HOUSEWIFE'S BURDEN.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LVI, Issue 17097, 28 February 1919, Page 5

HOUSEWIFE'S BURDEN.

RISING COST OF LIVING,

INCREASES SINCE MM.

POOR VALUE FOR SOVEREIGN.

The steadily increasing cost of living is set out in the January issue of the New Zealand Monthly Abstract of Statistics. In November last the workers' weekly budgets, based on an assumed weekly household consumption of certain foodstuffs, showed an increase of 43.55. per cent, over the prices ruling in July, 1914; but in December the cost of three foodstuffs had increased to 51.48 per cent, over the July, 1914, leveL Stated in shillings and pence, foodstuffs that cost 19s B|d per week at the beginning of the war cost 28s 3J>d at the close of the war, and 29s 10£ d during December last.

A foreword to the abstract states With reference to the exceptional increase in the index number of retail prices of groceries for December, 1918, it should be explained that this is to a very large extent due k. the abnormal prices ruling for potatoes in that month. This, of course, has also affected, to a less extent, the index numbers for the three food groups combined. There is in normal years a substantial seasonal increase in prices of potatoes when the new season's crop is placed on the market in November and December, but on the present occasion the late season, combined with the lack of importations from Australia (due to circumstances arising out of the prevalence of the influenza epidemic), caused a considerable scarcity oi potatoes, and consequently abnormally high prices. The table giving the relative worth of the sovereign as measured by the retail prices of food, shows that the purchasingpower of the pound sterling in the December quarter of last year had shrunk to 12s IOJd, as compared with its average * worth" in foodstuffs in the years 1909-13. The various stages in the shrinkage of the sovereign are shown in the following table:b. d. 1909-13 .. 20 0 December quarter, 1915 .. 16 3$ December Quarter. 1916 .. 15 3 December quartor, 1917 .. 14 3} December quarter, 1918 .. 12 10} Putting it another way, a further table indicates that the amounts required to purchase in each of the four chief centres during the December quailter, 1918, the amount of food which would have cost 20s on the average of the four centres in 1909-13 were as under: s. d. Auckland .. ... .. 30 7J Wellington .. .. _ 31 7 Christcnurch _ ». ... 30 Si Dunedin .. .. „ ~30 2J Wellington it will be noted enjoys a pre-eminence in regard to the cost of hvine, being, on the basis of the above table, ILJd higher than Auckland, and Is lid hieher than Christchnrch, and Is 4|d higher than Dunedin.