RETAIL PRICES

Greymouth Evening Star, 21 September 1940, Page 4

RETAIL PRICES

FIGURES FOR JULY According to the Monthly Abstract of Statistics, the retail-prices index (base: 1926-30—1000) for the three food groups for July shows an increase of 3 points since June (from 1071 to 1074). The general slight advance in the price of meat was reflected by an increase of 21 points in the index for this group; further seasonal reductions in the price of eggs have resulted in a decrease of 17 points in the dairy-produce group; no movement took place in the index for the groceries group. When the July indexes for food and fuel and light are combined with the February rent index and the May indexes for the remaining groups, an all-groups index of 1024 is obtained, 1 point above that for the previous month and 63.1 per cent, above the 1914 level. The increase in the all-groups index as compared with August, 1939, is 2.9 per cent. ' The wnolesale-pnces index (base: 1926-30 —1000) rose 15 points in July (from 1190 to 1205). An increase of 29 points in the index for imported commodities due principally to the higher prices ruling for metals and textiles was counterbalanced to some extent by a decrease of 6 points in the index for locally-produced commodities, caused by seasonal reductions in the prices of eggs and potatoes. The export-prices index (base 190913—1000) at 1532 in July is higher by 8 points than in June. Sharp advances in the prices of sheep and rabbit skins (resulting in an increase of 173 points in the index for the skins and hides group) were the principal cause of the rise. Other groups show little change, the movement in the principal indexes being—lncreases: Minerals, 31 points; timber, 29 points. Decreases: Meat, 15 points. The share-prices index (base: 1926 —1000) for all groups at the end of July was 891, an increase of 39 points as compared with the June index. The index for industrial shares separately was 918, an increase of 30 points ovet that for the previous month.