COST OF LIVING.

Marlborough Express, Volume L, Issue 62, 14 March 1916, Page 6

COST OF LIVING.

NEW ZEALAND'S POvSITION,

COMPARED WITH AUSTRALIA.

It is remarkable to what a comparatively small' extent the war hasaffectccl tho cost of living in New Zealand. That the war has- to some? extent had its effect is only to be expected, but compared with other countries' of the Empire and especially with the Australian States, New Zealand up to the present lias- come off very lightly. Comparison with Australia is possible bocfiusp very much -the samestatistical tables aro published by the Statisii'Hnns of ooth countries—:Vlr G. H. Kinbbs for Australia and Mr Malcolm Fraser for New Zealand. It is understood _ (states the Wellington. Post) that in the compilation1 of tho food prices Mr Fraser takes Mr Knibbs's groups, as his basis. Tha figures published by the- Now Zealand Statistician in this month's Labor Journal'arc in advance of tho.se'available from Australia.. Mr Fms^r brings his* figures down tier 31, sb December, and the Commonwealth convpilationsgo only as far. as the September quarter of Jast year. This■ ia"sliuivtly to the disadvantage of Now Zealand, because such a comparison will show the nifjro recent increases in tho caso of ThpO*>ominibn, ami' not in the caseof Australia.' But even ao, tho differenco in- our favor still will causa astonishment.

Mr 'Frsiser shows that, as compared1 with the- average value of the sovo'-oiyn during the. years' jDOO-1913 x there \va,s at the end oi; last .'••year a. loss in value of 3s 10£ d—that is to say that it now costs 23s lG£d to purchase, the^ 'jjime amount of groceries txndi. foods that a sovereign would buy in the years 1909-1913.

The* Conimonwealtli Statistician? tal-es TSJII as tHe year for his standard sovereign, a basis virtually the samer.s Mr Frfiser's. Ho-shows that at theend of September last the groceries and foodstuffs that were purchasablefor 20.- in 1911 were costing on theaverage over the six .State capitals 31s Id. Therefore, there was at cOth September last in Australia in the purchasing power of the sovereign in foodstuffs due to-the war- a drop 6f Us Id. This is compared with 'Yew Zealand's 3s 10Jd; and, as lias already been pointed out, tlie New Zealand figures are three months in advanceof, thoso for the Commonwealth. Tit the several Australian capitals the loss m. tlio purchasing; power of the* sovereign is as follows:— . .

S-vdhey 1. 10 0 Melbourne ....... ... 11 8 Brisbane .... „. ... 9 & Adelaide 121 0 Perth ... ..., .. ... io 11 S ob{l£ ~ •;•■ -•'■■■■•• itfia- .. :, JN<!\v Zealand' ..... \.. « 3: 4*' Thßvo is thus, apparently, accepting the statistics, as correct, good ground for believing-that, Ke\v Zealand, underwar conditions, remains one of the most unaffected countries of the Empire, so fair, as the cost of living- i& con oemed .