index increase compares with a rise of 19.1 per cent between the September-quarters of 1978 and 1979. Prices producers paid for goods and services rose 5.9 per cent in the three months to December, 1979, compared with 4.9 per cent in the Sep-tember-quarter; 6.3 per cent in the June-quarter; and 3.3 per cent in the March, 1979, quarter. The average percentage in-

crease in. prices over all industry groups for the December 1979 quarter was 5.9. The three groups with the largest increases were the Transport and Storage group (11.5 per cent), the Chemical, Petroleum and Plastic group (9.8 per cent) and the Forestry and Logging group (8.7 per cent). The main individual item contributing to the increase in each of the three groups was fuel oil, crude oil, and contract logging lyThe three groups with the smallest increases in prices were Electricity, Gas and Water (2.7 per cent); Textiles, Apparel and Leather (3.6 per cent); and Mining and Quarrying (3.6 per cent).